By Mark Furler
Copyright news
But one survey has found that more than 4 in 10 Aussies do eat something that has just been dropped on the floor, despite only 10 percent vacuuming daily, while just 4 percent mop their floors each day.
About 80 percent of Aussies vacuum weekly or more often.
More than 7 in 10 younger Australians admit they’ve let their pet clean up crumbs to avoid vacuuming.
When it comes to mopping, I hate it, so I’d definitely be in the ‘every now and then’ group.
But if you’re like me and you like the idea of something better than the old mop and bucket, there are heaps of good options to clean your floors from robotic bots to simple cordless sticks.
One of the latest we’ve been testing is Samsung’s Bespoke AI Jet Ultra, which it has billed as the world’s most powerful cordless stick vacuum with 400W of suction power.
It’s comparable in price and features to a Dyson V16 wet and dry vacuum which has 315 watts of sucking power.
The Samsung product is the latest in its ‘SmartThings’ range adding AI to the equation.
What can AI really offer in a cordless vacuum and mop?
A bit more than I first thought, to be honest. But is it really worth the price tag?
The jet ultra uses AI to determine what type of floors you are cleaning and adjust the suction power and revolutions of the vacuum head (which is capable of up to 148,000 rpm) accordingly.
If you are gliding over tiles with the mopping head on, it automatically picks that up giving you a constant speed, while the plus button normally to up the power becomes a waterspray button.
When vacuuming, the Bespoke AI Jet Ultra has five different settings you can choose: Minimum, AI (where it sets it for you), mid, max and jet.
At minimum you will get up to 100 minutes of runtime but switch it to jet and that quickly drops to about 12 minutes on our testing, based on a full charge.
It takes up to five hours (300 minutes) to fully charge the battery, so it pays to consider how much cleaning you have to do.
Using the AI mode works out pretty well in getting a better runtime, but if you are cleaning the car out after a trip to the beach, jet mode might be your best option.
There’s a long list of accessories that come with the Jet Ultra including a pet tool, combination tool, extension crevice tool, flexible tool, active dual brush and slim LED brush, a spray spinning sweeper with a little water tank and reusable wet pads, as well as disposable wet pads and three dustbags.
I had the most fun mopping using the disposal wet pads as it really glided along our white tiles effortlessly and did a pretty good job, based on the dirty pads at the clean of the clean.
One of the big selling points of the system is the self-emptying cleaning station which activates when you put the vacuum back on to charge.
It also runs a ‘self diagnosis’ test to ensure everything is working okay.
You can also use the Smartthings app on your phone (iOS or Android) to check on charging levels or empty the dustbin.
Samsung’s newest cleaner has 12 jet cyclones and 33 air inlets to help reduce suction loss and trap fine dust.
We were sent the finely chopped remains of other cleaners to test out the suction power.
In a promotional video, a collection of rival cleaners are put into a grinder with the clip showing Samsung’s Bespoke AI Jet Ultra powering through the mess.
Our experience was not quite the same probably because we didn’t spread the particles across the floor as evenly. Initially the head just pushed the bits further along the floor.
But as we spread the mess out, and turned up the power to jet, and tried a few other attachments to get rid of some of the bulk, the mess was cleaned up in no time.
Samsung says the battery, which has a two year warranty, retains 70 percent capacity after 500 cycles.
Each part of the dustbin in the vacuum head can be cleaned in water, including the main cyclone, metal mesh grille, jet cyclone, washable microfilter, and fine dust filter.
With a five-stage HEPA filtration system, Samsung says the Bespoke AI Jet Stick vacuum can help trap up to 99.9 percent of dust.
The main active dual brush soft roller helps pick up large dust particles on hard floors while nylon and rubber bristles help improve performance on carpets.
The LED lighting at the front is particularly good for highlighting where the dirt, and in our case, white dog hair, is hiding.
The slim LED brush is good for getting dust under the bed and under furniture.
The pet tool with a rubber nozzle and bristles has a self-cleaning grinder to cut up hairs and prevent tangling.
The display on the vacuum shows suction level, remaining battery time, battery charge level, and alerts you if there is a blockage in the brush.
The telescoping wand is easy to adjust and can be set between 574mm and 786mm, easing strain on the back.
When returning it to the clean station, you are best to reduce it to the minimum length so it sits properly on the dock and can run the self diagnosis (which includes spinning the head) without interference from the bottom of the unit.
The clean station is smart enough looking to have it set up in a corner of the living room for easy access while there is an accessory cradle for all the brushes and extensions.
With the SmartThings app you can manage your vacuum settings from your phone, receive customised maintenance guides and even alerts you when your connected phone receives a call or message.
With a RRP of $1699, Samsung’s Bespoke AI Jet Ultra is expensive, but given its sucking power, technology, abundance of accessories and smart AI features, it will no doubt appeal to those wanting to make lighter work of their floors, particularly if you have dogs, teenagers or kids in the house.