iRobot Braava jet 240 Robot Mop Review
After pulling out the iRobot Braava jet 240 robot mop from the box, we thought we received the wrong product. It was tiny! The bot itself only measures 6.7-by-7-inch, about 3 inches tall. Aside from the robot, the box also contains the battery, charger, and two pieces each of wet, damp, and dry sweeping pads.
Design
iRobot Braava jet 240 emphasizes quality over quantity. It’s not just the size, but its 3-pound weight is also a unique feature. With its size, this model is a perfect fit for those who live in apartments or condominiums. Its small design allows it to clean hard-to-reach areas, especially the places beneath your furniture.
The bot looks both cute and elegant. Its clean white color with a little accent of blue on top makes it pleasing to the eyes. The control button is on top, marked “Clean.” This button allows you to start and stop mopping and program virtual barriers. There is a fold-down handle to make it easier for you to carry it from one room to another. You can find the cap for the water tank and a switch that ejects the sweeping pad beneath the “Clean” button compartment.
The front and back of the device contain the spray nozzle and battery slot, respectively. Below, you can find a compartment for the mopping pad, sensors, a pad reader, and wheels.
Cleaning Process
Braava jet 240 comes with three types of cleaning pads. The machine automatically adjusts its cleaning method based on the type of pad being used.
Wet method: You can get almost the same result as the traditional bucket-and-scrub combo using this cleaning mode. The bot triple passes over the floor, scrubbing it and picking up dirt along the way. This robot does a good job in wet mopping your floor, but it consumes a lot of water and drains the battery faster. The wet method can cover up to 200 square feet.
Damp sweeping: Passes a route twice; hence, the device uses less water and moves faster. It’s suited for a milder cleaning need and can cover up to 250 sq. feet.
Dry sweeping: Passes a route only once without using water, which is ideal for everyday cleaning if you don’t have kids or pets at home. Because it doesn’t use water, it can finish the task faster. Braava jet 240 can cover up to 250 square feet under this cleaning method.
The bot comes with three types of sweeping pads (2 pieces of each type included in the box), and they are color-coordinated for easy recognition: blue means wet, orange for damp, and white for dry. The pad reader can detect the color of the pad attached to the machine. This information tells the processor what type of job to do.
You can buy the sweeping pads at $8 for the box of 10, two packs of wet-mopping pads for $20, or a variety of three-pack for $30. The pads are machine-washable and can be used repeatedly as long as their fibers are still intact.
Navigation-wise, jet 240 charts the map intelligently. It can move in one direction and goes back to its original path when it encounters a wall. The bot only sprays water when its course is clean. Thus, it only sprays on the floor clear from any obstacle and never on the walls or furniture. You can also set up a virtual wall to restrict it from going to certain areas or rooms.
Set Up and Usage
The jet 240 doesn’t come with a docking station, meaning you have to manually insert a detachable battery into its charger and plug it into the power outlet. It takes a maximum of two hours before the battery becomes fully charged.
Once charging is complete, slip the battery into the slot at the back of the jet. Then, flip the robot over and slip the mop pad into its compartment. Fill up the water tank with hot water for wet and damp cleaning mode. To start cleaning, place the jet on the floor at least one foot away from the walls and hit the “Clean” button.
Setting up the virtual is easy. First, you face the back of the jet parallel to where you want to position the barrier. Press and hold the “Clean” button until blue lines on either side illuminate and you hear a beeping sound.
By this time, the jet is ready. Press the button again to start the bot. The precision jet spray squirts water a few inches in its front slightly moves forward to one side, goes up, and moves on to the other side. It will continue to make this pattern until it reaches the end of the side it’s facing before it reverses its direction to continue cleaning the opposite side. Jet 240 will continue doing this cycle until it sweeps the entire room.
After cleaning, your floor will become noticeably cleaner without a lot of moisture that other robot mops leave behind. If you check the mop pad, you will see the amount of dirt it collected. If the pad is not that grimy, you can release it from the robot, wash and dry it ready for reuse.
iRobot App
Braava Jet 240 can be paired with the iRobot app, the same app used by other Roomba series. You can use the app to start and stop mopping without going to the same room where the robot is. Also, it lets you control the amount of water the bot sprays while in wet and damp cleaning modes. It can also lead you to some tutorials on how to make the most of the robot.
Final Thoughts
The Braava jet 240 is an efficient robot that can clean hard floors without thinning out your wallet. It does the job well, although not as powerful as other models in removing stubborn grime. In some cases, you might still need to pick up that stick mop for those more demanding tasks.
Having no docking station and automatic charging features means you need to charge its battery manually. Also, its navigation software cannot learn the layout of different areas simultaneously. You have to carry the robot from one room to another since it cannot navigate on its own.
The Braava jet 240 embodies that definition of “less is more” approach. There are more advanced models out there that are loaded with amazing features. If you need a robot only to maintain the floor’s cleanliness without paying extra for details that you will not use, Braava jet 240 fits the bill.
