Could a Robot Clean My 12th-Floor Windows? I Held My Breath and Gave It a Chance.

Living on a 12th-floor apartment across the river from Manhattan, I tested the EcoVacs Winbot Mini to see if a window-cleaning robot could tackle glass that manual cleaning cannot reach. The building's panes are washed twice a year, and in the months between a patchy film forms that defeats ordinary towels. The Winbot Mini, roughly half the size of a typical robot vacuum, is among the few window-cleaning robots available in the US, and I wanted to know if it could handle truly uncleaned exteriors.

To my surprise, it showed noticeable cleaning power, improving clarity on panes I’d resigned to living with. It isn’t perfect for every window or grime level, and some stubborn spots remain, but the machine’s performance exceeded my expectations and seemed workable for year-round use. Safety features appeared solid, and I felt reasonably confident the device wouldn’t endanger people below, though I’d still supervise a test run.

If the window is easily reachable, a traditional squeegee and microfiber cloth still beat a robot. For exterior panes that resist manual cleaning, the Winbot Mini shows promise and signals a budding category that could attract more competition in the US in the coming years.