What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint and dust on a daily basis. Many use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them from areas you don't want cleaned.

This mop and vac creates a map of your home with its first run, storing your space for future use. It has an extra-large dustbin that automatically emptys, as well as a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, look for one that can pick up big items, such as lamps and toys and also dust particles. This will ensure that they do not get stuck in the roller brushes or strewn across your floor. This feature is particularly important for those who have pets or children, and may need to clean the robot regularly.

It's also a good idea to choose a model with strong motors and lots of suction power. This will enable it to be more efficient in removing dust, pet hair and lint from carpets as well as hardwood floors.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your home. If you live in an area that is large you might want to choose models that have multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean your entire home in one session. Some models come with a mopping feature that can be utilized to keep floors clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums are tough, but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust container and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will ensure that your robot is running smoothly for long time to be. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak to have been using their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot will cost less than a large-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll do a fantastic job of keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair, and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floors tidy. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more prone to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords, and some models can automatically return to their base or dock when they run out of power. The most expensive models usually come with mapping capabilities that permit them to learn the arrangement of your home, and lessen the time you spend bumping into walls.

You don't have to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a fantastic job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces, such as tiles, wood and low-pile rug. They can also be capable of handling larger debris like metal screws and staples that are rusty or even the remains of toys. Some come with a base that automatically empty itself, which is a great feature if you do not want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned, including scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them with an app or voice assistant like Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish the robot to enter.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will prevent them from tripping over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes a camera and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like shoes, lamp cords, socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tried, however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles around my home. It was also very rarely derailed or trapped when I was working on my floors.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a good obstacle avoidance robot however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of avoiding dust and crumbs from my carpets. It also was known to over-vacuum certain areas, resulting in dust accumulation in the filters and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

A few of the top robot vacuums have an app that helps you to customize cleaning settings set schedules, and view the area of floor that the machine covers. This is an extremely useful feature that many competitors do not have. This allows you to create profiles that automatically start your robot at certain time intervals and run it on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning your living room prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app will allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Certain models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot using voice commands.

For a truly hands-free experience, opt for a model with a large dust bin that can hold numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are models that self-empty, which takes some of the work out of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robot that can do more than vacuum, think about one that has a mopping function. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and have a water tank that can hold multiple cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.

The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your house and can even remember the arrangement from one cleaning to the next and help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a significant difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums, as it won't be spending time going back to the beginning of the room when it comes into contact with walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch television or perform other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some models use laser navigation to create an outline of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms while you're working.

App Control

It is recommended to select a robot that has a mobile application in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and select cleaning mode. You can also see the state of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin within the app. Some of the best robotic vacuums can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep clean, especially when you are able to access the filter and remove it to rinse it. A powerful brush is another great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept at avoiding chair leg than others. Others have a sensor that automatically cleans brushes to avoid the clogging.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to help them navigate around obstacles and learn your home. High-end models have sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords. On the other hand, less expensive models may utilize boundary strips that you place on the floor to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with children who scatter toys and socks around the house. This allows your robot to gather these items, instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is great for those with hard floors who require to mop frequently. These robots come with a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate component that can be swapped in when ready to mop. These robots may need to be refilled frequently but they're ideal for homes that have hard floors that can't be easily cleaned by vacuums.

We've seen some impressive technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might think. You can find a decent one for under $200. It can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rugs. The robot can be programmed to vacuum the room on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.