What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A robot vacuum will help keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on regular basis. Many use apps that let you schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them away from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.
This mop and vac creates a home map after its first run, storing your space for future jobs. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.
Object Detection
When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, select one that can clean up large objects like lamps and toys and dust particles of fine size. This will ensure that they don't get stuck in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This is particularly crucial if your robot is going to be cleaned regularly by pets or children.
A model that has an engine that is powerful and lots of suction is also an excellent option. This will enable it to be more efficient in eliminating dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets as well as hardwood flooring.
The size of your home is another crucial factor to consider. If you have an apartment you might want to choose one that has multiple cleaning zones so that you can clean your entire home in one go. Some models also come with a mopping function, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums can last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean on a regular basis will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many the years to come. Many owners of robot vacuums that we have spoken with have had the same machine for 10 years or more (and replaced brushes, motors and batteries in the process).
A basic robot will cost you less than a large-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll still do an excellent job at keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can distribute every week to keep your floor free of dirt. However, they don't have as smart technology, and can be prone to getting stuck or requiring human intervention.
Object Avoidance
The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, lasers, or cameras to guide them around your home without getting stuck or falling down the staircase. They are also able to stay clear of obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models can automatically return to their base or dock when they run out of power. The most expensive models usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the arrangement of your home, and spend less time running into walls.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do an excellent job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like wood, tile and low-pile rugs. They can also do a decent job of removing larger debris such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even the remains of toys. Some even come with self-emptying bases which is helpful for those who don't want to empty your trash bin after every cleaning run.
Many robotic vacuums also come with smart features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric such as zones, schedules, and the capability to control them using an app or voice assistant such as 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 pick, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will stop them from falling over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that uses sensors powered by processors to see and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tested but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles in my home. It also didn't get stuck or tangled when I was working on my floors.
The iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle-avoiding robot however, it didn't always do a great job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my rugs. It also tends to over-vacuum some areas, which led to an abundance of dust in the filter and a less clean house.
Smart Mapping
Some of the best rated robot mop robot vacuums come with an app that helps you to customize cleaning settings set schedules, and view the flooring area that the machine covers. This is a handy feature, and one that some competitors lack altogether. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specified time intervals and run it on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning the living area prior to dinner or on a regular basis.
A good app will also 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 through voice commands.
Find a model that has an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after every vacuuming session.
If you're looking for a robotic that can do more than vacuum, think about a model with a mopping function. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums and have a water tank which can hold several cleaning sessions' worth of dirt and dust before needing to emptied.
Robots that are more sophisticated can develop their own maps and keep track of the layout of your home from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a big difference in the speed at which your robot vacuums because it won't need to spend time going back to the beginning of the room when it encounters furniture or walls.
Our test subjects who tested the robot that has this feature found it to be very efficient. They could easily watch TV or do other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models utilize laser navigation and can make an exact map of your house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or every room in the house when you're at work.
App Control
If you're looking to change the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and choose a cleaning mode you should choose one that has an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also see the status of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin within the app. The best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep clean, particularly when you are able to easily access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. Another feature that is great is a high-powered brush that gets into corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are more adept in avoiding the chair's legs than others, and some even have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the blockage of brushes that could happen in other robots.
Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools that aid them in navigating obstacles and learn your home. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundaries to mark areas you don't want it to go. Avoidance of objects is particularly important for families with children who have socks and toys scattered around the house, because it helps your robot nab these objects instead of scattering them.
Robots are increasingly equipped with mops. This is useful for those with hard floors who require to mop regularly. They come with an integrated water tank into the chassis or an extra piece you can put in when it's time to clean. These robots might need to be refilled frequently, but are ideal for homes that have hard floors and can't be easily cleaned by a vacuum.
These robots come with some amazing technology, and cost significantly less than you'd think. You can get a good one for under $200. It does a decent cleaning job on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and rug. The robot can be programmed to clean specific rooms at regular intervals. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.