The Best Robot Vacuums

A good robot vacuum does the majority of the work for you and removes pet hair, lint, and surface dirt before it adheres to furniture or be sucked into carpets. Many robot mop and vacuum combo vacuums work with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free cleaning experience.

Many models have maps that allow them to create an interactive map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and traversing clusters of device cords.

What to Look for

Some robots have advanced features that allow users to control them with voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning, and object avoidance are some of the features. These machines might also have larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.

Choose a model that has an extensive brush that can remove large particles, and that is slim enough to fit under furniture. Also check whether the robot vacuum can be used on multiple floor types without having to swap out brushes or change suction settings, which can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its lifespan.

The top robotic vacuums have high-quality filters that can trap fine particles and protect your home. They also have a large easy-to-access bin for collecting so that you can empty it often. Some quietest robot vacuum vacuums come with an additional side brush that can sweep up pet hair or other debris in difficult to reach areas like under or behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, allowing you to observe the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.

You can also make use of the app to establish boundaries around furniture and rooms that you don't want it entering. Certain models can also detect the type of floor they're cleaning and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings accordingly.

You can also find robots that can recharge and resume cleaning exactly where they left off in case their battery runs low. Some robot vacuums have cameras built-in that lets you see the route the robot took and the data it has gathered.

Certain robots can be controlled via voice commands however, not all. Be sure that the robot you select is compatible with your voice assistant of choice, and test out how it responds to different commands during the purchasing process. Some robots are able to automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations, reducing your list of chores a bit. But this feature comes at an expense, as does the capacity of the bin and faster charging speed.

Cleaning Performance

While robots can't replace a full-on vacuum or broom, they provide a practical and efficient alternative to the everyday chore of cleaning your floors. The best robotic cleaners can pick up Small robot vacuum debris like dust, pet hair and crumbs, or larger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They can do this without harming the floor or furniture.

Most of the time, they'll detect the type of floor they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features accordingly to more effectively clean your floors. This is especially important when your home is surrounded by different types of flooring. A lot of models come with a wide range of options to set up virtual boundaries, allowing you to tell the robot to stay clear from certain areas of your home. This will keep your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't. It will also ensure that your home is kept clean during every scheduled session.

You should also think about the amount of autonomy you're willing to give your robot. Certain models require you be active and attentive, while others work on their own. They can change cleaning schedules and cleaning modes using a mobile application or voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Some will map and learn your home and allow you to set up zones and instruct the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.

In our tests the iRobot J7+ was the top "set it and forget it" robot. It was the best in mapping, forming virtual boundaries and avoiding obstacles better than all the other robots we tried. Additionally, it can empty itself completely so you don't need to do that manually and has side brushes that can help sweep debris away from corners and edges where it is difficult to reach.

Its slim design and infrared sensor allows it to clean under and behind furniture which allows it to do a better job than most robots. Furthermore, its advanced navigation system allows it to clean the entire floor of your home with just one battery charge. It's hard to beat, especially at its price.

Battery Life

A good robot vacuum can make keeping your floors clean seem less like a chore and more like a treat. The difference between a clean house and one that is dirty can be made by removing tracked-in dirt and crumbs, pet hair, and other messes. While a simple robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those looking for an extra hands-free experience should choose models that double as a mop.

The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is among the best models for both, since it is extremely efficient in both its mop and vacuuming modes, and is able to handle dirt and pet hair, as well as debris and even cat litter. Its feature for avoiding objects is particularly impressive, enabling it to avoid objects and not get stuck on them.

It has a large dustbin as well as an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a significant amount of space in just one go. It's also a smart cleaner which means that it can be able to map your home, and works with apps such as those offered by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to let you control the vacuum using voice commands.

The application that comes with the robot lets you create schedules, define specific rooms for cleaning or suspend or resume sessions. It will notify you when its battery is low and return to the docking station for recharging.

This robot can also distinguish between hard floors and carpets, and adjust its settings accordingly. This will prevent the machine from becoming stuck on a particular type of surface and accidentally tearing your furniture. But, it's not yet able to recognize high pile carpeting or the seams of rooms, so you'll still have to be careful about picking up large objects.

To ensure that robot vacuums are in top condition, they require maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair and emptying the trash bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Cameras and sensors must also be cleaned between uses. The manufacturer will give specific guidelines for small robot vacuum these and other maintenance steps which can differ based on the specific model.

Cost

The top robot vacuums might not be cheap, but they are considerably less expensive than professional carpet cleaning machines or even a stand-up vacuum. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, as most only require that you empty and rinse their dust bins following each cleaning session.

Many robot vacuums have intelligent features that help them be more efficient within your home. For example, mapping technology lets you tell the vacuum where to go via an app, so it doesn't get stuck in stairs or under furniture, where there could be an unclean mess. Other robot vacuums can detect the kind of floor they are cleaning so they can alter their suction and brush capabilities to achieve the most effective results.

Some models feature object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even cameras) to detect objects like toys and other things on the floor. They then instruct the robot to walk around them instead of running into them. This is a great benefit if you have kids or pets who scatter toys around the house.

Voice control is a different feature you may consider useful. It allows you to operate your robot using your voice instead of the buttons on the board. This is a great option when you have children who aren't yet old enough to use the controls or just want a hands-free option.

How often you should use your robot will depend on the amount of dirt or debris is accumulating on your floor. The majority of experts recommend using a robot vacuum several times a week to keep your floors looking good and nabbing pet hair, dust and dirt from the surface before it can get crushed or small Robot vacuum become difficult to remove.

If you have limited floor surfaces and don't plan to utilize your robot for other tasks, a budget model like our top choice, the Eufy 11S, is a good choice. It's user-friendly and affordable, and it does the job without causing any noise when you're working or watching television.