What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum will help keep you on top of pet hair and lint on daily basis. Many work with apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and set virtual boundaries or 'walls' to keep them out of areas you don't want cleaned.

This mop and vac creates a home map after its first run, storing your space for future jobs. It comes with a self-cleaning brush roll and an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, look for one that can pick up large objects, such as lamps and toys as well as dust particles. This will help ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush and aren't left on your floors. This is especially important if your robot will be cleaned frequently by children or pets.

A model that has an engine that is powerful and lots of suction is an excellent choice. This will help it to be more efficient in removing pet hair, dust and lint off carpets and hardwood flooring.

The size of your house is a different factor to consider. If you have a huge home, you might want to opt for one with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in one go. Some models also come with mopping capabilities, which can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will keep your robot running efficiently for the years to be. Many owners of robot vacuums that we have spoken with have had the same model for a decade or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along the way).

A basic robot is less expensive than a large vacuum cleaner. They'll still be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning dirt from surfaces pet fur, lint and other debris. You can use them to clean your floors multiple times per day. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The Top robot vacuum robot vacuums make use of cameras, sensors or lasers to navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. Some models will return to their dock or base when their battery is depleted. They can also stay clear of obstacles like furniture legs and cords. Some of the more expensive models have mapping capabilities, which allow them to memorize your home's layout and therefore spend less time bumping against walls.

If you don't want to splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that does a great job of removing pet hair, dirt, dust and debris from floors that are hard like wood and tile and carpets with low pile. They can also handle bigger debris like nails with rusty screws, metal screws or discarded toys. Some models even have self-emptying bases, which is useful for those who don't want to empty the trash bin after every cleaning run.

The majority of robotic vacuums have innovative features that make a standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric such as scheduling, Top robot Vacuum zone targeting, and the capability to control them using an app or voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to get into.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance, which uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like lamp cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots I've tested however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles in my home. It also didn't get stuck or tangled while working on my floors.

While the iRobot j7+ was a good obstacle avoidance bot however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of avoiding dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum specific areas, resulting in dust accumulation in the filters, and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums come with an app that allows you to alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and see an image of the area covered by the machine. This is a useful feature that a few competitors do not have. This allows you to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specific time intervals and run it on a regular basis, like cleaning your living room prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app can allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some 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 a large dustbin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without having empty it. There are models that self-empty that take some of the labor out of emptying the robot after each cleaning run.

If you're looking for a robot that does more than vacuum, consider a model with mopping functions. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and include a tank of water which can hold several cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt 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 significant difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuums, as it won't have to spend time going back to the beginning of the room whenever it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test participants found that the robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could sit and watch television or perform other things while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models utilize laser navigation and can create an exact map of your entire house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or every room in the house while you're at work.

App Control

If you want to customize the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and choose a cleaning mode, it's best to get one that is compatible with a mobile app. You can also see the status of the vacuum robot and the condition of its dust bin using the app. The best robotic vacuums can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot that has a washable filter and a self-emptying container, particularly if the filter can be easily cleaned and washed. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards, making it easier to get rid of dirt and hair. Certain robots are more adept at avoiding chair legs than others, and some have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the obstruction of brushes that may be a problem in other robots.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to help them navigate around obstacles and to learn about your home. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords. The cheaper models could use boundary strips to mark areas where you don't want it to go. Object avoidance can be especially beneficial for families with children who scatter socks and toys all over the home. This allows your robot to collect these items instead of scattering.

We're starting to see more robots with mops, which are beneficial for those who have hard floors and require to mop them regularly. These robots have a water reservoir that is built into their chassis or as a separate piece that can be swapped in when ready to mop. They may require refilling frequently, but are ideal for homes that have hard floors and can't be cleaned easily with vacuums.

These robots are loaded with impressive technology, and they are priced significantly less than you'd expect. You can find a decent one under $200, which does a decent cleaning job on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rugs. It is possible to schedule the robot to clean rooms regularly, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.