What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

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

This smart vac-mop creates the map of your home's layout with its first run. It then stores the space to be used for cleaning tasks in the future. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically empties and a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, choose one that is able to pick up large items like toys and lamp cords as well as dust particles of fine size. This will ensure they don't become entangled in the roller brush, and aren't left behind on your floors. This feature is particularly important for those who have children or pets and you may have to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's an excellent idea to select a model that has strong motors and lots of suction power. This will make it more efficient in removing pet hair, dust and lint off your carpets and hardwood floors.

Another factor to consider is the size of your room. If you have a large house, you may want to pick a model that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean the entire house in a single session. Some models have a mopping feature that can be used to keep floors clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be maintained in a timely and efficient manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly, emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will ensure that your robot is running smoothly for a long time. Many of the owners of robot vacuums who we talk to have owned 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 full-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll still do an excellent job at keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair, and dust. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can use often throughout the week to keep your floors clean. The downside is they don't offer as much technological innovation, and may be susceptible to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They can also avoid obstacles such as furniture legs and cords, and some models will automatically return to their base or dock when they run low on energy. Some of the most expensive models come with the ability to map, which allows them to remember the layout of your home and spend less time bumping against walls.

If you don't want splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you could find one that does a great job of removing pet hair, dirt, dust and debris from floors that are hard like wood and tile and low-pile carpets. They can also do a decent job of removing larger debris such as metal screws or staples that have rust, or discarded toys. Some even come with a self-emptying base that is handy for those who don't want to empty the dustbin after every clean-up.

The majority of robotic vacuums have smart features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned, including schedules, zone targeting and the ability to control them via an app or voice assistant like Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish the robot to get into.

Some robotic vacs like the Eufy 11S and my former top pick the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes cameras and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tested, but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles in my home and rarely got stuck or tangled when I was working on my flooring.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance bot but it wasn't always able to do an excellent job of avoiding dirt and crumbs from my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum specific areas, leading to dust accumulating in the filters, and a less clean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums include an app that allows you to customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and see an image of the area covered by the machine. This is a handy feature that some competitors lack altogether. This lets you create profiles that will automatically start the robot at specific times, and keep it running regularly. For example, it could be cleaning the living area every day or before dinner.

A good app can let you control your robot with voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot through voice commands.

For a truly hands-free experience, choose a model with a large dust bin that can withstand many cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. There are also models that are self-emptying that take some of the burden of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you want a robot that can do more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at the possibility of a model that can mop floors. These are typically larger than the robotic vacuums, and include a water tank inside that holds many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to needing to be emptied.

Robots that are more advanced can make their own maps, and can remember the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a huge difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, since it won't have to go back to where it was when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test participants who utilized robots with this capability found it to be extremely efficient, and could watch TV or complete other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some models use laser navigation to create an outline of your home. You can then program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or in all rooms while you are at work.

App Control

It's Best Robot Mop For Laminate Floors to choose one that comes with a mobile application in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and select cleaning mode. In the app, you can also examine the status of your vacuum and its dust bin. Some of the best rated vacuum mop robot vacuums are operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a Best bagless self emptying robot vacuum-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, especially if you can easily access the filter and then remove it to wash it. Another great feature is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some also have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the blockage of brushes that could happen in other robots.

Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools to assist them in navigating around obstacles and to learn about your home. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. Cheaper models may utilize boundary strips to mark off areas that you don't wish it to enter. Avoidance of objects is crucial for families with children who leave toys and socks scattered throughout the house, because it allows your robot to grab the items instead of scattering them.

We're beginning to see more robots equipped with mops which are beneficial for those who have hard floors and need to regularly clean them. These robots come with a water tank built into the chassis, or an extra piece you can swap in when it's time to clean. They might need to be refilled more often than other kinds of robots, however they're perfect for homes with hard floors which aren't easy to clean using a vacuum.

These robots are packed with some impressive technology, and they cost a lot less than you'd expect. You can find a decent one for less than $200, and it does a decent job cleaning on hard floors while navigating around the edges of carpets and rugs. It is possible to schedule the robot to vacuum the room on a regular basis and it can be controlled remotely using the app or Best Robot Mop For Laminate Floors by pressing buttons on its side.