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 of them use apps to allow you to schedule cleaning times and set virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them away from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

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

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, choose one that is able to pick up large items, like lamp cords and toys, as well as fine dirt. This will help ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush and don't end up on your floors. This is particularly crucial if the robot will be cleaned frequently by pets or children.

It's an excellent idea to choose a model with an efficient motor and lots of suction power. This will make it more effective in removing pet hair, lint, and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you have an area that is large it is possible to choose a model that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean the entire house in one session. Some models have mopping capabilities that can be used to keep floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are durable but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying the dust bin, and wiping your sensors will ensure that your robot is functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we speak with have owned the same machine for 10 years or more (and changed motors, brushes and batteries in the process).

A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll still perform a great job of cleaning surface dirt pet fur, lint and other debris. They're a great maintenance cleaner that you can distribute often throughout the week to keep your floor free of dirt. The drawback is that they don't come with as advanced technology, and could be susceptible to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, lasers, or cameras to guide them around your home without falling off or getting stuck on the stairs. They also can stay clear of obstacles such as furniture legs and cords, and some models automatically return to their dock or base when they run low on energy. The more expensive ones often feature mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the design of your home and lessen the time you spend hitting walls.

If you're not looking to splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that is capable of removing pet hair dirt, dust, and debris from floors that are hard like tiles and wood, as well as carpets with low pile. They also be capable of handling larger debris like metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some have 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.

The majority of robotic vacuums have innovative features that make a standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric with features like scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them with an app or voice assistant like Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and 'virtual walls to block off areas where you do not want the robots to venture.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over cords or furniture. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance, which uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, best robot Vacuum and mop on amazon and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tested, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or tripped when working on my floor.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a great obstacle avoidance tool however, it wasn't always doing well in removing dust and crumbs from my carpets. It also was known to over-vacuum specific areas, leading to dust accumulation in the filters and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the Best robot vacuum cleaner self emptying robot vacuums have an app that can help you customize cleaning modes, set schedules and see an outline of the floor area that the machine covers. This is a useful feature that some competitors lack altogether. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at certain times and keep it running on a regular basis, like cleaning your living room prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

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

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, choose models with a large dust bin that can accommodate numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are models that self-empty. This eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after every vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot capable of doing more than simply vacuum, you'll need to consider a model which can mop your floors. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums, and have a water tank which can hold several cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.

The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home. They can even remember the layout from one cleaning to the next, which helps them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum since it won't have to go back to where it was when it encounters walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could watch TV or complete other things while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models use laser navigation and can create an exact map of your entire home, meaning you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house when you're at work.

App Control

It's best mop and vacuum robot combo to choose the vacuum that comes with an app for mobile devices in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and select a cleaning mode. You can also check the status of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin using the app. Some of the best robot vacuums can be controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, particularly if you can easily access the filter and then remove it to rinse it. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to clean up dirt and hair. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Some have an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to avoid clogging.

Certain robo-vacs utilize navigation tools that help them understand your home and navigate around obstacles. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to identify obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords. Less expensive models might use boundaries to mark areas that you don't wish it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly useful for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys around the house. This can help your robot collect these items instead of scattering.

We're starting to see more robots equipped with mops which are useful for those who have hard floors and need to regularly clean them. These robots have water tanks built into the chassis or an additional piece that which you can change out when you're ready to mop. They may require frequent refills but they're ideal for homes that have hard floors and can't be cleaned easily with vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some amazing technology in these small robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might imagine. You can find a quality one under $200, which can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and rugs. You can schedule the robot to sweep rooms on a regular basis and can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.