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 regular basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries or walls, to ensure that the vacuum is kept away from areas you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop will create the map of your home's layout with its initial run. It then saves the area to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with a large dust bin that automatically emptys and self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum, look for one that can take in big items, such as lamp cords and toys, and also dust particles. This will ensure that they do not get caught in the roller brush or end up on your floor. This is especially crucial if the robot will be cleaned regularly by children or pets.

It's recommended to choose a model with an efficient motor and plenty of suction power. This will enable it to be more effective in eliminating dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets and hardwood flooring.

Another important consideration is the size of your home. If you live in a large house you might want to select a model that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean the entire house in a single session. Certain models also include mopping functions that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are durable however, they must be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust container and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will ensure that your robot is running smoothly for the years to be. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we speak to have owned their machines for ten years or longer (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot will cost less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, but they'll still do a great job of keeping up with dirt on the surface, pet hair, and dust. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can distribute every week to keep your floors clean. However, they don't have as smart technology, and can be prone to getting stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacuums use sensors, cameras or lasers to help you navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Some models can return to their base or dock when the battery is low. They can also stay clear of obstacles such as furniture cords and legs. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to memorize the layout of your home and spend less time bouncing off walls.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do a great job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces, such as tile, wood and low-pile rug. They also can handle larger particles like nails that are rusty, metal screws or discarded toys. Some models come with an automatic base that drains itself, which is a great feature if you do not want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features, which make the standard stick vacuum look outdated. These include schedules, zone-targeting, and the capability to control them via an app or voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and good robot vacuum virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish the robot to get into.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over cords or furniture. Certain robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance technology that makes use of a camera, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects such as lamp cords and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and never gets stuck or derailed when working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle avoidance tool however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs off my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum certain areas, leading to a lot of dust in the filters, and a less tidy home.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums include an app that lets you modify cleaning modes, make schedules, and view a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is an extremely useful feature that some competitors don't have. This lets you create profiles which will automatically start the robot at specific times and run it regularly. For example, it could be cleaning the living room each morning or prior to dinner.

A good app will also let you control your robot with voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without having to use the app.

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, look for an option with a big dust bin that can withstand several cleaning sessions before having to be emptied. There are models that self-empty that take some of the burden of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robot that is more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at the possibility of a model which can mop your floors. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums and come with a water tank which can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dust and dirt before having to be emptied.

The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your house and can even keep track of the arrangement from one cleaning to another, which helps them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to return to where it started when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our test subjects found that robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch television or perform other tasks while the robot was cleaning. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or throughout the house while you are at work.

App Control

If you want to customize the frequency with which the robot cleans your home and select a cleaning mode, it's best self cleaning robot vacuum and mop to get one that has an app that can be downloaded on mobile. In the app, you can check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. The best robotic vacuums can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot with an washable filter and self-emptying container, especially when the filter is easily cleaned and washed. A high-powered brush is another great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept in avoiding the chair's legs than others, and some also have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the obstruction of brushes that may happen in other machines.

Some robot vacuums have navigation tools to help them understand your home and navigate around obstacles. High-end models have sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. On the other hand, less expensive models often use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly important for families with children who throw toys and socks scattered throughout the house, since it assists your robot in capturing those objects instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is useful for those with hard floors who require to clean regularly. They have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate piece you swap in when they're ready to mop. These robots may require refilling frequently but they're ideal for homes that have hard floors that can't be cleaned easily with vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some incredible technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you expect. In fact, you can find a decent one for less than $200 that can do a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs off hard floors while also navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area carpets. You can program the robot to vacuum a room on a regular basis and can be controlled remotely using the best robot vacuum and mop combo app or by pressing buttons on its side.