How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you don't require advanced features like mapping, and aren't worried about emptying your bin every 60 to 90 days, a basic robotic vacuum could be the best choice for you. Find an option that is clean and works with voice assistants.

It excels at removing dirt, clumps of cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile and carpeting with less pile than any other robo vacuum we've tested. It can also map out and create virtual no go zones for rooms or certain areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum can help you keep track of the dust, pet fur and dander that accumulates on your floor each day. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, saving your time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction that can take on the majority of messes and leave your home clean.

Selecting a vacuum that can also mop will allow you to get more space by using just one machine. This is especially beneficial for homes with a large area. You can find a model with a tank for water either integrated into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It'll need to be filled and empty and refilled, which is an additional task to complete.

In a perfect universe you would clean your floors before you use your robot vacuum, preventing it from crashing into anything. In the majority of homes this isn't possible or desirable. The majority of models let you use an app on your smartphone to create virtual barriers the robot can observe. Some have no-go zones which you can use to flag areas you don't want it to access, such as children' rooms or a pile of cords for your device in the corner.

This model is a great option if you're looking for an easy robot cleaner that doesn't have all the bells. It's quiet, and it works on hard floors and low-pile rugs and can be scheduled using the app to vacuum or mop at any time. It has a long battery life, and can last for up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.

2. Easy to Operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to maneuver through obstacles and Neato Robot vacuum collect food particles, dust and pet hair from flooring, tile carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. Many models come with boundary strips that allow them to remain inside the room. More expensive models can be programmed to wake up at a specific time and start cleaning. Certain models come with fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down a flight of stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

Find models that allow you to control from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also select Wi-Fi models that permit you to begin cleaning from anywhere with an app. You might want to choose one with an extremely long-lasting battery as well as a large dustbin, depending on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums are also mopping machines. They use water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is great for regular mopping but won't work for tough messes such as pet poop or other spills that get wet. There are hybrids that come with a removable microfiber pad for mopping, or opt for an auto-emptying model that lets you go for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots utilize advanced mapping technologies to build an accurate map of your floorplan while they clean the floor, which makes it easier for them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or tripping over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on higher-end models, but it allows your robot to be aware of the layout of your home and to know where it should move when the battery runs out.

If you do not want your robot to go into areas of your home that you'd prefer to keep it away from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) The majority of robots offer the possibility of creating virtual barriers, either with their app or physical boundary strips. This allows you to create zones that you don't want your robot venture into, so it can focus its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most cleaning.

Many robots also have the ability to automatically navigate to different floors according to the type of floor they're cleaning, whether that's switching between hard and carpet or focusing on specific areas of your home, like corners and baseboards. In our tests, this was a useful feature that improved their performance in picking up carpeting that is low-pile and hardwood. It's important to tuck away any furniture or cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many connect to smart home systems that create a map of your space after each cleaning session so that they can "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future runs. Some also have built-in obstacle avoidance, which stops them from hitting furniture and causing damage or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables shoes, laces for shoes and pet hair.

The majority of robots come with the ability to control them with a remote that you can use to navigate them around your house. The majority of robots can be operated by mobile applications which has more options. You can create multiple cleaning schedules, and create a list with your favorite rooms. You can also manually guide the robot with direction the arrows.

Certain models have no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can create in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for children or dog beds and bowls). Certain apps let you draw a map of your house and provide more detailed information about the floors. The app on our top pick, the Roborock S7+, has a lot of useful options to help you clean your house, but its interface isn't as polished and elegant as those from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacs that can work throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their trash bins save you time and effort. Some of them work with smart robot vacuum home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also make an image of your home and allow you to program them to clean certain areas or rooms and stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, however the iRobot j7 comes with advanced features, such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These can make your life much easier (although one of our test robots did "eat" a few socks). If you're trying to improve the quality of your home maintenance, think about the use of a neato robot Vacuum mop and water containers that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models we tested could beat the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, the majority of them do an excellent job of cleaning carpets with low pile and hard floors. They are great at sweeping up fine dust and debris, food dust, tracked-in dirt, and pet hair. They also can handle nuts and screws made of metal, as well as the stray cat litter. The top robot vacuums can clean edges and corners and can work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the right setup and the right setup, a robotic vacuum can help you keep your home looking and feeling fresh regularly, without a lot of effort. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and create no-go zones to ensure that your robot doesn't harm your plants or your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking stations.

The top robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a stretch, freeing you from the arduous task of manually cleaning your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you take more time doing the things you enjoy and reduces the time needed to clean your floors manually.

During testing during testing, Q Revo was able to grab small particles such as baking soda and oatmeal. It also snatched up heavier debris like metal screws and nails and fluffy stuff like pet hair. It's not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and object avoidance features found in our top picks, however it's adequate for most families.

The greatest aspect of the j7 robot is that it utilizes camera and processor-powered sensors to identify and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes, socks, and pet waste. This means that you don't need to tidy up before running your robot, but clutter in your home can mean your robot could get stuck and not perform as well.