What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum can help keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries, or walls, to keep the vacuum away from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vacuum and mop creates a map of your home with its first run, memorizing your space for future jobs. It comes with a large dust bin that automatically emptys, as well as a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, select one that can pick-up large objects like toys and lamp cords as well as dust particles that are fine. This will ensure that they don't get caught in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This is especially important if you have pets or children and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's also a good idea to select a model that has a powerful motor and lots of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you live in a big home, you might prefer models with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in a single session. Some models come with mopping features that can be used to keep floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are durable however, they must be maintained in a timely and efficient manner. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will ensure that your best robot vacuum plus mop is functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along with time).

A basic robot will cost you less than a large-sized vacuum cleaner, but they'll do a fantastic job at keeping up with dirt on the surface, pet hair, and lint. You can use them to sweep your floors multiple times per day. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more prone to get stuck or require manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robotic pool cleaner consumer reports robot vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Some models will return to their dock or base when their batteries are low. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords. Some of the more expensive models have mapping capabilities that allow them to remember your home's layout and therefore spend less time bumping against walls.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do an excellent job of removing pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like wood, tile and low-pile rug. They can also take care of bigger debris like metal screws, rusty nails 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 every cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned such as schedules, zone targeting and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls' to block off areas you do not want the robot to venture.

Some robotic vacs, such as the Eufy 11S and my former favorite the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from derailing by running into furniture or getting caught in cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance that uses a camera and best vacuum plus mop 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 that I've tested, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles and rarely gets stuck or derailed when working on my floor.

While 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 tends to over-vacuum some areas, resulting in an abundance of dust in the filter and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

A few of the top robot vacuums come with an app that helps you to customize cleaning settings set schedules, and view an outline of the area of floor that the machine covers. This is an excellent feature that some competitors lack altogether. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at certain times and continue to run on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning the living area prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app will allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start with a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without the need for an app.

Look for models with a large dust bin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that self-empty, which eliminates the need to empty the machine after every time you vacuum.

If you're looking to purchase a robot that does more than vacuum, consider the models that have mopping capabilities. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and have a water tank that can store multiple cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before needing to emptied.

Robots that are more sophisticated can make their own maps, and can remember the plan of your house from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a significant difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum as it will not have to return to the beginning when it comes across walls or furniture.

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

App Control

It is best vacuum with mop to select the vacuum that comes with an app that is mobile in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and select the cleaning mode. You can also check the status of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin in the app. Some of the top robotic vacuums can be controlled with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot that has an washable filter and self-emptying container, especially when the filter is easily cleaned and washed. Another excellent feature is a high-powered brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to get rid of dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others have an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to prevent the clogging.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that help them understand your home and get around obstacles. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to identify obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundary strips to mark off areas you don't want to see it go. Avoidance of objects can be particularly useful for families with children who scatter socks and toys all over the home. This can help your robot to collect these items, instead of scattering them.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mops. This is great for those with floors that are hard and need to clean regularly. These robots have a water reservoir that is built into their chassis or as a separate piece that you can swap in when ready to mop. They might need to be refilled more often than other kinds of robots, however they're ideal for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned using a vacuum.

We've seen some amazing technology incorporated into these tiny robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might imagine. You can find a quality one for under $200. It does a decent job cleaning on hard floors while navigating around the edges of carpets and area carpets. You can schedule the robot to vacuum the room every day and can be controlled remotely with the app or by pressing buttons on its side.