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 regular basis. Many use apps that let you schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or 'walls' to keep them from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop will create the map of your home with its first run. It then saves the space for future cleaning jobs. It comes with a self-cleaning brush roll and an large dust bin that is empty automatically.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that is able to pick up large items like lamp cords and toys and dust particles of fine size. This will ensure that they don't get caught in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This feature is particularly important when you have children or pets and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

A model that has an efficient engine and plenty of suction is an ideal choice. This will allow it to be more efficient in removing dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets as well as hardwood floors.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your room. If you live in a large house, you may want to pick models that have multiple cleaning zones so that you can clean your entire home in a single session. Certain models have mopping capabilities that can be utilized to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last for a long time, but they'll need to be maintained regularly and in a proper manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors regularly will keep your robot running smoothly for the years to be. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we chat with have owned the same model for 10 years or more (and changed motors, brushes and batteries along the way).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, but they'll still do a great 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 do not have as much technology and are more prone to get stuck or require manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of sensors, cameras or lasers to guide you around your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They can also avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs and some models can automatically return to their base or dock when they are running low on energy. Some of the more expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to learn the layout of your home and spend less time bouncing off walls.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can still find one that does a great job of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tiles and wood, as well as low-pile carpets. They also do a good job of removing larger debris such as metal screws or which best robot vacuum cleaner staples that have rust, or discarded toys. Some even come with a self-emptying base, which is useful if you don't want to empty your trash bin after every cleaning session.

Most robotic vacs also offer advanced features that make your regular stick vacuum appear ancient such as zones, schedules, and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish robots to access.

Some robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to prevent them from tripping over furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses sensors, cameras and algorithms to stay clear of items like lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tried, however it does an excellent job of avoiding obstacles and never is stuck or tripped while working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle avoidance bot, it didn't always do an excellent job of removing dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas resulting in dust accumulating in the filters, and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the Best lidar vacuum robots vacuums come with an app that allows you to alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at the floor area covered by the machine. This is a very useful feature that many competitors do not have. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specific time intervals and run it on a regular basis, like cleaning the living room before dinner or every other day.

A good app can also let you 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 have a hands-free experience, opt for a model with a large dust bin that can accommodate numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. There are models that best self vacuum-empty, which takes some of the labor out of emptying the machine after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robotic that does more than vacuum, consider one that has mopping functions. These are typically larger than the robotic vacuums, and come with an internal water tank that holds several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and debris prior to needing to be emptied.

Robots that are more sophisticated can make their own maps and remember the plan of your house from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a big difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums, as it won't have to spend time returning to the beginning of the room if it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test subjects who tested the robot that has this capability found it to be extremely efficient, and they could easily sit back and watch TV or perform other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some models employ laser navigation and can make an exact map of your entire house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner or each room of the house while you're working.

App Control

If you want to customize how often the robot cleans your home and choose the cleaning mode you should choose one that has a mobile app. In the app, you can also monitor the condition of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the top vacuums that are robotic can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot that has an washable filter and self-emptying container, especially if the filter can be easily cleaned and washed. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair leg than others. Others have a sensor that automatically cleans brushes to avoid obstruction.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that allow them to understand your home and navigate around obstacles. The top models come with sensors and cameras that detect obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. On the other hand, less expensive models sometimes use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark areas you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly useful for families with young kids who scatter toys and socks around the house. This allows your robot to gather these items instead of scattering.

We're beginning to see more robots with mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to clean them regularly. These robots have a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate component that you swap in when they're ready to mop. They may need to be filled more frequently than other types of robots, but they're ideal for homes with hard floors which aren't easy to clean with a vacuum.

These robots are loaded with some amazing technology, and cost much less than you'd think. You can get a good one for under $200. It can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and rugs. The best robot vacuum for carpet and hardwood can be programmed to clean the room on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.