What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum will help keep you on top of pet hair and lint on a daily bases. Many of them use apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them away from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

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

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, make sure you choose one that can pick up big items, such as lamp cords and toys, and also fine dirt. This will ensure that they do not get stuck in the roller brushes or left on your floor. This is particularly crucial if the robot will be cleaned regularly by pets or children.

It's an excellent idea to select a model that has a powerful motor and plenty 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 home is another crucial factor to consider. If you live in a big home, you may choose a model with multiple cleaning zones that can clean your entire house in a single session. Some models also have mopping capabilities that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

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

A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll do an excellent job of cleaning surface dirt pet fur, lint and other debris. You can use them to scrub your floor several times a day. The drawback is that they don't come with as technological innovation, and may be prone to getting stuck or require human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacs use sensors, lasers, or cameras to guide them around your home without falling off or getting stuck on the staircase. Some models will return to their base or dock when the battery is low. They also can avoid obstacles such as furniture cords and legs. The most expensive models usually come with mapping capabilities that permit them to learn the design of your home and spend less time running into walls.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you could find one that does a great job of removing pet hair, dirt, robot vacuums dust and dust from floors made of tiles and wood, as well as carpets with low pile. They also can handle bigger debris like metal screws, rusty nails or discarded toys. Some come with a base that automatically empty itself, which is great when you don't need to empty it after each cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with smart features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric with features like zones, schedules, and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish robots to access.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to prevent them from tripping over cords or furniture. Other models, like the irobot vacuum and mop Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance that uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like lamp cords, shoes, socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tested, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles and never gets stuck or derailed when working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a good obstacle avoidance robot however, it wasn't always doing well in removing dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also was known to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in dust accumulation in the filters, and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

A few of the top robot vacuums have an app that lets you set up cleaning modes and schedules, as well as view the flooring area that the machine covers. This is an excellent feature, and one that many competitors don't have. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specified times and keep it running on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning the living area prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

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

Choose a model that has an enormous dust bin. This allows you to complete many cleaning sessions without needing to empty it. There are models that self-empty, eliminating the requirement to empty the machine after every vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robotic that does more than vacuum, think about the models that have a mopping function. These are typically larger than the robotic vacuums and include a water tank inside that can hold many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris before needing to be emptied.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the layout from one cleaning to another and help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a significant difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuums, as it won't have to spend time going back to the beginning of the room when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our testers who used robots with this feature found it to be very efficient. They could watch TV or do other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models utilize laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your entire home, which means that you can program them to clean just the bedroom after dinner or each room of the house while you're working.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and select a cleaning mode you should choose one that works with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also check the status of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin using the app. Some of the best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot that has a washable filter and a self-emptying container, particularly when the filter is easily cleaned and washed. A high-powered brush is a great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the obstruction of brushes that may be a problem in other robots.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools that assist them in navigating around obstacles and help you understand your home. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles like furniture, stairs, and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundaries to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance is especially important for families with children who throw toys and socks scattered throughout the house, because it allows your robot to grab these objects instead of scattering them.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mop heads. This is useful for those with hard floors who require to mop frequently. These robots come with a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate piece can be swapped in when ready to mop. They may require frequent refills however, they are perfect for homes with hard floors and can't be easily cleaned by vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some impressive technology in these small robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you think. In fact, you can get an affordable model for less than $200 that does a decent job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs off hard floors, while moving around the edges of light carpets or area rug. You can program the robot to vacuum a room every day and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.