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 applications that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries or "walls," to ensure that the vacuum is kept away from areas you don't wish to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop creates an outline of your home using its first run. It then saves the area to help you with future cleaning tasks. 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 toys and lamp cords, and also dust particles. This will ensure that the items don't get stuck in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This is especially important if your robot will be regularly cleaned by pets or children.

It's an excellent idea to select a model that has an efficient motor and lots of suction power. This will allow it to be more effective in eliminating pet hair, dust and lint off carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you live in an area that is large, you may want to pick models that have multiple cleaning zones so that you can clean your entire house in a single session. Some models also have mopping functions, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough but they need to be maintained in a timely and efficient manner. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your machine working efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums that we have spoken with have owned the same machine for a period of 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries as they went along).

A basic robot is less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They'll be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning dirt from surfaces as well as pet fur and lint. You can use them to clean your floors multiple times per day. However, they don't offer as much advanced technology, and could be prone to getting stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without getting stuck or falling down the staircase. They are also able to avoid obstacles like cords and furniture legs, and some models automatically return to their dock or base when they run out of power. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to memorize your home's layout and spend less time bumping against walls.

If you're not looking to spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that does a great job of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tile and wood as well as carpets with a low pile. They can also do a decent job of removing larger debris such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some come with an auto-emptying base, which is useful if you don't want to empty your trash bin after every cleaning run.

The majority of robotic vacuums have advanced features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric such as scheduling, 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 enter.

Certain robotic vacuums such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from getting sucked into furniture or getting caught in cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance that uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like shoes, lamp cords, socks and pet waste. It's more expensive than other bots I've tried, however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles around my home. It also didn't get derailed or trapped when I was working on my floors.

The J7+ from iRobot was a great obstacle-avoiding robot, but it did not always succeed at avoiding crumbs and dirt on my carpets. It also was known to over-vacuum certain areas, leading to dust accumulating in the filters, and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best shark robot vacuum robots vacuums include an application that lets you customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at a map of the area covered by the machine. This is a great feature that other models do not have. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at certain time intervals and run it on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning the living area prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot using voice commands. Certain models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot using voice commands.

Look for models with an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that self-empty, eliminating the need to empty the robot after each vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot capable of doing more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at a model which can mop your floors. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums, and come with a water tank inside that holds many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris before needing to be cleaned.

The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home. They can even remember the layout from one cleaning to the next and help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum since it won't have to return to the beginning when it comes across furniture or walls.

Our test subjects found that robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch TV or do other things while the robot cleaned. Some models use laser navigation to create an outline of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or in all rooms while you're working.

App Control

It is recommended to select the vacuum that comes with a mobile application for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and robot vacuum cleaner select the cleaning mode. Within the app, you can monitor the condition of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the top robot vacuums can even be operated by voice using Alexa, robot vacuum cleaner Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to access the filter and remove it to rinse it. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards making it much easier to clean up dirt and hair. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair legs than others. Others have a sensor that automatically cleans brushes to avoid obstruction.

Some robot vacuum that vacuums and mops vacuums have navigation tools to help them learn your home and get around obstacles. High-end models have sensors and cameras that detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models sometimes use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark areas you don't want to enter. Avoidance of objects is crucial for families with children who have socks and toys scattered around the house, because it helps your robot vacuum cleaner (More hints) nab the objects instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop heads. This is great for those with hard floors who need to mop frequently. These robots have a water tank built into the chassis, or an extra piece which you can change out when it's time to mop. These robots might need to be refilled frequently but they're ideal for homes that have hard floors and can't be easily cleaned by vacuum cleaners.

These robots are loaded with some impressive technology, and they cost significantly less than you'd expect. 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 navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area carpets. You can program the robot to sweep rooms regularly and it can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.