How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're able to live without smart capabilities like mapping, and don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose a model with a clean base that works with voice assistants.

It is the best robo-vacuum we have tested at getting rid of dirt and pet hair from tile floors, hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting. It can also map and set virtual no-go zones for rooms and areas.

1. Powerful Suction

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

You can take care of more space by using a robot vacuum as well as a mop, which can be useful if you have a large house. Choose one that has water reservoirs either built into its chassis or as a separate item that you swap in when vacuuming is complete. It'll need to be emptied and refilled and refilled, which is an additional task.

In a perfect world, you'd clear your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from crashing into objects. In the majority of homes, however it's not feasible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models let you use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot can detect and avoid. Some models include no-go areas, which you can flag areas you don't want the robot to enter. For example the child's room or a pile of cords in the corner.

If you're looking for a basic robot vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and bells, this model from the networking company TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet, it works on both hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed through the app to mop and vacuum at your convenience. It's got a long battery life, and can last for up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.

2. Simple to operate

Robot vacuums typically require very little effort from you. They use navigational tools such as sensors cameras, lasers, and sensors to move around and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs from hard floors, tiles and hardwood. A lot of them have boundary strips that allow them to stay within the walls of a room while pricier models can be set to automatically wake up and begin cleaning at a set time. Some models include fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down a flight of stairs or getting caught in cords.

Look for models that can be controlled from your couch using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also choose Wi-Fi models that permit users to start a cleaning session anywhere using an app. You might want to choose one with a long-lasting battery, as well as a large dust bin, depending on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums (like it) are also mopping machines. They utilize water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is ideal for mopping, but not ideal for difficult messes such as pet poop or other wet spills. There are hybrids that have an ejectable microfiber pad for mopping, or choose an auto-emptying model that lets you go for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots employ advanced mapping technology to create a precise map while they clean. This makes it easier to avoid crashing into furniture or tripping over cords or chair legs. This feature is typically only available on more expensive models, but it's certainly one of the best ways to make sure your robot has a complete understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go next when it's low on battery.

Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done through an app or physically-based boundary strips. This lets you define areas that you do not want your robot to explore, so that it can concentrate its attention on the areas that require the most cleaning.

Many robots also automatically change floors based on the type of floor they are cleaning. This can be done by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by focussing on particular areas of your home like corners and baseboards. This feature proved to be effective during our tests and helped improve the performance of the makita vacuum robot on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. However, robot vacuums it's still important to tuck away furniture and cords that are loose prior to running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get caught or get into something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums connect to smart home systems, and create an outline of the area they clean after each session. This allows them to "learn" how your home is laid out, and then plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. There are also built-in obstacles avoidance, which stops them from crashing into furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose, shoe laces and pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to control them around your home. However, most can also be controlled with an app on your mobile that offers more features. It is possible to create multiple cleaning schedules, Robot Vacuums create an inventory of your favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot around specific areas by using directions on the screen.

Some models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers can be created in the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like kid's toys or dog beds and dishes). Other apps let you make an outline of your home and provide the robot with precise information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features to aid in cleaning the house. However the interface isn't as polished as that from iRobot or shark vacuum and mop robot.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacs that can clean throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their trash bins make it easier for you to save time and effort. Certain robot vacuums can work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also draw a map of the space for you to program them to specific rooms or areas and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, however the iRobot J7 has advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life much easier (although one of our test bots did "eat" two socks). If you're looking to improve the quality of your home maintenance, think about the use of a robot mop and water containers that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models that we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a stand-up vacuum they did a great job of cleaning hard floors and low pile carpets. They excel at picking up food crumbs, and dirt that has been tracked in. They can even tackle some stray cat litter and metal screws and nuts. The best robot vacuums are able to clean edges and corners and can even work on furniture. For an affordable model that can work on its own and is comparatively inexpensive, check out the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can keep your home tidy and clean without having to do much work. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and set up no-go zones to ensure that your robot doesn't harm your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks will also empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking station.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for weeks or even months at a time, removing you from the tedious chore of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you enjoy more time doing things you like and reduces the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.

In the course of testing, the Q Revo was able to pick up tiny particles such as oatmeal and baking soda as well as heavier debris such metal screws and nails as well as fluffy things such as hair of pets. It's not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, however it's sufficient for the majority of families.

The greatest thing about the j7 is that it utilizes camera and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes socks and pet waste. This means that you don't have to clean up before using your robot. However, cluttered rooms may cause your bot to get stuck and do poorly.