How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're able to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Pick a model that has clean and tidy base that is compatible with voice assistants.

It is the best vacuum we have tested in cleaning up pet hair from tiles, hardwood floors, and low-pile carpeting. It also has the ability to map out and set virtual no go zones for rooms or specific areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum cleaner can help you keep up with the pet fur, dust and dander that accumulates on your floors every day. It can also reduce how often you need to do a deeper clean and saves you time and effort. The best model has powerful suction that is able to tackle most messes and leave your home clean.

You can cover more area by using a robot vacuum and mop, which can be useful if you have a large home. Choose a model that has water reservoirs either in the chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in when the vacuuming is finished. It'll need to be emptied and refilled in order to complete the task to complete.

In the ideal world, you'd clear your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from crashing into objects. In most homes, however, this is not possible or desirable. Most robots allow you to utilize an app that you can install on your phone to create virtual barriers that the robot will observe. Some models include no-go areas, which you can flag areas you don't wish it to access. For example, a child's room or a pile of cords in the corner.

This model is a great option for those looking for a simple robot cleaner without all the bells. It is quiet, can be used on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be programmed through the app to mop and vacuum at your convenience. It comes with a battery life of around 180 minutes.

2. Easy to Operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of navigational tools such as sensors lasers, cameras, and sensors to maneuver and collect dust, pet hair and food crumbs off tiles, hard floors and hardwood. A lot of them have boundary strips that help them stay within the walls of a room, while higher-end models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a scheduled time. Certain models come with fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down stairs or getting caught in cords.

Find models that can be controlled from your couch using voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also look for models that connect to Wi-Fi and allow you to begin cleaning from any location via an app. You might want to choose an option with a long-lasting battery and a large dust bin, depending on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, utilizing reservoirs of water to clean your floors. This is useful for normal mopping, but it won't work for tough messes like pet poop or other wet spills. There are hybrids that have a removable microfiber pad that can be used for mopping, or choose self-emptying models that let you go 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots employ advanced mapping technology to build a detailed map as they clean. This helps them avoid hitting furniture or tripping over cords or chairs. This feature is only available on higher-end models, but it lets your robot have a thorough understanding of the layout of your home robot vacuum and to know where it should move when the battery runs out.

If you don't want your i robot vacuum navigating into areas of your home you'd rather it stay away from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of gadget cords in the corner), most robots offer some method of creating virtual barriers, either with their apps or a set of physical boundary strips. This lets you define areas that you don't want your robot explore, so that it can focus its attention on the areas and rooms that require the most cleaning.

A lot of robots are able to automatically navigate to different floors based on the type of surface they're cleaning, whether that's switching between hard and carpet or focusing on particular areas of your home, home robot vacuum like corners and baseboards. This feature proved to be effective in our tests and enhanced the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. It's nevertheless important to secure furniture and cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn't get stuck or come into contact with something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled using voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums connect to smart home systems and can create a map of the space they clean after each cleaning session. This lets them "learn" how your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Some come with obstacle avoidance built in that prevents them from causing damage to furniture and getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or pet hair.

The majority of robots come with a remote control that you can use to navigate them around your house. However, most can also be controlled using an app for mobile devices, which gives you more features. You can usually set multiple cleaning schedules, build a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas by using directions on the screen.

Some models offer no-go zones that are virtual barriers you can set up within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or home Robot vacuum dog bowls and beds). Other apps let you create 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 that can aid in cleaning the house. However the interface isn't as sleek as iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacuums that can sweep all over your home without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust can save you time and energy. Some robot vacuums are compatible with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also create maps of the area that allows you to program them to specific areas or rooms, and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, but the iRobot j7 offers advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These can make your life much easier (although one of our test bots did "eat" two socks). If you're looking to push your home maintenance even further opt for a robotic mop that has a tank of water that you fill and empty yourself.

While none of the models we tested could match the ability to pick up dirt of a stand-up vacuum they did an excellent job cleaning hard floors as well as carpets with a low pile. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs and tracked-in dirt. They are also able to handle nuts and screws made of metal as well as cats' litter. The most effective robot vacuums can clean corners and edges and can work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum will help keep your home clean and tidy without doing much work. You can schedule cleanings in the app and set up zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot doesn't harm your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks also automatically empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations for you.

The top robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or months at a time, making it easier to save time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or even every day. This helps you have more time to do the things you like and cuts down on the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

In our tests the Q Revo was able to pick up tiny particles such as baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like nails and screws made of steel and even fluffy matter such as hair from pets. It isn't equipped with the smart mapping and object-avoiding features of our top picks but is still a great choice for families with children.

The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles such as power cords and socks, shoes, and pet waste. This means that you don't need to tidy up before using your robot. However, messy rooms can cause your robot to get stuck and do poorly.