The Best Robot Vacuums

A good robot vacuum will do the majority of the work and nabs pet hair, lint, and surface dirt before it can cling to furniture or be sucked into carpets. Some also integrate with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer the convenience of hands-free operation.

Many models come with the ability to map, allowing them to create an interactive map of your house. This helps them avoid tumbling off ledges and traversing clusters of device cords.

What to Find

Certain robots have advanced features that let you control them using apps and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. These include smart mapping spot and zone cleaning, and the ability to avoid objects. These machines may also have larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.

Choose a model with a an extended brush that can clean large particles and one that's slim enough to fit under furniture. Make sure the robot vacuum is able to clean different types of floors without changing the suction settings or brushes. This could reduce its effectiveness in cleaning and decrease its lifespan.

The best robot vacuums have high-quality filters to catch fine particles and safeguard your home. They also come with an ample accessible collection bin so you can empty it often. Some models come with an additional side brush for sweeping up pet hair and other debris in difficult-to-access places such as behind and under furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can observe the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.

In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum for times when you're most likely to be at home, you can use the app to create an area around your furniture and the rooms you'd like it to avoid. Certain models can also detect the kind of floor they're cleaning, and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings to suit the floor.

There are robots that can recharge and continue cleaning the area they left when their battery runs out. Some robot vacuums have a camera built in that allows you to see the path that your robot has taken and the data it has gathered.

Some robots can be controlled by voice commands, but not all. Be sure that the robot you select is compatible with the voice assistant of your preference, and then test how well it responds to various commands during the purchase process. Some robots will even empty their dustbins or clean their docking stations, which will reduce your chore list. But this feature comes with an expense, as does an extra bin for collection and a faster charging speed.

Cleaning Performance

While robots cannot substitute for a full-on vacuum cleaner or broom, they provide a practical and efficient alternative to the daily chore of cleaning floors. If you're looking to keep track of tracked-in dust as well as pet hair and crumbs or get rid of larger debris like wood shavings and metal screws, most top-rated shark robotic vacuum cleaner cleaners are capable of picking up different types of debris on the first go-around and without causing any damage to your furniture or floors.

They will often register the type of surface that they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush features accordingly to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is particularly important if your home is surrounded by different types of flooring. Many models offer the option of setting up virtual boundaries. This allows you to instruct your robot to stay out of certain areas of your home. This will keep your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire home is kept clean during every scheduled session.

It is also important to consider the level of autonomy you're comfortable with giving your robot. Certain models require you to be present and attentive, while others work on their own. They can alter cleaning modes and schedules via an app on mobile devices or by voice commands with an integrated smart assistant. Some models will map and learn your home, allowing you to create zones and tell the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.

In our testing the iRobot J7+ was the best "set it and forget it" robot. It excelled in mapping, forming virtual boundaries and getting around obstacles better than the other robots we tried. It can also completely empty itself so you don't have to do that manually and has side brushes that can help sweep debris out of corners and edges that it is difficult to reach.

Its slim design and infrared sensor enable it to clean under and behind furniture which allows it to do a better job than the majority of robots. Its advanced navigation system lets it to clean the entire floor of your house using just a single charge of battery. It's hard to beat, especially at a reasonable price.

Battery Life

A high-quality robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore, and more like a treat. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs and shed pet hair can make a huge difference in the cleanliness of your home on a daily basis. A basic robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a less hands-on experience might want to look for a model that doubles as an mops.

Ecovacs' Deebot T10 OMNI is a top performer in both mopping and vacuuming modes. It can handle pet hair, dirt and even cat litter. Its object avoidance function is remarkable. It lets it avoid objects and not get caught on them.

It also has a long battery life and a huge dust bin which allows it to cover a considerable amount of space in a single session. It is also a smart vacuum, which means that it can create maps of your home and integrate with applications, such as the ones offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant that let you control it with voice commands.

The app that comes with the robot lets you set up schedules, designate rooms to be cleaned or pause/resume sessions. It can even warn you the moment that its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.

Another nice feature of this samsung robot vacuum is the ability to distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly, which keeps the machine from becoming caught up in one type of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. However, it is not yet able to detect high pile carpeting or the seams between rooms, so you will still need to be vigilant about picking up large items.

All robot vacuums require a amount of maintenance, for example removing hair from brushes and emptying (and sometimes rinsing) the bin of dust after each cleaning session and cleaning sensors or cameras between uses to keep them in top shape. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these steps as well as other steps, which may differ depending on the model.

Cost

The top robot vacuums don't come expensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner, or even an all-in-one stand-up vac. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, as they only require you to empty and clean their dust bins after every cleaning session.

Many robot vacuums come with clever features that make them more efficient for your home, such as mapping technology that allows you to guide the vacuum on the layout of your home via an app so that it knows not to run into the stairs or under the furniture, where there could be the possibility of a mess. Others can tell what flooring type they are working on, allowing them to adjust their suction and brush features to achieve the best robot vacuum that mops results.

Some models feature object avoidance. The system uses sensors (or cameras) which can detect toys and other items lying on the floor. The robot is then instructed to stay clear of them, rather than crashing into them. This could be extremely helpful for families with children or pets that tend to throw toys around the home.

Voice control is another useful feature you may find useful. It lets you operate your robot using your voice instead of the on-board buttons. This is useful for children who aren't old enough to operate the robot, or when it's convenient for you.

How often you have to use your robot depends on how much dirt and debris is normally found on your floors. Most experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least once a week to keep your floors spotless and to remove pet hair, lint, and samsung robot vacuum dirt from the surface.

If you have the space for a space on your floor and do not plan to use the robot for any other tasks, then an affordable model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's reasonably priced, easy to install and operate and does the job with minimal noise disturbance while you watch TV or work.