How to Keep a Robot Vacuum Clean

Robot vacuums can help keep your floors clean. Depending on the model they can also sweep or mop stairs.

Find models that have innovative features like remote control and app control. Apps can be used to plan cleaning sessions and monitor progress. Some can even pause, recharge and resume where they were when they left.

1. Battery Life

With self-driving cars drones that fly through the skies and robot vacuums that nimbly maneuver around furniture, it's safe say the future of cleaning is here. However, like all technology it needs some care to ensure it's running efficiently.

The most important factor in the long-term performance of your robot is the battery's charge and discharge cycles. Keep the dust bin filled and empty, examining for tangled hairs regularly and keeping the brushes from getting jammed will all aid in running your robot more efficiently.

The conditions that your robot is stored can also affect the battery's performance. Extreme cold and heat could affect the battery's performance. You can prolong the lifespan of your robot's battery by charging it up to 50% and then storing it in a cool area. Also, disconnect it from the power source when not using it. Most smart devices also have periodic firmware updates that can optimize performance and battery optimization. Check the app to see if there are any updates.

A robot vacuum is an excellent option for those who have lots of hard flooring. It can take away dirt and debris quickly and efficiently and leave your floors sparkling. If you're looking for more than a quick clean-up, you should look for a model with superior navigation and obstacles avoidance.

Our top-rated robot, the Ecovacs Deebot T20, blends advanced navigation, strong suction and a range of mopping functions to provide a thorough, deep clean of your hard floors. It uses LiDAR cameras and sensors to create detailed maps of the home. This helps it keep its course and avoid getting stuck in furniture legs or power cables. It can also identify objects such as clutter and shoes to automatically clean around them. It's also self-emptying so you don't need to return it to its base to empty the bin after every cleaning robot mop and vacuum session.

2. Dust Bin

Robots are great for quick midweek cleaning however, they lack the suction to replace a plug-in vacuum cleaner for deep cleans. Furthermore, even the top robot vacuums can be caught in cords and toys and miss piles of dirt that are close to the baseboards, or struggle with crumbs on furniture. Their dustbins onboard fill up so fast that they have to go back to their charging stations to empty themselves. This can take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes for some models.

It is crucial to select a robot vacuum with an ample dust bin which can be emptied into the dock without needing return to finish the job. You'll also want to consider whether you'd like bags or a bagless model If you decide to choose a bagless option the amount of dust be able to hold before needing to be emptied.

In our tests we apply 100 grams of sand on the carpet in a medium pile and use a robot vacuum to clean the carpet. We then weigh the amount of sand that we find in the onboard dust bin to determine how much dirt it has accumulated. A high amount indicates that the bin could be filled faster and force the robot to stop cleaning.

The good news is that many premium robot vacuums feature a large dustbin which is easily empty and you can set up them to empty their bases at least once a day or more. Keep a bin filled with compressed air in your bag to blow out hairs that have gotten caught in the rotating brush, and to clean the filters in accordance to the instructions provided by the manufacturer.

3. Wi-Fi Connectivity

The best rated robot vacuum robot vacuums offer a variety of connectivity options to connect with your home's Wi-Fi network. This enables the robot to download and install updates to its software, as well as giving you the option to monitor your robot via an app or via voice-activated commands. Although not required this feature can be useful and personalization features that enhance your overall robot vacuuming experience.

To keep them running at their best automatic vacuum cleaner, most models require some level of maintenance. For instance, emptying the dustbin and cleaning the brushroll. Regularly cleaning, detaching, and checking consumable parts can also prolong their life. Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin at University Vacuum & Sewing says three to five years is the typical life expectancy for a robot vacuum, though it can differ significantly based on the frequency you use it and whether you maintain it in a proper manner.

In order to operate, a robot vacuum needs to be able to map out your floors and navigate around obstacles. Advanced navigation systems have cliff sensors that alert the bot of steep drops. They also have optical and laser sensors to help it "see" the layout of a room. Some robots come with mopping capabilities that can be used to maintain floors between deep cleanings using a vacuum.

The best 2-in-1 robots can mop and vacuum, allowing you to skip the step of having to switch between a robot and a manual vacuum. One example is the iRobot Roomba 690, which is a powerful and highly efficient robot vacuum that can also clean surfaces with its water tank and wash its mop pad in a way that is automatic. Its top-quality mapping and obstacle-avoidance abilities have earned it the CR's top robot vacuum award, as well as an AVTech Editors Choice award.

4. Cleaning Patterns

The best robot vacuums in our tests have excellent pick-up scores for carpets with a low pile and hard floors and remove dust, dirt, and pet hair. They also remove particles and crumbs from the edges of rooms and along baseboards. They can't remove deep-seated dirt or tangles of plush shag fibers, like an upright or canister. They are also unable to pick up spilled food and liquids or screws made of heavy metal and may also miss a few areas of the home (including under furniture).

Many models have smart features which make them more user friendly. Many models come with an app that lets you schedule cleaning sessions, and control the robot remotely. They also can be integrated with your smart home system, so you can use them via voice commands using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Certain models come with different modes that allow you to choose between sweeping and mopping or vacuuming. They can also return to their docks to recharge and resume cleaning the area they left.

The technology to avoid obstacles has improved over years, but it's still important to take away cords, toys, and pet mess before you run the robot. Before mapping out the space, it is recommended to cover all ceiling-to-floor mirrors with cardboard. The laser used by certain models could bounce off reflective surfaces, causing the robot to hit walls or floors.

Some premium models have advanced mapping capabilities, with some making use of lidar to create an 3D map of your surroundings. This helps the robot recognize obstacles and devise an efficient path around them. Some robots let you create no-go zones so that the robot will avoid certain areas, like your pet's food bowls, or an expensive rug.

5. App Control

You can set up an agenda for cleaning and control the robots with an app. This allows you to clean your home while you are at work or on vacation. Some robots can also self-empty their debris into a huge bin at the base. This can reduce dust rerelease and is a great feature for people suffering from allergies.

Certain robots can detect objects on the ground and employ cameras as a guide to avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg or pet toys. This is an impressive feature that is available in less expensive models. It's important that you regularly empty the dustbin of your robot and check for tangled fur as it builds up.

Certain models can also create 3D representations. This is beneficial when you have multiple floors. You can then pick specific rooms and set up digital keep-out zones to ensure that your robot focuses on what you want it to focus on, instead of wandering around in areas that you don't need to clean.

Robots are great for robot vacuum midweek cleaning, but they aren't able to substitute a vacuum cleaner with a plug-in especially when it concerns rugs. They are better at picking up dirt from carpets than bare flooring, but can still not pick up piles close to baseboards and thresholds as well as strangling cords and socks. To get the most out of your robot, search for models that have spots and zone cleaning options to focus on specific areas and avoid wasteful cleaning. You can also find a model that recharges and then resumes the same place it left off, which is an enormous advantage in a big house.