Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are great in keeping your floors spotless, they can't replace a full-size automated vacuum. Even the most advanced robots aren't able to get deep into carpets and rugs, and they may get caught in cords and socks.

Maintaining a regular schedule of maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair that is tangled from brushes and emptying the dust bin) will help your robot last longer.

Battery Life

Most robot vacuums can handle a few cleaning sessions before needing to recharge. The second-placed model in our top rated robot vacuum picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is that is designed to last for up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on a single charge. This should be more than enough for homes that have a mixture of hard floors and carpets with low pile or larger homes where the rooms are similar in size.

A longer battery life also means that the robot is able to spend more time cleaning, and less time charging its dock. It's worth opting for robot Vacuum deals black friday an auto-emptying dust bin, as these models are more efficient in picking up debris and returning to the dock for recharging. It's also important to empty or replace the filter and wipe down sensors and cameras regularly so that they can clearly see your home.

Smart mapping technology can be a useful feature, since you can program your robot to ensure that it only cleans certain rooms or stays clear of areas where it is likely to bump into furniture and other obstacles. This feature is also beneficial for ensuring that your robot can reach under and around furniture such as sofas, beds and other high-height items. Some robovacs that are inexpensive have boundary strips you can place on the floor to block off areas, while others make use of sensors and cameras to accomplish this.

Even the top robot vacuum cleaner robot vacuums can't substitute a traditional vac when it comes to heavy-duty dirt and debris. It is recommended to keep a conventional power vac in reserve for those tasks, and to schedule robot vacs regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot must be able to navigating your home without getting caught or running into objects like metal screws or pet hair, or sand. In our tests, we employ a tracking device to follow the robot as it moves through a multi-room lab and shows its surroundings. We also test how the robot avoids obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg and pet waste.

The best robots are able to map out multiple floors, and recognize landmarks such as doors and Windows. The most advanced ones, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, have a dual-sensor navigation system that uses the LIDAR sensor to map the space and a structured lighting camera in front of the robot to detect objects in real-time. This lets the S8 to avoid common obstacles such as power cords and furniture legs, and it can store up to four different floor maps within its internal memory.

More affordable models don't have this kind of detection and rely on bump sensors which aren't as accurate. In my tests, they were able to detect dog poop and cords, as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The best value pick, the Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It has excellent carpet and hard floor, tangle, and hair pickup. It also has an auto empty score that is near-perfect.

A large dust bin onboard, which doesn't have to be manually empty is another aspect that's crucial. For models that mop the floor, this water tank can provide enough water for several weeks of cleaning. Karcher's RCV 5 is a good illustration of this. It has a wide enough footprint to be able to be placed under furniture, but not so big that it cannot fit in the nook between your bathtub and toilet.

Apps

robot vacuum deals Black Friday vacuums are similar to their upright counterparts and require a lot of technology to keep them up-to-date. The result is a pretty mature market with plenty of options. However, even the most advanced models still require some interaction with their users, particularly when cleaning schedules are being planned and establishing a floor plan, and setting up virtual barriers.

To help reduce this kind of interaction, look for a model that has its own app to recognize the location of your home, and save those settings for the future. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it left off on subsequent runs rather than having the mapping process restarted every time.

Also, consider models that offer zones or spot cleaning. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to focus on a specific area, for example, under the table after a large family meal. You can usually choose to do this via the app or voice commands.

A lot of models also offer object avoidance. It allows the robot to observe something in its path, for instance a box of shoes or a crate full of dog toys, and coach itself around it. This will stop it from crashing into objects which could harm its sensors or cause jams.

Some of the more expensive models we've tested come with this feature. However, they usually rely on bump sensors to accomplish this, and they weren't always able to avoid obstacles in my test homes.

Pet Hair

Look for an upright vacuum cleaner specifically designed to remove pet hair. The best models have high suction power and a brush that is free of the tangling and an emptying mechanism that can automatically dump hair into the bin when needed. Certain models can detect dirt levels to alter the level of cleaning. They can also detect items that aren't part of the flooring in your home, such as furniture toys, robot vacuum deals Black friday food bowls, toys cords, and so on.

Certain robot vacuums come with pet-friendly features, such as a water dispenser that can be used for mopping floors, and an HEPA filter that can reduce allergens like pet dust. They might also offer the option of a quieter operation, which will reduce the amount of sound generated during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that have maps are an excellent option for pet owners. They are designed to analyze your home and develop an strategy based on the layout of each room and obstacles. For example the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Vacuum is a smart vacuum with an impressive ability to map rooms and navigate around furniture and other obstacles using gyroscope and accelerometer smart sensors that work in conjunction to learn the layout of your space.

Apps let you create zones that are not allowed. These are areas that the robot is not permitted, such as areas that contain fragile items or pet feeding areas. This feature is especially useful for families with busy schedules, since you can schedule cleaning sessions without having to be in the space where the vacuum is. Another excellent feature is spot cleaning that gives you the option to use the vacuum to clean an area that is particularly dirty or full of pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you're not searching for a small size it is recommended to select a robot that can carry at least a large bag of trash from one cleaning session. We recommend choosing the one with a large bin or a trash bin that automatically emptys. The former will allow you to keep up with emptying your bin frequently enough to maintain its performance. The second will save you time and effort by automatically dumping the contents into an internal container every few cleanings.

Find models that have smart mapping capabilities that allow them to "learn" the layout of your home and devise more efficient routes. They can also sense and avoid objects that may hinder their travel (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Make sure you choose models with intelligent mapping capabilities. This lets them "learn the structure of your home and design a more efficient routes.

Certain models also offer spot cleaning, which lets you to manually target specific areas of your home for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the top models can take out small particles like baking soda, sand orzo, metal screws and pet hair, as well heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo, and screws made of metal.

Based on the manufacturer, most robots will last for years and will continue to perform as long as you keep up with maintenance tasks, such as cleaning hair that has become tangled from brushes, emptying the dust bin after each use and cleaning cameras and sensors whenever needed. The most reliable robots are more flexible. This allows you to repair or replace parts such as wheels and batteries as they wear out.