How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you don't need advanced features like mapping and you don't mind emptying your dustbin every 60 to 90 days, a basic robotic vacuum could be for you. Choose a model with an uncluttered base that can work with voice assistants.

It is the most effective robo-vacuum we have tested for picking up dirt and pet hair from tile floors, hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting. It also maps and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum can help you keep up with the dust, pet fur and dander that accumulates on your floors every day. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, saving your time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction that can clean up most mess with ease and leave your house cleaner.

Choosing a robot vacuum that can also mop will allow you to get more space with one machine, which can be particularly beneficial for homes with a large area. There are models with a tank for water either integrated into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It'll need to be emptied and refilled, so it's an extra task to complete.

In a perfect universe you would clean your floors before you use your robot vacuum to stop it from hitting anything. However, in the majority of homes, this isn't feasible or desirable. Most robots allow you to utilize an app on your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot can detect. Some models include no-go areas, which you can flag areas you don't want the robot to be allowed to enter. For example an area for children's play or a pile of cords in an area.

If you're looking for a basic ecovacs robot vacuum (have a peek at these guys) vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and whistles, this model from the networking company TP-Link is a good choice. It is quiet, can be used on hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed via the app to vacuum and mop at your leisure. It's got a long battery life, and can last up to 180 minutes before it needs to recharge.

2. Easy to Operate

In general robot vacuums require little input from you. They utilize navigational tools such as sensors cameras, lasers, and sensors to maneuver and collect dust, pet hair and food crumbs off hard floors, tile 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 begin cleaning at a scheduled time. Certain models come with fall detection technology that helps users avoid falling down the stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

If you're looking to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of a couch, look for models that integrate voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for Wi-Fi-connected models that allow you to begin cleaning from any location via an app. You may prefer a model that has a long-lasting battery, as well as a large dustbin, depending on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, using reservoirs of water to wash your floor. This is useful for everyday mopping, but will not work for extra-tough messes, like pet poop, or other spills that get wet. You can pick hybrids with a removable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying option that lets you go for up to 60 days without emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots employ advanced mapping technology to create a precise map of your floorplan as they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid crashing into furniture or falling over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is only available on higher-end models however, it lets your robot have a thorough understanding of the layout of your home and know where to go when the battery is out.

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

Many robots can also automatically navigate to different flooring types according to the type of surface they're cleaning, whether that's changing between hard flooring and carpet or focusing on particular areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. This feature proved effective in our tests and improved the vacuum's performance on both hardwood flooring and carpet flooring with low pile. However, it's still important to secure loose cords and furniture before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get caught or come into contact with something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi connectivity and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts that allow users to control them with voice commands or through your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and build an outline of your space after each cleaning session so they can "learn" your layout and devise more efficient routes for future trips. Some also have built-in obstacle avoidance that prevents them from crashing into furniture and causing damage or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose shoes, laces for shoes and pet hair.

Most robots have an remote control that can be used to guide them around your home. Most robots are controlled by a mobile app that comes with more features. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and make an agenda of your most-loved rooms. You can also manually direct the robot with the directional arrows.

Some models have no-go zones. These are virtual barriers that you can create in the app to stop the robot from entering specific areas (like toys for kids or dog beds and dishes). Some apps allow you to create an outline of your home and provide detailed information on the floors. The app we ranked as our top pick one, the Roborock S7+, has numerous options to help you clean your house, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacs that can work throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their dust bins save you time and effort. Certain robot vacuums can work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to enable hands-free operation. They can also make a map of your space, allowing you to program them to clean certain rooms or areas and stay clear of obstacles.

Most robot vacs have some level of object detection, but higher-end models such as the iRobot J7 have advanced features like "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance, which can simplify your life (although our test bot did once "eat" a pair of socks). If you're seeking to improve your home maintenance, consider the use of a cheap robot vacuum mop and an water container that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models that we tested could match the ability to pick up dirt of a stand-up vacuum, they did an excellent job cleaning hard floors and low pile carpets. They are excellent at sweeping up food crumbs and tracked-in dirt. They can also tackle scattered cat litter, as well as metal screws and nuts. The best robot vacuums can remove dirt from edges and corners and can work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can keep your home clean and tidy without doing many tasks. You can schedule cleanings in the app and set up no-go zones to ensure that your robot won't trample your plants or your favorite chair. The majority of our top picks also automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations for you.

The best robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for months or even weeks at a stretch, freeing you from the time-consuming task of manually cleaning your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you enjoy more time doing things you enjoy, and decreases the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.

In the course of testing, the Q Revo was able to grab tiny particles such as baking soda and Ecovacs robot vacuum oatmeal and heavier debris like metal screws and nails, Ecovacs Robot vacuum and fluffy stuff such as hair from pets. It's not equipped with the advanced mapping and object avoidance features of our top picks, but it's sufficient for the majority of families.

The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to spot and avoid obstacles like power cords and socks, shoes as well as pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up before you can run your robot, but messy rooms can mean that your bot may get stuck and not perform as well.