What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum can help keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on daily basis. Many work with apps to allow you to schedule cleaning times and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them from areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vac-mop makes a map of your home's layout with its initial run. It then saves the space to be used for cleaning tasks in the future. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically emptys, as well as self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, choose one that can pick up large items, like toys and lamp cords, as well as dust particles. This will ensure that they do not get caught in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This is especially important for those who have pets or children, and you may have to clean the robot regularly.

A model with a powerful engine and lots of suction is also an excellent choice. This will help it to be more effective in eliminating dust, pet hair and cleaner lint off carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your home is another crucial factor to consider. If you have an apartment you might want to select a model that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean your entire house in one session. Certain models have mopping capabilities that can be utilized to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained regularly and in a proper manner. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we have spoken to have been using their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along with time).

A basic robot is much less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning dirt from surfaces as well as pet fur and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can use often throughout the week to keep your floor free of dirt. They do not have as much technology and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize cameras, sensors or lasers to guide you around your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They can also avoid obstacles like cords and furniture legs, and some models automatically return to their base or dock when they run low on energy. The more expensive ones often have mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the layout of your home and lessen the time you spend hitting walls.

There is no need to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do a great job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as tile, wood and low-pile rug. They can also handle larger debris such as nails with rusty screws, metal screws or even toys that have been discarded. Some have an automatic base that drains itself, which is great if you do not want to empty it every cleaning session.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features, which make the look of a stick vacuum quaint. They include scheduling, zone-targeting and the capability to control them through an app or a voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and 'virtual walls' to block off areas you do not want the robots to venture.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology which uses cameras, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects such as lamp cords and pet waste. It is a little bit more expensive than other bots that I've tried, but it does an excellent job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or derails when I'm working on my floor.

The iRobot J7+ was a fantastic obstacle avoidance robot however, it didn't always do a great job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my rugs. It also tends to over-vacuum areas, which led to a lot of extra dust in the filter, and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums come with an app that allows you to customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and see the floor area that is covered by the machine. This is a great feature that many competitors don't have. This allows you to create profiles which will automatically start the robot at specified times and continue to run regularly. For instance, you could clean the living room each day, or just before dinner.

A good app can allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot using voice commands.

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, opt for models with a large dust bin that can hold several cleaning sessions before having to be emptied. There are models that self-empty that take some of the labor out of emptying the robot vacuum & mop after each cleaning run.

If you want a robot capable of doing more than simply vacuum, you'll need to look into one which can mop your floors. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums, and include a tank of water that can hold multiple cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before needing to emptied.

Robots that are more advanced can make their own maps and keep track of the layout of your home from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, since it won't have to return to where it was when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our test subjects who tested robots with this feature found it to be extremely efficient, and could comfortably watch TV or do other chores while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms when you're at work.

App Control

If you want to customize the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and choose a cleaning mode it is recommended to purchase one that is compatible with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also see the status of the vacuum as well as the condition of its dust bin in the app. Some of the most effective robot vacuums can even be operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot with an washable filter and self-emptying container, particularly when the filter is easily removed and rinsed. Another excellent feature is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept at avoiding chair legs than others, and some also have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the clogging of brushes that can happen in other robots.

Some robot vacuums come with navigation tools to aid them in navigating obstacles and help you understand your home. High-end models are equipped with sensors and cameras that detect obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models sometimes use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with young children who scatter toys and socks around the house. This helps your robot to collect the items instead of scattering.

More robots are equipped with mop and vacuum combo robot attachments. This is beneficial for those with hard floors who need to mop frequently. These robots have a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in when they're ready to mop. They might need to be refilled more often than other types of robots, however they're ideal for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned by vacuum.

We've seen some amazing technology in these small robots and they're less expensive than you might expect. In fact, you can get an affordable model for less than $200 that can do a decent job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also moving around the edges of light carpets or cleaner area rugs. You can schedule the robot to sweep a room every day, and it can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.