What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with applications that let you schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries, or "walls," to ensure that the vacuum is kept away 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 remembers the space for future cleaning jobs. It comes with a self-cleaning brush roll and an extra-large dust bin that empties automatically.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that is able to pick up large objects like lamps and toys and dust particles of fine size. This will ensure that the items don't get stuck in the roller brush or end up on your floor. This feature is particularly important when you have pets or children and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

A model that has an efficient engine and plenty of suction is also an ideal choice. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint, and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your room. If you live in a big home, you may choose one with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire home in one go. Some models also come with a mopping function that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are durable but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean on a regular basis will keep your 360 robot vacuum running smoothly for years to come. Many owners of robot vacuums we chat with have had the same model for a decade or more (and replaced brushes, motors and batteries in the process).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll still do a great job at removing surface dirt, pet hair and dust. You can use them to clean your floors several times per day. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs and some models automatically return to their dock or base when they are running low on power. The more expensive ones often feature mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the arrangement of your home, and lessen the time you spend running into walls.

If you don't want to splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you could find a model that does an excellent job of picking up pet hair dirt, dust, and dust from floors made of tiles and wood, as well as carpets with low pile. They can also handle bigger debris like nails with rusty screws, metal screws or even toys that have been discarded. Some even come with self-emptying bases, which is useful in the event that you don't wish to empty the dustbin after every cleaning session.

The majority of robotic vacuums have smart features that make your regular stick vacuum appear ancient, including scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them with an app or voice assistant like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones as well as 'virtual walls' to block off areas you do not want the robot to enter.

Certain robotic vacuums such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling with cords. Certain robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology which uses a camera, processors and smarts to avoid items like lamp cords as well as pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tested, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or derails when working on my floor.

The J7+ from iRobot was an excellent 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 some areas, which led to lots of dust in the filter, and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums come with an app that allows you to alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at an image of the area covered by the machine. This is a useful feature, and one that a few competitors do not have. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot vacuum black friday at specific times and keep it running on a regular basis, Top robot vacuum like cleaning the living area prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app will also let you control your robot via voice commands. Some models support Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free, so you can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without having to use the app.

Find models with a large dust bin. This will allow you to perform numerous cleaning sessions without having to empty it. You can find models that self-empty, which eliminates the need to empty the robot after each vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot that is more than a vacuum, think about one that has a mopping function. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums and include a tank of water that can hold multiple cleaning sessions worth of dust and dirt before having to be emptied.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the arrangement from one cleaning to another and help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a huge difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum because it won't need to return to where it was when it comes across furniture or walls.

Our testers who used the robot that has this feature found it to be extremely efficient, and they could easily watch TV or complete other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some models employ laser navigation and can create an exact map of your home, meaning you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner or each room of the house while you're at work.

App Control

It's best to choose the vacuum that comes with an app for mobile devices if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose a cleaning mode. You can also view the state of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin in the app. Some of the best robot vacuums can even be controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, particularly when you are able to access the filter and remove it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some robots are better in avoiding the chair's legs than others, and some have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the blockage of brushes that could be a problem in other machines.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that allow them to understand your home and navigate around obstacles. The top robot vacuum models utilize sensors and cameras to detect obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. Less expensive models might utilize boundary strips to mark areas you don't want it to go. Avoidance of objects can be particularly beneficial for families with children who scatter toys and socks all over the house. This allows your robot to collect the items instead of scattering.

We're beginning to see more robots with mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and need to clean them regularly. These robots come with an integrated water tank into the chassis or a separate piece you can put in when you're ready to mop. They may need to be refilled frequently, but are ideal for homes that have hard floors and can't be cleaned easily with vacuums.

We've seen some impressive technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might expect. You can find a decent one under $200, which does a decent cleaning job on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and rugs. You can program the robot to clean rooms every day and can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.