What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can assist you in keeping track of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with applications that allow you to 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 an outline of your home using its first run. It then remembers the area for future cleaning jobs. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, choose one that can clean up large items like toys and lamp cords as well as dust particles that are fine. This will ensure that they don't become entangled in the roller brush, and aren't left on your floors. This is particularly important if your robot will be cleaned frequently by pets or children.

It's recommended to select a model that has an efficient motor and lots of suction power. This will enable it to be more efficient in removing pet hair, dust and lint off carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you have a huge house, you may prefer one with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire home in a single session. Some models come with mopping features that can be utilized to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums last a long time however, they must be cleaned regularly and properly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your robot working efficiently for many years. Many owners of robot vacuums we chat with have owned the same machine for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries in the process).

A basic robot will cost less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll still do a great job of keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair, and dust. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can send out several times a week to keep your floors free of dirt. The downside is they don't have as advanced technology, and could be prone to getting stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums make use of sensors, lasers or cameras to guide them around your home without getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Certain models are able to return to their base or dock when the battery is low. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords. The ones that are more expensive usually come with mapping capabilities that permit them to memorize the arrangement of your home, and lessen the time you spend running into walls.

There is no need to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a great job of removing pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces, such as wood, tile and low-pile rug. They can also be capable of handling larger debris like metal screws, rusty staples or abandoned toys. Some even come with an auto-emptying base, which is useful for those who don't want to empty the dustbin after every clean-up.

Most robotic vacs also offer advanced features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric such as scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them with an app or voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas where you don't want the robot to enter.

Certain robotic vacuums such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice, the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from crashing into furniture or tangling cords. Some robot vacuums, like the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance technology that makes use of cameras, processors and smarts to avoid items like lamp cords and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots I've tested, but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles within my home. It also didn't get derailed or trapped while working on my flooring.

The iRobot J7+ was an excellent obstacle avoidance robot, but it did not always do a great job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my carpets. It also tended to over-vacuum some areas, which resulted in an abundance of dust in the filter and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robots vacuums have an application that lets you modify cleaning modes, make schedules, and look at a map of the floor area that is covered by the machine. This is a very useful feature that other models don't have. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specific times and keep it running on a regular basis, like cleaning your living room prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, look for an option with a big dust bin that can withstand several cleaning sessions before having to be empty. You can also find models that are self-emptying which takes a portion of the burden of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robot that can do more than simply vacuum, you'll need to look into a model which can mop your floors. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums, and include a tank of water that can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before needing to emptied.

Robots that are more advanced can make their own maps and remember the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a huge difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums because it won't need to spend time going back to the beginning of the room if it encounters furniture or walls.

Our test participants who utilized the robot that has this feature found it to be very efficient, and they could sit back and watch TV or perform other chores while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation to create the map of your home. You can program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or throughout the house while you are at work.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and select the cleaning mode you should choose one that works with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. In the app, you can check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. The Best Rated robot vacuum robotic vacuums can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is simple to keep clean, particularly when you are able to access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is another excellent feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others have sensors that automatically clean brushes to avoid clogging.

Certain robo-vacs utilize navigation tools that help them discover your home and get around obstacles. The top models come with sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models may use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark off areas you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially beneficial for families with young kids who throw socks and toys all over the home. This allows your shark iq robot vacuum and mop to gather these items, instead of scattering them.

We're beginning to see more robots that have mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to regularly clean them. These robots come with an integrated water tank into the chassis or an extra piece which you can change out when it's time to mop. They may need to be filled more frequently than other kinds of robots, but they're perfect for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.

We've seen some amazing technology in these small robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you expect. In fact, you can find an affordable model for less than $200 that does a good job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area rugs. The robot can be programmed to vacuum the room on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.