What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A quality robot vacuum will keep you on top of pet hair, lint and dust on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums have apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries, or "walls," to keep the vacuum away from areas you don't wish to be cleaned.

This smart automatic vacuum cleaner and mop creates a home map with its first run, storing your space for future use. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, select one that can pick-up big items such as toys and lamp cords as well as dust particles of fine size. This will ensure that they do not get caught in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This is particularly important if your robot will be cleaned frequently by pets or children.

It's also a good idea to select a model that has a powerful motor and lots of suction power. This will enable it to be more effective in getting rid of dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets as well as hardwood flooring.

The size of your home is another important consideration. If you live in a big home, you might want to opt for a model with multiple cleaning zones that can clean the entire house in a single session. Some models also have mopping functions, which can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums last a long time, but they'll need to be cleaned regularly and properly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying the dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums who we talk to have owned their machines for ten years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries with time).

A basic robot will cost less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, but they'll still do an excellent job at removing surface dirt, pet hair, and dust. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can send out often throughout the week to keep your floors clean. They do not have as much technology and are more susceptible to get stuck or require manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of sensors, cameras or lasers to guide you around your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. Some models will return to their base or dock when their batteries are low. They also can avoid obstacles such as furniture cords and legs. The ones that are more expensive usually feature mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the arrangement of your home, and lessen the time you spend running into walls.

There is no need to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a fantastic job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as tiles, wood and low-pile rugs. They also do a decent job of handling larger debris like metal screws or staples that have rust, or the remains of toys. Some even come with an auto-emptying base that is handy if you don't want to empty the dustbin after every cleaning run.

Most robotic vacs also offer innovative features that make a regular stick vacuum appear ancient, including zones, schedules, and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you do not want the robot to venture.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, like the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses sensors, cameras and smarts to avoid items like lamp cords as well as pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots I've tested, but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles in my home and rarely got stuck or derailment when I was working on my flooring.

While the iRobot j7+ was a great obstacle avoidance tool however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs off my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum specific areas, leading to dust accumulating in the filters and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums include an app that lets you alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and see a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is an extremely useful feature that many competitors do not have. It is easy to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at specified time intervals and run it on regularly, for example, cleaning the living area prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app can also let you control your robot via voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without having to use the app.

To have a hands-free experience, choose a model with a large dust bin that can hold several cleaning sessions before having to be empty. There are models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after every time you vacuum.

If you're looking for a robot that is more than simply Automatic Vacuum And Mop, you'll need to look into a model that can mop floors. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and automatic vacuum and mop come with a water tank which can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.

Robots that are more sophisticated can create their own maps, and can 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 significant difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to return to where it was when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our test subjects found that robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could sit and watch TV or do other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some of these models utilize laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your home, meaning you can program them to clean just the bedroom after dinner, or every room in your home when you're at work.

App Control

It's best to choose a robot that has an app that is mobile for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and choose cleaning mode. In the app, you can monitor the condition of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. The best robot cleaner vacuums that are robotic can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters is easy to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to easily access the filter and then remove it to wash it. A high-powered brush is another great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some even have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the clogging of brushes that can be a problem in other machines.

Some robot vacuums come with navigation tools that help them navigate around obstacles and to learn about your home. High-end models are equipped with sensors and cameras that detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords. On the other hand, less expensive models often utilize boundary strips that you place on the floor to mark off areas you don't want it to leave. Object avoidance is especially important for families with children who have toys and socks scattered throughout the house, since it helps your robot nab these objects instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop heads. This is beneficial for those with hard floors who need to mop frequently. These robots come with a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate piece can be swapped in when ready to mop. They might need to be refilled more often than other kinds of robots, however they're perfect for homes with hard floors that can't be easily cleaned using a vacuum.

These robots are packed with some impressive technology, and they cost a lot less than you'd expect. In fact, you can get a good one for under $200 that can do a decent job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs off hard floors, while navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rugs. The robot can be programmed to clean the room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.