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 regular basis. Many robot vacuums have 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 that you don't want cleaned.

This mop and vac creates a home map after its first run, memorizing your space for future use. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically emptys and self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, select one that can clean up large objects like lamps and toys 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 feature is particularly important for those who have pets or children and you may have to clean the robot regularly.

It's also a good idea to select a model that has an efficient motor and plenty of suction power. This will make it more efficient in removing pet hair, lint and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

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

Robot vacuums can last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors regularly will ensure that your robot is running efficiently for the years to be. 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 as time went by).

A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll still be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning surface dirt, pet fur and lint. You can use them to scrub your floors several times per day. However, they don't offer as much smart technology, and can be prone to getting stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of sensors, cameras or lasers to help you navigate your home, avoiding 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 are running low on power. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to learn the layout of your home and spend less time bouncing against walls.

You don't need to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find 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 can also do a decent job of removing larger debris such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some models come with a base that automatically empty itself, which is a great feature when you don't need to empty it every cleaning session.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features, which make the traditional stick vacuum look quaint. These include schedules, zone-targeting, and the capability to control them using an app or voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to get into.

Some robotic vacs like the Eufy 11S and my former top pick the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance, near which uses sensors powered by processors to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tested, but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles in my home and rarely got stuck or tangled when I was cleaning my flooring.

While the iRobot j7+ was a great obstacle avoidance tool, it didn't always do well in removing dirt and crumbs off my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in dust accumulation in the filters and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robots vacuums come with an app that lets you alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and see the floor area that is covered by the machine. This is an excellent feature that some competitors lack altogether. This lets you create profiles that automatically start the robot at specified times and run it continuously. For example, cleaning the living room every day or before dinner.

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 cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without the need for an app.

To have a hands-free experience, choose models with a large dust bin that can withstand many cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are also models that are self-emptying, which takes some of the labor out of emptying the machine after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robot that is more than a vacuum, think about one that has mopping and vacuuming capabilities. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and include a tank of water which can hold several cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before needing to emptied.

The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your house and 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 significant difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, as it will not have to return to where it started when it encounters walls or furniture.

Our testers who used the robot that has this feature found it to be very efficient. They could comfortably watch TV or complete other chores while the robot was cleaning. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or throughout the house while you're working.

App Control

It's best to choose one that comes with an app for mobile devices for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and select a cleaning mode. Within the app, you can also monitor the condition of your vacuum and its dust bin. The best robotic vacuums can be controlled with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep clean, especially if you can easily access the filter and then remove it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is a fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept at avoiding chair leg than others. Others have sensors that automatically clean brushes to avoid the clogging.

Some robot vacuums have navigation tools that allow them to understand your home and get around obstacles. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as stairs, furniture, and cords. Less expensive models might utilize boundaries to mark areas you don't want it to go. Avoidance of objects can be particularly beneficial for families with young children who scatter toys and socks around the home. This allows your robot to collect these items, instead of scattering them.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mop attachments. This is beneficial for those with floors that are hard and need to mop frequently. They come with a water tank built into the chassis or an additional piece that you can swap in when you're ready to mop. These robots may require frequent refills but they're ideal for homes that have hard floors that aren't easily cleaned by vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some impressive technology incorporated into these tiny robots and they're less expensive than you might imagine. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $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 rug. You can program the robot to clean a room on a regular basis, and it can be controlled remotely with the app or by pressing buttons on its side.