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 let you schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries, or "walls," to ensure that the vacuum cleaner with mop stays away from areas you don't want to be cleaned.

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

Object Detection

When selecting a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that is able to pick up large items like lamp cords and toys as well as dust particles that are fine. This will help ensure they don't get caught in the roller brush and don't end up on your floors. This is especially important for those who have children or pets and may need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's an excellent idea to choose a model with strong motors and plenty of suction power. This will help it be more effective at getting up pet hair, lint and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your space. If you have a large house, you may choose a model with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire home in a single session. Some models come with a mopping feature that can be utilized to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough however, they must be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust container and wiping the sensors clean on a regular basis will keep your machine running efficiently for years to come. Many robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot will cost less than a large-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll do a fantastic job at keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair, and dust. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can distribute often throughout the week to keep your floor tidy. They do not have as much technology and are more susceptible to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacs use sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without falling off or getting stuck on the staircase. They can also avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs and some models automatically return to their dock or base when they are running low on energy. The most expensive models usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the arrangement of your home, and spend less time bumping into walls.

You don't need to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do a great job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as tile, wood and low-pile rug. They also can handle larger debris such as nails that are rusty, metal screws or even toys that have been discarded. Some come with a self-emptying base, which is useful if you don't want to empty the trash bin after every cleaning run.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features that make the look of a stick vacuum quaint. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the capability to control them via an app or a voice assistants, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to enter.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over furniture or cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance, which uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like lamp cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots that I've tested, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles and never is stuck or tripped when I'm working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance bot, it didn't always do well in removing dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas leading to a lot of dust in the filters, and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums include an app that lets you alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and view a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is a handy feature, and one that a few competitors do not have. It allows you to create profiles that automatically start the robot at certain times and continue to run continuously. For example, cleaning the living room every day, or just before dinner.

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

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, look for a model with a large dust bin that can accommodate numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. You can find models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after every vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot that can do more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into one which can mop your floors. They're usually bigger than robotic vacuums, and come with a water tank that can hold multiple cleaning sessions' worth of dirt and dust before it needs to be empty.

The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the arrangement from one cleaning to the next which can help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, since it won't have to go back to the beginning when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch television or perform other things while the robot was cleaning. Some models use laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or in all rooms while you are at work.

App Control

If you want to customize the frequency with which the robot cleans your house and select a cleaning mode it is recommended to purchase one that is compatible with an app for mobile devices. In the app, you can also examine the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the top vacuums that are robotic can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that has 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. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to remove hair and dirt. Some robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some also have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the blockage of brushes that could happen in other robots.

Some robot vacuums have navigation tools to help them discover your home and overcome obstacles. High-end models are equipped with sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords, while cheaper models often use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with children who scatter toys and socks all over the home. This helps your robot collect the items instead of scattering.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is beneficial for those with floors that are hard and need to clean regularly. These robots have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate component that you can swap in when ready to mop. These robots may require refilling frequently, but are ideal for homes that have hard floors that aren't cleaned easily with vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some amazing technology in these small robots and they're cheaper than you imagine. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that can do a decent job of cleaning pet hair and good robot vacuum crumbs from hard floors, while navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. The robot can be programmed to clean a particular room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.