The Best Robot Vacuums

A quality robot vacuum does most of the work and nabs pet hair, lint and surface dirt before it can cling to furniture or be sucked into carpets. They also have smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to provide the convenience of hands-free operation.

A lot of models come with mapping capabilities that allow them to create an interactive map of your home. This can help them avoid falling off ledges or navigating around clusters of devices if cords are.

What to look for

Some robots come with advanced features that let you control them using apps and voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning, and object avoidance are a few of the features. These machines could also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.

Select a model with broad brushes that can sweep up large debris, and is thin enough to fit under furniture. Also, check if the Vacuum That Mops And Vacuums can be used on multiple flooring types without having to change brushes or alter suction settings. This can reduce its cleaning effectiveness and decrease its lifespan.

The top robotic vacuums come with top-quality filters that trap fine particles and protect your home. They also have an enormous easy-to-access collection bin so you can empty it often. Some have an extra side brush to clean up pet hair and other debris in difficult-to-access areas behind and under furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can observe the amount of dirt in the bin, and when to empty it.

You can also make use of the app to establish limits around furniture and rooms you do not want it to enter. Some models also recognize the kind of floor they're cleaning and automatically adjust their brush and suction settings accordingly.

There are robotics that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left after their battery has run out. And some have a built-in camera that lets you observe the path of your robot vacuum and view what it's collecting.

Some robots also allow you to control them using your voice, but not all do so as well as others. Check that the model you pick is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice and test it out to see how well the robot responds to different commands prior to purchasing. Some robots even empty their dustbins or clean their docking stations which can reduce the chore list. But this feature comes at an expense, as does the capacity of the bin and a faster charging speed.

Cleaning Performance

While robots aren't able to substitute for a full-on vacuum that cleans and mops cleaner or broom, they do provide an effective and efficient alternative to the daily chore of cleaning floors. The best robotic cleaners can pick up small debris like dust, pet hair, and crumbs, or bigger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They do this without damaging the flooring or furniture.

In most cases, they'll be able to detect the type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features in accordance with the type of surface so that they can more effectively clean your floors. This is particularly important if your home has various types of flooring. Many models also come with many options to set up virtual boundaries, which allows you to tell the robot to stay clear from certain areas of your home. This can be helpful in protecting your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't, and it can help ensure that your entire house gets cleaned in each scheduled session.

You should also consider the level of autonomy you're comfortable giving your robot. Some models require your attention and presence while others function on their own with the capability to change cleaning modes and schedules through a mobile app or vacuum that mops and vacuums voice commands through an integrated smart assistant. Some models will map and learn your space, allowing you to create zones and instruct the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.

In our tests, the iRobot j7+ proved to be the most effective robot for "set it and forget it". It was better in mapping virtual boundaries, making virtual borders and avoiding obstacles than any of the other robots that we tested. It can also empty itself, so you aren't required to do it manually. And, the side brushes can help clean debris off edges and corners that a vacuum cannot reach.

Its slim profile and infrared sensors enable it to reach behind and under furniture to provide an even more thorough clean than most robots, while its advanced navigation system makes it more capable of cleaning the entire area of your home on a single charge as compared to other devices we've tested. It's difficult to beat, even at a reasonable price.

Battery Life

A good robot vacuum can help keep your floors tidy and feel less like a chore, and more like a luxury. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs, and shed pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home is every day. A basic robot can handle the majority of cleaning tasks. However, those who prefer a more hands-off experience might want to look for a model which also doubles as a mop.

Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI offers excellent performance in both mopping and vacuuming modes. It is able to handle pet hair, dirt and even cat litter. The feature to avoid objects is awe-inspiring, allowing it to avoid objects and avoid getting stuck on them.

It has a large dustbin and an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a significant amount of space in just one go. It also functions as smart vacuum, which means it can create maps of your home and work with apps, like the ones offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant that let you use voice commands to control it.

The application that comes with the robot allows you to create schedules, define specific rooms for cleaning or the ability to pause and resume sessions. It will even warn you the moment its battery is low and return to its docking station to recharge.

Another nice feature of this robot is that it can distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly, which helps keep the machine from becoming bogged down in one type of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. However, it isn't yet able to detect high pile carpeting or the seams of rooms, so you'll still need to be vigilant about picking up large objects.

All robot vacuums require some amount of maintenance, such as getting rid of hair from brushes, emptying (and sometimes rinsing) the bin of dust after each cleaning session. Also, cleaning sensors or cameras between uses to ensure they are in top shape. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these and other maintenance procedures which can differ based on the model.

Cost

The best robot vacuums might not be expensive, but they are much less expensive than a professional carpet cleaning machine or even a stand-up vacuum. They also need less maintenance than traditional vacuums as they require that you empty (and sometimes rinse) their bins after each cleaning session and often cleaning their sensors or cameras.

Many robot vacuums are equipped with clever features that help them be more effective in your home, for instance mapping technology that allows you to instruct the vacuum to follow the layout of your room via an app so that it knows not to run into the stairs or under the furniture, where there could be the possibility of a mess. Other robot vacuums can detect the kind of flooring they are cleaning so that they can adjust their suction and brush functions to achieve the best results.

Some models feature objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even cameras) to detect objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to walk around them instead of running through them. This is a great option if your children or pets are known to leave toys all over the home.

Another feature that might be important to you is voice control that lets you control your robot using your voice instead of using the on-board buttons. This is useful when your children aren't old enough yet to operate the robot, or if it's just convenient for you.

How often you should use your robot will depend on the amount of dirt or debris is on your floor. Most experts suggest using a robot vacuum that vacuums and mops at least once a week to keep your floors looking good and to remove pet hair, lint and surface dirt before it can get crushed or become difficult to get rid of.

If you have only a small amount of floor space and do not plan to make use of the robot for other purposes and you're looking for a budget model, like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's inexpensive, simple to install and operate, and does the job with little noise interference while you work or watch TV.