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 use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or 'walls' to keep them away from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop creates a map of your home's layout with its first run. It then stores the area for future cleaning jobs. It has an extra-large dustbin that automatically emptys, as well as self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, make sure you choose one that can take in large objects, such as toys and lamp cords, as well as dust particles. This will ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush, and don't end up on your floors. This feature is particularly important for those who have children or pets and need to clean the robot regularly.

A model that has a powerful engine and lots of suction is an ideal option. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

The size of your home is another crucial factor to consider. If you have a large home, you may want to opt for one with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in one session. Some models have a mopping feature that can be used to keep floors clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be maintained in a timely and efficient manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your machine functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak 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 much less expensive than a large vacuum cleaner. They'll still do an excellent job of cleaning surface dirt as well as pet fur and lint. You can use them to sweep your floors multiple times per day. The downside is they don't offer as much technological innovation, and may be prone to becoming 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 falling off or getting stuck on the stairs. Some models can return to their dock or base when their battery is depleted. They can also avoid obstacles such as furniture legs and cords. The more expensive ones often feature mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the design of your home and spend less time bumping 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 great job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like wood, tile and low-pile rug. They also be capable of removing larger debris such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some come with an auto-emptying base which is helpful in the event that you don't wish to empty the trash bin after every cleaning run.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features, making the look of a stick vacuum old-fashioned. They include schedules, zone-targeting, and the ability for you to control them via an app or voice assistant, automatic vacuum and mop robot like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and 'virtual walls' to block off areas where you do not want the robot to venture.

Some robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top pick, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over cords or furniture. Certain robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses cameras, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects such as lamp cords and pet waste. It's more expensive than other bots I've tested, however, it did a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles around my home. It was also very rarely stuck or derailment while working on my floors.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle avoidance tool, it didn't always do an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in dust accumulating in the filters, and a less tidy house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best rated robot vacuum robot vacuums come with an app that can help you set up cleaning modes and schedules, as well as view the area of floor that the machine covers. This is a very useful feature that other models don't have. This makes it easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at certain times and keep it running on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning the living area prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot vacuum mop combo with voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot through voice commands.

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, opt for an option with a big dust bin that can accommodate numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. There are models that are self-emptying that take some of the burden of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you want a robot that can do more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into a model that can mop your floors. These are typically larger than the robotic vacuums and include a water tank inside that can hold many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to having to be empty.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the layout from one cleaning to another and help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a significant difference in the speed at which your robot vacuums because it won't have to spend time returning to the beginning of the room whenever it comes across walls or furniture.

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

App Control

It's best to choose a robot that has a mobile application in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and choose a cleaning mode. Within the app, you can examine the status of your vacuum robot Mop and its dust bin. Some of the top robot vacuums can even be controlled by voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, particularly if you can easily access the filter and remove it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is a excellent feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept in avoiding the chair's legs than others, and some have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the clogging of brushes that can happen in other robots.

Some robot vacuums have navigation tools to help them discover your home and overcome obstacles. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. Cheaper models may use boundaries to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with children who scatter socks and toys around the home. This can help your robot to gather the items instead of scattering.

More robots are equipped with mops. This is useful for those with hard floors who need to clean regularly. These robots come with an integrated water tank into the chassis, or an extra piece you can swap in when you're ready to mop. They may require refilling frequently however, they are perfect for homes that have hard floors that aren't cleaned easily with vacuum cleaners.

These robots come with impressive technology, and cost a lot less than you'd expect. In fact, you can find a decent one for less than $200 that does a good job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs off hard floors while also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. The robot can be programmed to clean a particular room at regular intervals. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.