What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum can help keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on a daily basis. Many of them use apps to allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and set virtual boundaries or 'walls' to keep them out of areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

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

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that can take in large items, like lamps and toys and also dust particles. This will help ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush, and aren't left on your floors. This is especially crucial if the robot will be regularly cleaned by pets or children.

A model that has an efficient engine and plenty of suction is also a good choice. This will help it be more effective in removing pet hair, dust and lint off your carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you live in an apartment you might want to pick one that has multiple cleaning zones so that you can clean your entire home in one go. Some models have mopping capabilities that can be used to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying the dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your machine working efficiently for many years. Many robot vacuum owners who we talk to have owned their machines for ten years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along with time).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, however they'll do a fantastic job at keeping up with dirt and pet hair, and dust. You can use them to clean your floors several times per day. The drawback is that they don't come with as smart technology, and can be prone to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, cameras or lasers to guide you around your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling on the stairs. Some models can return to their dock or base when their battery is depleted. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords. Some of the more expensive models come with the ability to map, which allows them to memorize your home's layout and spend less time bouncing off walls.

If you don't want spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that is capable of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and dust from floors made of tile and wood as well as carpets with low pile. They also do a decent job of removing larger debris such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even the remains of toys. Some models even have self-emptying bases, which is useful if you don't want to empty the dustbin after every clean-up.

Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your regular stick vacuum appear ancient, including scheduling, zone targeting, and the capability to control them using an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and 'virtual walls to block off areas where you do not want the robots to go.

Certain robotic vacuums such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice, the roborock robot vacuum and mop S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from crashing into furniture or getting caught in cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses a camera, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects like lamp cords and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles, and never gets stuck or derailed when I'm working on my floor.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a good obstacle avoidance robot but it wasn't always able to do an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs off my rugs. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum certain areas leading to a lot of dust in the filters and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums include an application that lets you modify cleaning modes, make schedules, and view a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is a handy feature that a few competitors do not have. This allows you to create profiles which will 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 will allow you to control your robot using voice commands. Some models support 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 enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, choose an option with a big dust bin that can accommodate several cleaning sessions before having to be empty. You can find models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the robot after every time you vacuum.

If you want a robot capable of doing more than simply vacuum, you'll need to consider a model that can mop floors. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and include a tank of water that can hold multiple cleaning sessions worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.

Robots that are more sophisticated can make their own maps and keep track of the layout of your home from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or Best Budget robot vacuum stuck. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum since it won't have to return to where it was when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test subjects found that robots with this feature were very efficient. They could watch TV or do other tasks while the shark robot vacuum self empty was cleaning. Some of these models use laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your home, which means that you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house while you're working.

App Control

If you'd like to alter the frequency with which the robot cleans your home and select a cleaning option you should choose one that works with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also check the status of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin within the app. Some of the Best budget robot vacuum robot vacuums can be operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot equipped with an washable filter and self-emptying container, particularly when the filter can be easily cleaned and washed. A powerful brush is another great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of dirt and hair. Certain robots are more adept in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some even have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the blockage of brushes that could occur in other robots.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to assist them in navigating around obstacles and learn your home. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as furniture, stairs, and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundaries to mark areas where you don't want to see it go. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with young children who scatter toys and socks around the house. This helps your robot collect these items instead of scattering.

More robots are equipped with mop heads. This is great for those with hard floors who need to clean regularly. These robots come with water tanks built into the chassis or an additional piece that which you can change out when it's time to mop. These robots may require refilling frequently however, they are perfect for homes with hard floors and can't be cleaned with vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some incredible technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you think. You can find a decent one under $200, which does a decent cleaning job on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rug. The robot can be programmed to clean specific rooms on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.