The Best Robot Vacuums

A good robot vacuum does most of the work for you and nabs pet hair, lint, and surface dirt before it can cling to furniture or sink into carpets. They also have smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to give you the convenience of hands-free operation.

Many models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to create a map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around clusters of devices if cords are.

What to Look for

Certain robots have advanced features that let you control them via apps and voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. These include smart mapping, spot and zone cleaning and object avoidance. They could also have longer battery lives and larger dust collection bins.

Choose a model with a an extended brush that can sweep up large pieces of debris and one that's small enough to fit under furniture. Check if the robot vacuum is able to clean various types of floors without having to change the suction settings or brushes. This could reduce the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its lifespan.

The most effective Shark Ion Robot Vacuum vacuums feature high-quality filters that trap small particles to guard the inside of your home and an ample, easy-to-access bin that lets you empty it frequently. Some models come with an additional side brush to clean up pet hair and debris in difficult-to-access places such as behind and under furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, so you can observe the amount of dirt in the bin and when you should empty it.

In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum to run at times when you're likely be at home, you can use the app to draw a boundary around your furniture and areas you'd like it to avoid. Some models also recognize the kind of floor they're cleaning, and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings to suit the floor.

There are also robots that can recharge and resume cleaning exactly where they left off when their batteries are running low. There are some that have an inbuilt camera that lets you track the route of your robot vacuum and view what it's taken in.

Some robots are operated by voice commands, but not all. Make sure the model you choose is compatible with your voice assistant of choice, and test out how it responds to different commands during the buying process. Some robots can even empty their trash bins or clean their docking stations, which will reduce your chore list. However, this feature comes at an expense, as does the capacity of the bin and faster charging speed.

Cleaning Performance

While robots cannot substitute for a full-on vacuum cleaner or broom, they do provide a practical and efficient alternative to the daily chore of keeping floors clean. Whether you need to keep track of tracked-in dust, crumbs and pet hair or pick up larger debris such as wood shavings and screws, most top-rated robotic cleaners are adept at removing a variety of materials on the first attempt and without causing damage to your furniture or floors.

They usually detect the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush settings accordingly to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is especially important when your home is surrounded by various types of flooring. There are many models that offer a wide range of options for setting virtual boundaries, allowing you to tell the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This can be helpful in protecting your pets or children from entering areas they shouldn't be, and also helps ensure that your entire house is cleaned up at the end of every scheduled time.

Think about the amount of autonomy your robot will have. Some models require your presence and attention while others work on their own and can change the cleaning mode and schedule using a mobile application or voice commands through an integrated smart assistant. Some models can map and understand your home and allow you to define zones and instruct the robot to clean certain areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.

In our tests, the iRobot+ proved to be the best robot to "set it and leave it". It was superior at mapping virtual boundaries, making virtual borders and eliminating obstacles than any of the other robots that we test. Plus, it can empty itself completely so you don't have to do it manually. It also has side brushes that help sweep debris out of corners and edges where the vacuum isn't able to reach.

Its slim design and infrared sensor allow it to clean under and behind furniture, allowing it to perform better than other robots. And its advanced navigation system enables it to sweep the entire floor of your home on a single battery charge. It's a tough one to beat, even at its affordable price.

Battery Life

A high-quality robot vacuum can help keep your floors tidy and seem less like a chore and more like a treat. Promptly nabbing tracked-in dirt, Shark Ion Robot Vacuum crumbs and shed pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home feels on a daily basis. A basic robot can take care of the majority of cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a more hands-off experience might want to look for a model that doubles as an mop.

The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one of the best models for both, as it offers great performance in both its mop and vacuuming modes and can easily handle dirt and pet hair, as well as debris and even cat litter. Its object avoidance feature is particularly impressive, enabling it to steer clear of objects and avoid getting stuck on them.

It has a large dustbin and a battery that lasts for a long time, so it can cover a significant amount of space in just one go. It also functions as a smart vacuum, meaning it can create maps of your home and use applications, such as those offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to let you use voice commands to control it.

The software that comes with the robot is easy and easy to use it allows you to create schedules, assign rooms for cleaning, and pause and resume sessions. It will even alert you to the moment its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.

The robot is also able to distinguish between hard floors and carpets, and adjust its settings accordingly. This will prevent the machine from squeezing on a particular type of surface and accidentally tearing your furniture. But, it's not yet able to recognize high pile carpeting or seams in rooms, so you'll have to be cautious when picking up large objects.

To keep robot vacuums in good condition they require regular maintenance. This includes cleaning the brushes of hair, and emptying the trash bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Cameras and sensors must be cleaned after each use. The manufacturer will provide specific instructions for these steps and other procedures, which will vary depending on the model.

Cost

The top robot vacuums don't come cheap, but they're far cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or even an all-in-one stand-up vac. They also need less maintenance than a traditional vacuum, with most requiring only that you empty (and sometimes rinse) their bins of dust after each cleaning session, and periodically wiping down their cameras or sensors.

Many robot vacuums come with clever features that make them more efficient for your home, for instance mapping technology which lets you instruct the vacuum to follow the layout of your room via an app so that it doesn't run through the stairs or under the furniture where there could be the possibility of a mess. Others can tell what floor type they're working on, so they can adjust their suction or brush functions to get the most effective results.

Some models come with object avoidance. This uses sensors (or a camera) that can detect toys and other objects lying on the floor. The robot vacuum cleaner with mop is instructed to avoid them, instead of running into them. This is a great benefit if you have kids or pets who tend to scatter toys around the house.

Another feature that may be important to you is voice control that lets you control your robot with your voice instead of using the buttons on the board. This is useful for children who aren't yet old enough to operate the robot or is it just more convenient for you.

How often you should use your robot will depend on how much dirt or debris has accumulated on your floor. The majority of experts suggest using a robot vacuum several times a week to keep your floors looking good and nabbing pet hair lint and surface dirt before it is able to get crushed or become difficult to remove.

If you have a limited amount of floor space and do not intend to utilize the robot for any other purpose and you're looking for an affordable model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's reasonably priced, easy to set up and use and can complete the task without causing any noise disruption while you work or watch TV.