What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A quality robot vacuum robot mop will help you stay on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many work with apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them out of areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac and mop creates a map of your home with its first trip, and then it will remember your space for future use. It has an extra-large dustbin that automatically empties and a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, look for one that is able to pick up big items, robot vacuums such as toys and lamp cords, as well as fine dirt. This will ensure that they don't get stuck in the roller brushes or end up on your floor. This feature is particularly important for those who have pets or children and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

A model with an efficient engine and plenty of suction is also a good option. This will make it more effective 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 prefer one with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire home in one session. Some models come with mopping capabilities that can be used to keep floors clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums can last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean regularly will ensure that your robot is running efficiently for long time to be. Many robot vacuum owners we speak to have been using their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, but they'll do a fantastic job at removing dirt and pet hair and lint. They're a great maintenance cleaner that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floor free of dirt. The downside is they don't have as smart technology, and can be prone to getting 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. They can also avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models automatically return to their dock or base when they run out of power. Some of the more expensive models have mapping capabilities that allow them to remember your home's layout and therefore spend less time bouncing off walls.

If you don't want spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can locate a model that does an excellent job of removing pet hair dirt, dust, and crumbs from hard floors like tiles and wood, as well as carpets with a low pile. They can also do a decent job of handling larger debris like metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some come with a base that automatically empties itself, which is ideal when you don't need to empty it every cleaning session.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features that make the standard stick vacuum look quaint. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the capability to control them through an app or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones as well as 'virtual walls' to block off areas where you do not want the robots to venture.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to prevent them from tripping over furniture or cords. Certain robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses sensors, cameras and smarts to avoid items such as lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tested, however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles around my home and rarely got stuck or derailment while working on my flooring.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance bot, it didn't always do an excellent job of removing dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in dust accumulation in the filters and a less tidy home.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums come with an app that allows you to customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and see the floor area covered by the machine. This is an excellent feature that some competitors lack altogether. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specific time intervals and run it on a regular basis, like cleaning the living area prior to dinner or every other day.

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

Look for a model that has an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. You can find models that self-empty, eliminating the requirement to empty the machine after each vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot capable of doing more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at one that can mop floors. They are typically larger 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 create their own maps of your house and can even remember the arrangement from one cleaning to the next and help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum as it will not have to return to where it started when it encounters walls or furniture.

Our test participants found that the robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch television or perform other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some of these models use laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your house, which means you can program them to clean just the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house while you're working.

App Control

It's best to choose a mini robot vacuum that has an app that is mobile if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose cleaning mode. Through the app, you can also check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. The best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, particularly when you are able to easily access the filter and take it off it to wash it. Another excellent feature is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to get rid of dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others have a sensor that automatically cleans brushes to prevent obstruction.

Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools that assist them in navigating around obstacles and to learn about your home. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as stairs, furniture, and cords. The cheaper models could use boundary strips to mark areas that you don't wish it to enter. Avoidance of objects is crucial for families with children who have socks and toys scattered around the house, since it assists your robot in capturing the objects instead of scattering them.

We're seeing more robots equipped with mops which are beneficial for those who have hard floors and need to clean them regularly. These robots come with water tanks built into the chassis or a separate piece which you can change out when you're ready to mop. They may need to be refilled frequently however, they are perfect for homes that have hard floors that can't be cleaned with vacuum cleaners.

These robots are packed with impressive technology, and they are priced significantly less than you would expect. In fact, you can get an affordable model for less than $200 that can do a decent job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs off hard floors while also navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area carpets. It is possible to schedule the robot to sweep the room on a regular basis, and it can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.