How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're able to live without smart capabilities like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum could be a good choice for you. Find an option with a clean base and is compatible with voice assistants.

It is the most effective robo-vacuum we have tested at picking up dirt and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and best Affordable robot vacuum carpets with low pile. It can also plan out and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or certain areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum can help you keep track of the pet fur, dust and dander that collects on your floor each day. It can also reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, saving your time and effort. The most effective models have powerful suction that will easily clean up most mess and leave your home clean.

You can cover more area with a robot vacuum and mop, which can be beneficial if you live in an extensive home. You can find a model that has a water tank in the chassis itself or as an extra piece that you can swap out after vacuuming. It'll need to be emptied and refilled and refilled, which is an additional chore.

In the ideal world, you'd be able to clean your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from hitting things. In most homes, however this isn't possible or desirable. The majority of models let you utilize an app that you can install on your phone to create virtual barriers that the robot will observe. Some models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don't want the robot to access. For instance, a child's room or a pile cords in the corner.

If you're looking for a simple robot vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and bells, this model from networking company TP-Link is a great choice. It's quiet, and it works on both hard floors and low-pile rugs and can be scheduled through the app to mop or vacuum at any time. It has a good battery life that can last up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.

2. Easy to operate

Robot vacuums generally need very little from you. They use navigation tools like sensors and lasers to navigate through obstacles and collect dust, food crumbs and pet hair from hard flooring, tile carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. A lot of models come with boundary strips to help them remain in a room. Higher-end models can be programmed to wake up at a specific time and start cleaning. Some even have fall-detection technology that prevents tumbling down stairs or getting caught in electrical cords.

Find models that allow you to control from your couch via voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also search for Wi-Fi-connected models that let you start cleaning from any location via an app. You may prefer an option with a long-lasting battery and a large dust bin, depending on the size of your home.

Certain robot vacuums are also mopping machines. They use water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is great for mopping, but not great for difficult messes such as pet poop and other wet spills. You can choose hybrids that have an able mopping pad made of microfiber or a self-emptying option that lets you go for up to 60 days without emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots use advanced mapping technology to build a detailed map as they clean. This helps them avoid hitting furniture and tripping on cords or chairs. This feature is only available on the top models, but it lets your robot get a complete understanding of the layout of your home and to know where it should go when the battery is out.

If you don't want your robot navigating into areas of your home that you'd rather it stay away from (like your children's toys or the mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide the possibility of creating virtual barriers, either via their apps or physical boundary strips. This lets you block off zones that you don't want your robot to explore, so that it can focus its attention on the areas and rooms that require the most attention.

A lot of robots are able to automatically navigate to different flooring types based on the type of flooring they're cleaning, be it they're switching between carpet and hard flooring or focusing on particular areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. This feature was helpful in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on hardwood flooring and carpet flooring with low pile. It is important to secure any furniture or cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum so it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

Almost all robot vacuums are WiFi-connected and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts that enable you to control them via voice commands or through your smartphone. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems, and create a map of the space they clean after each session. This lets them "learn" the way your home is laid out and plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance, which stops them from crashing into furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or shoe laces, as well as pet hair.

Most robots have a remote control that you can use to navigate them around your home. The majority of robots can be controlled by a mobile app that comes with more features. You can typically set multiple cleaning schedules, make the list of rooms you like and even manually guide your robot around specific areas using directional arrows on the screen.

Some models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers you can set up in the app to prevent the robot from accessing certain areas (like toys for kids or dishes and dog beds). Some apps let you draw an outline of your home and provide detailed information on the floors. The Roborock S7+ app has several useful features that will help you clean the house. However the interface isn't as polished as that from iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacuums that can sweep a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some of them work with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also create a map of the space to allow you to program them to specific areas or rooms and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, but the iRobot J7 has advanced features, such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life easier (although one of our test bots did "eat" a couple of socks). If you want to take your home cleaning to the next level opt for a robotic mop and vacuum combo robot with a tank of water that you fill and empty yourself.

While none of the models we tested could match the ability to pick up dirt of a standup vacuum, they did a great job cleaning hard floors as well as low pile carpets. They excel at sweeping up food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked into. They can also tackle stray cat litter and metal screws and nuts. The most effective robot vacuums are able to easily work their way around furniture and do a great job of cleaning edges and corners as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively affordable and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the right configuration with the right setup, a robot vacuum will assist you in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh on a regular basis without a lot of effort. You can schedule cleanings through the app, and you can create no-go zones so that your robot doesn't get in the way of your plants or sit on your favorite chair. Many of our top picks will empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations.

The best robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for months or weeks at a time, which saves you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or day. This lets you spend more time doing things you like and reduces the time it takes to clean your floors manually.

During testing during testing, Q Revo was able grab fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also picked up heavier particles such as metal screws and nails and fluffy stuff like pet hair. It's not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and object avoidance features found in our top picks, however it's sufficient for most families.

The Best Affordable Robot Vacuum feature of the j7 is that it utilizes camera and processor-powered sensors to identify and avoid obstacles such as shoes, power cords, socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up after using your robot. However, cluttered rooms can cause your robot to get stuck and do a poor job.