What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum can help keep you on top of pet hair and lint on daily bases. Many work with apps to allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them out of areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vacuum and mop creates a home map after its first trip, and then it will remember your home's layout for future tasks. It has an extra-large dustbin that automatically empties and self-cleaning, self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that can clean up big items such as toys and lamp cords and dust particles that are fine. This will ensure that they don't become entangled in the roller brush and aren't left on your floors. This is especially crucial if your robot is going to be regularly cleaned by children or pets.

It's also a good idea to choose a model with an efficient motor and plenty of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint, and dust off your carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another crucial factor to consider. If you live in a big home, you may prefer a model with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in a single session. Some models come with a mopping feature that can be used to keep floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will ensure that your robot is functioning efficiently for many the years to be. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we chat with have had the same model for a decade or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries in the process).

A basic industrial robot vacuum will cost less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, but they'll do a fantastic job at removing surface dirt, pet hair and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can use every week to keep your floors tidy. They don't have as much technology and are more susceptible to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top mini Robot Vacuum vacuums make use of sensors, cameras or lasers to guide you around your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They also can avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models can automatically return to their base or dock when they run low on energy. The more expensive ones often feature mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the design of your home and reduce the amount of time you're bumping into walls.

If you're not looking to spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you can still find one that is capable of removing pet hair dirt, dust, and dust from floors made of wood and tile and carpets with low pile. They can also handle larger debris such as nails with rusty screws, metal screws or discarded toys. Some models come with a base that automatically empties itself, which is great if you do not want to empty it every cleaning session.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features, making the standard stick vacuum look old-fashioned. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the ability for you to control them using an app or voice assistants, such as Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't wish the robot to enter.

Some robotic vacs, such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from getting sucked into furniture or getting caught in cords. Certain robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance technology that makes use of a camera, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects such as lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots that I've tested, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles, and never is stuck or tripped when I'm working on my floor.

The J7+ from iRobot was a fantastic obstacle avoidance robot, but it did not always do a great job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my rugs. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum specific areas, leading to dust accumulation in the filters and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums come with an app that can help you customize cleaning modes set schedules, and view a map of your area of floor that the machine covers. This is a very useful feature that many competitors don't have. It allows you to create profiles that will automatically start the robot at certain times, and keep it running continuously. For example, it could be cleaning the living room every day, or just before dinner.

A good app can also let you 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 a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

Find the model with a large dustbin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without needing empty it. You can find models that self-empty, eliminating the need to empty the robot after every time you vacuum.

If you're looking for a machine that can do more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at a model which can mop your floors. They're usually bigger than robotic vacuums, and have a water tank that can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before having to be emptied.

Robots that are more sophisticated can develop their own maps and keep track of the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a significant difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, as it will not have to go back to the beginning when it comes across furniture or walls.

Our test subjects who tested robots with this feature found it to be very efficient, and could comfortably watch TV or complete other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models use laser navigation and can make an exact map of your home, meaning you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner or every room in your home while you're working.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and select a cleaning mode it is recommended to purchase one that is compatible with an app for mobile devices. You can also view the status of the vacuum as well as the condition of its dust bin in the app. Some of the best robot vacuums can be controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to access the filter and remove it to wash it. A high-powered brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the clogging of brushes that can be a problem in other machines.

Some robot vacuums come with navigation tools that assist them in navigating around obstacles and to learn about your home. High-end models have sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords, while cheaper models may use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas you don't want to leave. Avoidance of objects can be particularly useful for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys around the home. This allows your robot to collect these items instead of scattering.

We're beginning to see more robots that have mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to mop them regularly. They have a water reservoir that is built into their chassis or as a separate component that you can swap in when ready to mop. These robots may require frequent refills, but are ideal for homes with hard floors and can't be cleaned easily with a vacuum.

We've seen some amazing technology packed into these little robots, and mini robot vacuum they're a lot less expensive than you might think. You can find a decent one under $200, which does a decent cleaning job on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and carpets. It is possible to schedule the robot to clean a room regularly, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.