What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair, lint and dust on a regular basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries or 'walls,' to ensure that the vacuum stays away from areas that you don't want cleaned.

This mop and vac creates a home map after its first run, storing your space for future use. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically emptys, as well as a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, choose one that is able to pick up big items such as toys and lamp cords and dust particles that are fine. This will help ensure they don't get caught by the roller brush and don't end up on your floors. This is especially important if your robot will be cleaned regularly by pets or children.

A model with an engine that is powerful and lots of suction is an excellent choice. This will help it to be more efficient in getting rid of dust, pet hair, and lint off carpets and hardwood floors.

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

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, Amazon Robot Vacuum emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your machine working efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we chat with have owned the same model for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries as they went along).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, but they'll do a fantastic job at removing dirt on the surface, pet hair and dust. You can use them to clean your floors several times per day. However, they don't have as advanced technology, and could be prone to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles like cords and Amazon Robot Vacuum furniture legs and some models automatically return to their base or dock when they are running low on energy. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to memorize your home's layout and therefore spend less time bumping against walls.

If you don't want to spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you can find one that does a great job of picking up pet hair dirt, dust, and crumbs from hard floors like tiles and wood, as well as carpets with a low pile. They also do a good job of handling larger objects such as metal screws, rusty staples or abandoned toys. Some come with an automatic base that drains itself, which is ideal if you do not want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features, which make the look of a stick vacuum quaint. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the ability to control them using an app or voice assistants, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to venture.

Some robotic vacs like the eufy robot vacuum 11S and my former top pick the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling cords. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance, which uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots I've tested, however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles around my home and rarely got derailed or trapped when I was cleaning my floors.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance tool however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of avoiding dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also tended to over-vacuum some areas, resulting in an abundance of dust in the filter, and a less-clean house.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuum robot vacuums have an app that lets you customize cleaning modes, set schedules and see the floor area that the machine covers. This is a very useful feature that some competitors don't have. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at certain times and continue to run on regularly, for example, cleaning your living room prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app can allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some models are compatible with amazon robot vacuum's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot using voice commands.

To have a hands-free experience, look for an option with a big dust bin that can hold numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. There are models that self-empty which takes a portion of the labor out of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robotic that is more than a vacuum, think about the models that have mopping capabilities. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums and have a water tank inside that can hold many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the layout from one cleaning to the next which can help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a big difference in the speed at which your robot vacuums, since it won't be spending time going back to the beginning of the room when it comes into contact with walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots with this feature were very efficient. They could watch television or perform other things while the robot cleaned. Some models use laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms when you're at work.

App Control

If you'd like to alter the frequency with which the robot cleans your house and select the cleaning mode, it's best to get one that works with an app for mobile devices. You can also check the status of the vacuum as well as the state of its dust bin using the app. Some of the best robot vacuums can even be operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that has a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, particularly when you are able to easily access the filter and remove it to wash it. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the clogging of brushes that can occur in other machines.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that help them learn your home and overcome obstacles. The top models come with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models may use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark off areas you don't want to go. Avoidance of objects is particularly important for families with young children who have socks and toys scattered around the house, as it allows your robot to grab those objects instead of scattering them.

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

We've seen some impressive technology in these small robots and they're less expensive than you might think. You can get a good one for under $200. It does a decent job cleaning on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rug. You can schedule the robot to clean rooms on a regular basis and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.