What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair, lint and dust on a daily basis. Many use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times and set virtual boundaries or 'walls' to keep them away from areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vacuum and mop creates a map of your home with its first run, memorizing your space for future use. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an large dust bin that is empty automatically.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that can pick up big items, such as toys and lamp cords, and also fine dirt. This will ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush, and don't end up on your floors. This is especially important if you have pets or children and you may have to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's an excellent idea to choose a model with a powerful motor and lots of suction power. This will help it be more effective at getting up pet hair, dust and lint from your carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you have a large home, you may want to opt for a model with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in one session. Some models also have mopping functions that can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough, but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin, and wiping your sensors will ensure that your robot is functioning efficiently for many years. Many robot vacuum owners who we talk to have owned their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes, and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot will cost less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll still do an excellent job at keeping up with dirt and pet hair, and dust. They're a great maintenance cleaner that you can distribute every week to keep your floors tidy. They do not have as much technology and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, cameras or lasers to navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They also can stay clear of obstacles such as furniture legs and cords, and some models automatically return to their base or dock when they run out of energy. Some of the most expensive models come with the ability to map, which allows them to learn your home's layout and therefore spend less time bouncing against walls.

You don't need to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a great job of removing pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as wood, tile and low-pile rugs. They can also take care of larger debris such as nails with rusty screws, metal screws or discarded toys. Some have a base that automatically empty itself, which is ideal when you don't need to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric, including scheduling, zone targeting, and the capability to control them using an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish the robot to enter.

Some robotic vacs like the Eufy 11S and my former top choice the roborock robot vacuum S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling with cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoes, lamp cords, socks, and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tested however, it did a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles around my home and rarely got stuck or tangled when I was working on my floors.

While the Irobot Vacuum And Mop (Qooh.Me) j7+ was a good obstacle avoidance bot however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum some areas, which resulted in an abundance of dust in the filter and a less-clean house.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums come with an app that helps you set up cleaning modes, set schedules and see an outline of the floor area that the machine covers. This is a useful feature, and one that many competitors don't have. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specified times and continue to run on a regular basis, like cleaning the living room before dinner or every other day.

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

To have a hands-free experience, opt for a model with a large dust bin that can accommodate several cleaning sessions before having to be emptied. There are also models that self-empty that take some of the burden of emptying the machine after each cleaning run.

If you want a robot that is more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into 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 needing to emptied.

Robots that are more advanced can make 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 big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuums, since it won't have to spend time returning to the beginning of the room when it comes into contact with walls or furniture.

Our testers who used the robot that has this capability found it to be extremely efficient. They could sit back and watch TV or perform other chores while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation and can create an exact map of your home, meaning you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house while 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 is compatible with an app for mobile devices. You can also check the status of the vacuum as well as the state of its dust bin within the app. The best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep clean, especially when you are able to access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. Another excellent feature is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to remove dirt and hair. Certain robots are more adept in avoiding the chair's legs than others, and some also have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the clogging of brushes that can happen in other robots.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools to help them understand your home and irobot Vacuum and Mop overcome obstacles. High-end models have sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models may use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark areas you don't want to leave. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with young children who throw socks and toys around the home. This can help your robot collect these items instead of scattering.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is useful for those with hard floors who need to clean regularly. These robots have a water tank built into the chassis, or a separate piece you can put in when it's time to mop. They might need to be refilled more frequently than other kinds of robots, but they're great for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.

These robots are loaded with some impressive technology, and they are priced significantly less than you'd expect. In fact, you can get an affordable model for irobot Vacuum and Mop less than $200 that does a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also moving around the edges of light carpets or area carpets. The robot can be programmed to clean the room on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.