How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're willing to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and don't mind cleaning the trash bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum could be a good choice for you. Look for one with a clean base and can work with voice assistants.

It excels at removing dirt, cat litter and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpeting with less pile than any other robo vacuum we've tested. It also has the ability to map out and create virtual no-go zones in rooms or specific areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum cleaner can assist you in keeping up with the pet fur, dust and dander that settles on your floor every day. It can also reduce the frequency at which you have to deep clean, saving your time and effort. The best cheap robot vacuum models have powerful suction, which will take on the majority of messes and leave your house cleaner.

You can take care of more space by using a robot vacuum and mop, which is especially useful if you have an extensive home. There are models with a water tank either in the chassis itself or as an extra piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be empty and refill it, though, so this is an additional task that will require a little extra work on your part.

In a perfect world it would be ideal to clean your floors first before using your robot vacuum to stop it from hitting anything. In the majority of homes, however, this is not possible or desirable. Thankfully, many models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot will be aware of and avoid. Some models have no-go zones which you can use to mark areas you don't want the robot to access, such as children rooms or a stack of device cords in the corner.

This model is a good option if you're looking for an easy robot cleaner that doesn't have all the bells and whistles. It's quiet and works well on both hard floors and low-pile carpets and can be scheduled through the app to mop or vacuum at any time. It has a long battery life that can last for up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.

2. Simple to operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They utilize navigation tools like sensors, lasers and cameras to navigate around obstacles and remove dust, food crumbs and pet hair from hard flooring, tile, hardwood and low-pile carpets. A lot of them have boundary strips that help them stay within the walls of a room, while higher-end models can be set to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a predetermined time. Some models even have fall detection technology that helps them avoid tumbling down stairs or getting tangled in electrical cords.

Find models that you can control from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also look for Wi-Fi-connected models that let you start cleaning sessions from anywhere via an app. You may want to select one with an extremely long-lasting battery as well as a large dustbin, depending on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, using reservoirs of water to clean your floor. This is ideal for mopping, but not for difficult messes such as pet poop and other wet spills. You can select hybrids that have an able mopping pad made of microfiber or a self-emptying model that lets you go for up to 60 days without emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots utilize advanced mapping technology to create a detailed map of your floorplan while they clean, making it easier for them to avoid falling into furniture or falling over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is only available on the top models, but it lets your robot have a thorough understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go when the battery is out.

If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your home that you'd prefer it to stay clear from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) most powerful robot vacuum robots provide some way to create virtual barriers, either with their app or a set of physical boundary strips. This lets you define areas that you don't want your robot to venture into, so it can concentrate its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most attention.

Many robots will also automatically switch floors based on the kind of flooring they are cleaning. This can be achieved by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by paying attention to particular areas of your home like corners and baseboards. This feature proved effective in our tests and enhanced the vacuum's performance on both hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. It's important to tuck away any furniture or cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum, to ensure that it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled with voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or industrial Robot vacuum Siri Shortcuts. Many Industrial Robot vacuum vacuums are connected to smart home systems and create a map of the space they clean after each cleaning session. This lets them "learn" how your home is laid out, and then plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Certain models have obstacle avoidance features built in that prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to pilot them around your home. Most robots can be controlled by a mobile app, which offers more features. You can set up multiple cleaning schedules and make a list with your favorite rooms. You can also guide the robot by using direction Arrows.

Certain models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers that 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 allow you to create an outline of your home and provide detailed information on the floors. The app we ranked as our top pick Roborock S7+, the Roborock S7+, has numerous options to help you tidy your house, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that can clean your entire home without stopping to recharge or to empty their bins save time and effort. Some robot vacuums work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also make maps of the area that allows you to program them for specific areas or rooms, and to avoid obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums come with some degree of object detection and object detection, but more expensive models such as the iRobot j7 offer sophisticated features such as "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that will simplify your life (although our test bot did once "eat" the socks of a pair). socks). If you're looking to push your home maintenance even further consider a robot mop that comes with an water tank that can be filled and then empty.

While no of the models we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a stand-up vacuum, they were able to do a fantastic job of cleaning hard floors and carpets with low pile. They are great at sweeping up fine dust and debris, food particles, dirt tracked in and pet hair. They are also able to tackle scattered cat litter, as well as metal screws and nuts. The top robot vacuums can effortlessly work around furniture and excel at cleaning edges and corners as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively affordable and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the proper setup, a robot vacuum can aid in keeping your home looking and looking and feeling cleaner every day with minimal effort. You can schedule cleanings through the app, and you can create no-go zones so that your robot doesn't step on your favorite chair or plants. Many of our top picks automatically empty their bins and clean their docking stations for you.

The best robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a stretch, freeing you from the time-consuming task of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This helps you have more time to do the things you love and cuts down on the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

During testing during testing, Q Revo was able grab fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also snatched up heavier debris like nails and screws made of metal, as well as fluffy things like pet hair. It's not equipped with the advanced mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, however it's adequate for most families.

The best thing about the j7 is that it makes use of cameras and processor-powered sensors to identify and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to tidy up before using your robot. However, messy rooms may cause your bot to get stuck and do poorly.