What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many of them use apps to allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and define 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 run, memorizing your space for future use. It has an extra-large dustbin that automatically emptys and self-cleaning, self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, choose one that can clean up large objects like lamps and toys and dust particles that are fine. This will help ensure they don't get snarled 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 pets or children.

It's recommended to choose a model with an efficient motor and lots of suction power. This will help it to be more efficient in eliminating dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets as well as hardwood flooring.

The size of your home is another crucial factor to consider. If you live in an apartment it is possible to pick one that has multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire home in a single session. Some models have a mopping feature that can be used to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean regularly will ensure that your robot is functioning efficiently for many years to be. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we have spoken to have owned their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries with time).

A basic robot will cost you less than a large-sized vacuum cleaner, but they'll still do a great job at removing dirt and pet hair and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floors tidy. The downside is they don't have as Smart vacuum Cleaner technology, and can be prone to getting stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without falling off or getting stuck on the staircase. They are also able to avoid obstacles like cords and furniture legs, and some models will automatically return to their base or dock when they are running low on power. The ones that are more expensive usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the design of your home and reduce the amount of time you're running into walls.

You don't have to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do an excellent job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like wood, tile and low-pile rug. They also do a good job of handling larger debris like metal screws or staples that have rust, or abandoned toys. Some models come with an automatic base that drains itself, which is great when you don't need to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features that make the look of a stick vacuum old-fashioned. These include schedules, zone-targeting, and the capability to control them through an app or voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't wish robots to access.

Some robotic vacs, such as the Eufy 11S and my former favorite, the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from crashing into furniture or tangling cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance, which uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tried, however it does a great job of avoiding obstacles and never is stuck or tripped when working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a good obstacle avoidance robot but it wasn't always able to do well in removing dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, resulting in dust accumulating in the filters and a less clean home.

Smart Mapping

A few of the top robot vacuums have an app that lets you set up cleaning modes and schedules, as well as view the flooring area that the machine covers. This is a useful feature, and one that some competitors lack altogether. This allows you to create profiles which will automatically start the robot at certain times and continue to run regularly. For example, cleaning the living room every day or before dinner.

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

Look for the model with a large dustbin. This will allow you to perform many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. You can also find models that self-empty that take some of the labor out of emptying the machine after each cleaning run.

If you want a robot that can do more than simply vacuum, you'll need to look at a model that can mop floors. These are usually bigger than the robotic vacuums and have a water tank inside which can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and other debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

Robots that are more sophisticated can make their own maps, and can remember the plan of your house 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 vacuum because it won't need to go back to the beginning when it comes across furniture or walls.

Our test participants found that the robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could watch television or perform other things while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models use laser navigation and Smart Vacuum Cleaner can create an exact map of your house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner or every room in your home when you're at work.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency with which the robot cleans your home and choose a cleaning mode, it's best vacuum mop combo to get one that has an app for mobile devices. You can also view the state of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin using the app. Some of the top robot vacuums are operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot that has the ability to wash the filter and a self-emptying container, especially if the filter can be easily cleaned and washed. Another great feature is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to clean up dirt and hair. Some robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some also have a self-cleaning sensor smart Vacuum Cleaner that prevents the clogging of brushes that can happen in other machines.

Some robot vacuums have navigation tools to help them learn your home and get around obstacles. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to identify obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords. Less expensive models might use boundary strips to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is crucial for families with young children who have socks and toys scattered around the house, because it helps your robot nab the items instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop heads. This is great for those with hard floors who require to mop frequently. They come with an integrated water tank into the chassis or an extra piece which you can change out when you're ready to mop. They may need to be refilled frequently however, they are perfect for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned by vacuums.

We've seen some incredible technology incorporated into these tiny robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might expect. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that does a good job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs off hard floors, and also moving around the edges of light carpets or area rug. The robot can be programmed to clean a particular room at regular intervals. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.