What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum can assist you in keeping track of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums have applications that let you schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries or "walls," to ensure that the vacuum is kept away from areas you don't wish to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop creates a map of your home with its first run. It then remembers the area to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls and an extra-large dust bin that empties automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, choose one that can pick up large items, like lamps and toys as well as fine dirt. This will ensure that they do not get stuck in the roller brushes or left on your floor. This feature is particularly important for those who have children or pets and may need to clean the robot regularly.

A model that has an efficient engine and plenty of suction is an ideal choice. This will make it more efficient in removing pet hair, lint and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

The size of your home is a different factor to consider. If you live in an apartment it is possible to select models that have multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire home in a single session. Some models also come with a mopping function, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last a long time however they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your machine working efficiently for many years. Many of the robot vacuum owners we have spoken to have been using their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries along with time).

A basic robot is much less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll still perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floor tidy. However, they don't offer as much technological innovation, and may be susceptible to becoming stuck or require human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of cameras, sensors or lasers to navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Some models will return to their dock or base when the battery is low. They also can avoid obstacles like furniture cords and legs. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the layout of your home and spend less time bumping against walls.

If you're not looking to spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can still find a model that does a great job of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and debris from floors that are hard like wood and tile and carpets with low pile. They can also be capable of handling larger debris like metal screws and staples that are rusty or even the remains of toys. Some come with a base that automatically empties itself, which is a great feature if you do not want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Most robotic vacs also offer advanced features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned such as scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them via an app or voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't wish the robot to get into.

Some robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will prevent them from tripping over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes cameras and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoes, lamp cords, socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tried, however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles within my home and rarely got stuck or derailment when I was cleaning my flooring.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance robot, it didn't always do an excellent job of avoiding dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also tends to over-vacuum areas, resulting in lots of dust in the filter and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

The best self emptying robot vacuum robot vacuums have an application that lets you customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and see the floor area covered by the machine. This is an extremely useful feature that other models do not have. This makes it easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at certain time intervals and run it on regularly, for example, cleaning the living room before dinner or best self emptying robot vacuum every other day.

A good app can also allow you to control your robot using voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work entirely hands-free, meaning you can say "start cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without having to use the app.

To have a hands-free experience, look for models with a large dust bin that can accommodate several cleaning sessions before having to be empty. You can find models that self-empty, which eliminates the need to empty the machine after every vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot that is more than a vacuum, think about one that has a mopping function. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums, and have a water tank which can hold several cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your house and can even remember the layout from one cleaning to another which can help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum that vacuums and mops vacuum, since it won't have to return to the beginning when it comes across furniture or walls.

Our testers who used a robot with this capability found it to be very efficient, and could easily watch TV or complete other chores while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation to create the map of your home. You can program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or throughout the house when you're at work.

App Control

It's best to choose one that comes with a mobile application if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose the cleaning mode. You can also see the status of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin within the app. Some of the top robot vacuums are controlled by voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is simple to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to easily access the filter and then remove it to rinse it. Another feature that is great is a high-powered brush that gets into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are more adept in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some also have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the blockage of brushes that could happen in other robots.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that help them understand your home and navigate around obstacles. The top models come with sensors and cameras that detect obstacles like stairs, furniture 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 crucial for families with children who leave socks and toys scattered across the house, as it allows your robot to grab the items instead of scattering them.

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

These robots are loaded with some amazing technology, and they are priced a lot less than you'd expect. You can find a decent one under $200, which does a decent job cleaning on hard floors while navigating around the edges of carpets and rugs. You can program the robot to clean the room regularly, and it can be controlled remotely with the app or by pressing buttons on its side.