What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many of them use apps to allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vacuum and mop creates a map of your home with its first run, storing your space for future jobs. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically empties and self-cleaning, self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, choose one that can take in large objects, such as lamps and toys and also fine dirt. This will ensure that they do not get caught in the roller brush or end up on your floor. This feature is particularly important for those who have children or pets and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's recommended to choose a model with strong motors and plenty of suction power. This will help it to be more effective in getting rid of dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets and hardwood flooring.

The size of your home is a different factor to consider. If you live in a big home, you may want to opt for a model with multiple cleaning zones that can cover your entire house in one go. Some models have a mopping robot vacuum cleaner feature that can be used to keep floors clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums can last for good a long time, but they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean regularly will keep your machine running smoothly for years to be. Many robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for ten years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes, and batteries with time).

A basic robot is less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. You can use them to clean your floors multiple times per day. The downside is they don't offer as much smart technology, and can be prone to getting stuck or require human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, cameras or lasers to guide you around your home and avoid getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models automatically return to their dock or base when they run low on energy. The ones that are more expensive usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the arrangement of your home, and lessen the time you spend bumping into walls.

You don't have to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do a fantastic job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like tiles, wood and low-pile rugs. They also can handle bigger debris like nails with rusty screws, metal screws or even toys that have been discarded. Some have a base that automatically empties itself, which is ideal for those who don't want to empty it every cleaning session.

Some robotic vacuums have clever features that make the standard stick vacuum look old-fashioned. These include scheduling, zone-targeting and the ability for you to control them via 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 want the robot to enter.

Certain robotic vacuums such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick, the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from crashing into furniture or tangling with cords. Some robot vacuums, like the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology which uses sensors, cameras and algorithms to stay clear of items like lamp cords as well as pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tried, but it does an excellent job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or derails when I'm working on my floor.

The J7+ from irobot vacuum cleaner and mop was an excellent obstacle avoidance robot however, it didn't always succeed in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum areas, which resulted in lots of dust in the filter, and an unclean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robot vacuums have an app that helps you set up cleaning modes set schedules, and view a map of your floor area that the machine covers. This is an extremely useful feature that other models don't have. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start the robot at specific times, and keep it running continuously. For example, it could be cleaning the living room every morning or prior to dinner.

A good app will allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Some models support Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

Choose a model that has a large dust bin. This allows you to complete numerous cleaning sessions without having empty it. You can find models that self-empty. This eliminates the requirement to empty the robot after every vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot that is more than a vacuum, think about a model with mopping capabilities. These are usually bigger than the robotic vacuums, and include a water tank in the interior which can store several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the arrangement from one cleaning to another, which helps them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. 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 whenever it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test participants found that the robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch TV or do other tasks while the robot cleaned. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create an outline of your home. You can program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms while you are at work.

App Control

It is best mapping robot vacuum to select a robot that has an app that is mobile if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose a cleaning mode. Within the app, you can also monitor the condition of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. 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 is easy to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to access the filter and take it off it to wash it. Another feature that is great is a high-powered brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to clean up hair and dirt. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some even have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the clogging of brushes that can happen in other machines.

Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools that help them navigate around obstacles and learn your home. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundary strips to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly important for families with children who leave toys and socks scattered throughout the house, because it helps your robot vacuum cleaner black friday nab the items instead of scattering them.

More robots are equipped with mop attachments. This is beneficial for those with hard floors who require to mop regularly. These robots have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate piece can be swapped in when ready to mop. These robots might need to be refilled frequently, but are ideal for homes with hard floors and can't be easily cleaned by vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some incredible technology in these small robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you think. You can get a good one for less than $200, and 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 a room regularly, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.