What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

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

This smart vac and mop creates a home map after its first trip, and then it will remember your space for future jobs. It has a self-cleaning brush roll and an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When selecting a robot vacuum cleaner, select one that is able to pick up large items like lamps and toys as well as dust particles that are fine. This will ensure that they don't get caught in the roller brush or strewn across your floor vacuum robot. This is particularly crucial if your robot is going to be cleaned regularly by children or pets.

It's recommended to choose a model with a powerful motor and lots of suction power. This will make it more effective in removing pet hair, lint and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.

Another important consideration is the size of your room. If you live in a large house it is possible to select a model that has multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire home in one session. Some models also come with mopping functions, which can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last a long time however, good robot vacuum they must be cleaned regularly and properly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly, emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your machine functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we speak with have had the same machine for a decade or more (and replaced brushes, motors and batteries as they went along).

A basic robot is much less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll still do an excellent job of cleaning dirt from surfaces as well as pet fur and lint. You can use them to sweep your floors several times per day. The downside is they don't have as advanced technology, and could be prone to becoming stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of sensors, cameras or lasers to navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Some models will return to their dock or base when their battery is depleted. They can also avoid obstacles such as furniture legs and cords. The more expensive ones often feature mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the layout of your home and spend less time running into walls.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do an excellent job of removing pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as wood, tile and low-pile rug. They can also take care of larger debris such as nails with rusty screws, metal screws or discarded toys. Some even come with self-emptying bases that is handy if you don't want to empty your trash bin after every cleaning run.

Most robotic vacs also offer innovative features that make a ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned with features like schedules, zone targeting and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones as well as 'virtual walls' to block off areas where you don't want the robot to enter.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former top pick, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over furniture or cords. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance, which uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like lamp cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tested, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles, and never is stuck or derails while working on my floor.

The iRobot J7+ was a fantastic obstacle avoidance robot, but it did not always do a good job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum some areas, resulting in lots of dust in the filter and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums include an app that lets you alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and view the area covered by the machine. This is a useful feature that a few competitors do not have. It is easy to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at specified time intervals and run it on regularly, for example, cleaning your living room prior to dinner or every other day.

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

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, opt for models with a large dust bin that can hold many cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. You can also find models that self-empty, which takes some of the work out of emptying the robot after each vacuuming run.

If you want a ion robot vacuum capable of doing more than just vacuum, good robot vacuum you'll want to look into the possibility of a model that can mop floors. These are usually bigger than the robotic vacuums and have a water tank in the interior that can hold multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and debris before needing to be cleaned.

Robots that are more advanced can make their own maps and remember the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuums, as it won't need to spend time returning to the beginning of the room if it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test participants found that the robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch television or perform other things while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models use laser navigation and can make 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'd like to alter the frequency at which the robot cleans your home and choose a cleaning mode you should choose one that has a mobile app. You can also see the status of the vacuum as well as the condition of its dust bin in the app. Some of the top robot vacuums can be operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot equipped with a washable filter and a self-emptying container, especially when the filter is easily removed and rinsed. A powerful brush is another excellent feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards to get rid of hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept at avoiding chair legs than others, and some have self emptying robot vacuum-cleaning sensors that can prevent the obstruction of brushes that may happen in other machines.

Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools that aid them in navigating obstacles and help you understand your home. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundaries to mark 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 across the house, as it helps your robot nab these objects instead of scattering them.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mops. This is great for those with hard floors who need to mop frequently. They come with water tanks built into the chassis or a separate piece which you can change out when it's time to clean. These robots might require frequent refills however, they are perfect for homes that have hard floors and can't be easily cleaned by a vacuum.

We've seen some amazing technology incorporated into these tiny robots and they're cheaper than you imagine. In fact, you can get an affordable model for less than $200 that can do a decent job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, while moving around the edges of light carpets or area rug. You can schedule the robot to sweep the room every day, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.