What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can keep you on top 10 robot vacuums of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums work with apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries, or 'walls,' to ensure that the vacuum stays away from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop makes an outline of your home using its first run. It then remembers the area for imartine robot vacuum future cleaning jobs. It has a self-cleaning brush roll and an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, choose one that is able to pick up large objects like lamp cords and toys and fine dust. This will ensure that they don't get caught by the roller brush and aren't left behind on your floors. This is especially crucial if the robot will be regularly cleaned by pets or children.

A model that has a powerful engine and lots of suction is an excellent choice. This will help it to be more effective in getting rid of dust, pet hair, and lint off carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your home is another crucial factor to consider. If you live in a big home, you might choose models with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire house in one session. Some models also have a mopping function that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your machine running smoothly for a long time. Many of the owners of robot vacuums that we have spoken with have had the same model for a period of 10 years or more (and replaced brushes, motors and batteries in the process).

A basic robot will cost less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, but they'll do a fantastic job at removing dirt on the surface, pet hair and lint. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can use every week to keep your floors free of dirt. However, they don't have as advanced technology, and could be susceptible to becoming stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They also can stay clear of obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models automatically return to their base or dock when they run low on energy. The most expensive models usually feature mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the arrangement of your home, and reduce the amount of time you're hitting walls.

You don't need to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do an excellent job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as tiles, wood and low-pile rug. They can also do a decent job of removing larger debris such as metal screws or staples that have rust, or discarded toys. Some come with a self-emptying base, which is useful for those who don't want to empty the dustbin after every cleaning session.

The majority of robotic vacuums have smart features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric with features like schedules, zone targeting and the capability to control them using an app or 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 like the Eufy 11S and my former top choice, the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from derailing by running into furniture or tangling with cords. Some Imartine Robot Vacuum vacuums, like the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses sensors, cameras and smarts to avoid items like lamp cords as well as pet waste. It's more expensive than the other bots I've tested however, it did a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles around my home. It was also very rarely derailed or trapped when I was cleaning my floors.

The iRobot J7+ was a fantastic obstacle avoidance robot however, it didn't always succeed at avoiding crumbs and dirt on my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum specific areas, resulting in a lot of dust in the filters, and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best self emptying robot vacuum robots vacuums come with an application that lets you customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at the floor area that is covered by the machine. This is an extremely useful feature that many competitors don't have. This makes it easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at certain times and continue to run on regularly, for example, cleaning your living room prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app will allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by 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.

To have a hands-free experience, choose an option with a big dust bin that can withstand several cleaning sessions before having to be emptied. There are models that are self-emptying, which takes some of the work out of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking to purchase a robot that does more than vacuum, you should consider a model with a mopping function. These are usually bigger than the robotic vacuums and include a water tank in the interior which can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

Robots that are more sophisticated can make their own maps and 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 where it was when it encounters walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could sit and watch television or perform other tasks while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models utilize laser navigation and can make an exact map of your entire house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house when you're at work.

App Control

It is best robot vacuum for carpet and hardwood to select one that comes with an app for mobile devices for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and choose a cleaning mode. Within the app, you can monitor the condition of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot that has a washable filter and a self-emptying bin, particularly when the filter is easily removed and rinsed. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair legs than others. Some have an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to prevent obstruction.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that help them learn your home and get around obstacles. High-end models use sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. Cheaper models may utilize boundary strips to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects can be particularly useful for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys all over the home. This allows your robot to collect these items, instead of scattering them.

We're beginning to see more robots with mops, imartine robot vacuum which are useful for those who have hard floors and need to regularly clean them. These robots come with a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate piece that can be swapped in when ready to mop. They may need to be refilled more frequently than other kinds of robots, but they're great for homes with hard floors which aren't easy to clean with a vacuum.

We've seen some amazing technology incorporated into these tiny robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you imagine. In fact, you can get a good one for under $200 that does a decent job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs off hard floors while also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. The robot can be programmed to clean specific rooms on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.