What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with applications that let you schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries or "walls," to keep the vacuum away from areas you don't wish to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop makes the map of your home with its first run. It then stores the space to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with a self-cleaning brush roll and an large dust bin that is empty automatically.

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that is able to pick up large objects, such as lamp cords and toys, as well as fine dirt. This will help ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush, and don't end up on your floors. This feature is particularly important when you have children or pets and need to clean the robot regularly.

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

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your home. If you live in a large house it is possible to select one that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean your entire home in one go. Some models come with mopping features that can be used to keep floors looking clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting however, they must be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your machine working efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we speak to have owned their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries with time).

A basic robot is much less expensive than a large vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can send out every week to keep your floor clean. The downside is they don't come with as technological innovation, and may be susceptible to becoming stuck or require human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacuums use sensors, cameras or lasers to help you navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling on the stairs. Some models can return to their base or dock when their battery is depleted. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture cords and legs. Some of the more expensive models have mapping capabilities, which allow them to learn your home's layout and therefore spend less time bouncing off walls.

If you're not looking to splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that does a great job of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tiles and wood, as well as low-pile carpets. They can also take care of larger debris such as nails with rusty screws, metal screws or discarded toys. Some models come with a base that automatically empty itself, which is great for those who don't want to empty it every cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with smart features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned such as zones, schedules, and the ability to control them via an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones as well as 'virtual walls' to block off areas you don't want the robot to venture.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top pick, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will prevent them from tripping over furniture or cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance that uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and never is stuck or derails while working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a good obstacle avoidance bot but it wasn't always able to do an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also was known to over-vacuum certain areas resulting in dust accumulating in the filters, and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robots vacuums include an app that allows you to modify cleaning modes, make schedules, and see a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is a useful feature that a few competitors do not have. This lets you create profiles which will automatically start the robot at certain times and continue to run regularly. For instance, you could clean the living area every day, or just before dinner.

A good app will 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 with voice commands.

Choose the model with an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to perform many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that are self-emptying, which takes some of the labor out of emptying the machine after each cleaning run.

If you're looking for a machine that can do more than simply vacuum, you'll need to consider a model which can mop your floors. These are typically larger than robotic vacuums and include a water tank in the interior that holds multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and other debris prior to having to be empty.

Robots that are more advanced can create their own maps, and can remember the layout 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 speed at which 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 subjects found that robots with this feature were extremely 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 create an exact map of your entire home, which means that you can program them to clean just the bedroom after dinner or each room of the house when you're at work.

App Control

It's best to choose the vacuum that comes with an app that is mobile in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and choose cleaning mode. You can also view the state of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin within the app. Some of the best robot vacuums are operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot equipped with an washable filter and self-emptying container, particularly when the filter can be easily cleaned and washed. Another excellent feature is a high-powered brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Some have an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to prevent the clogging.

Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools that aid them in navigating obstacles and help you understand your home. The top models come with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords, while cheaper models sometimes use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark off areas you don't want it to leave. Object avoidance is especially important for families with young children who leave socks and toys scattered around the house, since it allows your robot to grab these objects instead of scattering them.

We're beginning to see more robots equipped with mops which are useful for those who have hard floors and require to regularly clean them. They come with a water tank built into the chassis, or an additional piece that which you can change out when it's time to mop. They may need to be refilled more frequently than other types of robots, however they're great for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned using a vacuum.

We've seen some incredible technology in these small robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might imagine. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that does a good job of removing pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, and also moving around the edges of light carpets or area rug. You can schedule the robot to vacuum the room every day and it can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.