How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you don't require advanced features such as mapping and do not mind cleaning your trash bin every 60 to 90 days A basic robot vacuum is probably suitable for you. Find an option with a clean base and works with voice assistants.
It is the best vacuum we have tested at getting rid of dirt and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile, and carpeting with low pile. It can also plan out and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or certain areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum cleaner can assist you in keeping up with the pet fur, dust and dander that accumulates on your floor each day. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save you both time and effort. The best model has powerful suction that will easily clean up most mess and leave your home cleaner.
Choosing a robot vacuum that is also able to mop can help you achieve more coverage with one machine, which could be especially helpful in larger homes. Choose one that has a water reservoir either integrated into the chassis or as a separate piece that you can swap out when the vacuuming is finished. It will have to be emptied and refilled, so it's an extra task.
In a perfect world, you would clear your floors before using your robot vacuum, preventing it from hitting anything. In the majority of homes this isn't possible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot will detect and avoid. Some models include no-go areas that you can mark areas you don't wish it to be allowed to enter. For example, a child's room or a pile of cords in the corner.
This model is a great option if you're looking for an easy robot cleaner that doesn't have all the bells and whistles. It's quiet, it works on both hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed through the app to vacuum and mop at your convenience. It has a long battery life, which can last for up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.
2. Easy to Operate
In general robot vacuums require little input from you. They use navigation tools like sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to move through obstacles and collect food particles, dust and pet hair from floors, tiles carpets, and hardwood. A lot of models come with boundary strips that allow them to remain in a room. automatic vacuum cleaner can be programmed to wake up at a specific time and begin cleaning. Some models even have fall detection technology that prevents falling down stairs or becoming tangled in electrical cords.
Find models that can be controlled from your couch via voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also select Wi-Fi models that allow users to start cleaning from anywhere with an app. You may prefer a model that has a long-lasting battery and a large dustbin, depending on the size of your home.
Some robot vacuums can double as mops and use reservoirs of water to wash your floors. This is ideal for mopping, but not for difficult messes such as pet poop and other wet spills. You can pick hybrids with a removable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying model that allows you to stay for up to 60 days without emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Certain robots employ advanced mapping technology to create a precise map of your floorplan as they clean, making it easier for them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or tripping over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is only available on higher-end models however it lets your robot get a complete understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go when the battery is out.
Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done through an app or physical boundary strips. This allows you to create zones that you don't want your robot enter, so that it can concentrate its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most cleaning.
A lot of robots can also automatically change floors based on the type of floor they are cleaning. This can be done by changing from carpet to hard flooring or by focusing on particular areas of your home like corners and baseboards. In our tests this was a helpful feature that improved their pick-up scores for both carpeting made of low-pile or hardwood. However, it's still important to tuck away furniture and cords before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get caught or run into something it shouldn't.
4. Remote Control
The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi connectivity and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow you to control them using voice commands or through your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems that create an outline of your space after each cleaning session to "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future trips. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance that stops them from hitting furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose, shoe laces and pet hair.
Most robots have an remote control that you can use to navigate them around your home. The majority of robots can be controlled via a mobile application, which offers more features. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and create an inventory of your preferred rooms. You can also manually guide the robot with the directional Arrows.
Some models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers that you can create within the app to block the robot from accessing certain areas (like toys for kids or dog beds and dishes). Some apps let you create an outline of your home and provide detailed information on the floors. The app that we recommend as our top pick Roborock S7+, the Roborock S7+, has numerous options to help you clean your house, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robot vacs that can work a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust save you time and effort. Some robot vacuums are compatible with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to enable hands-free operation. They can also make maps of the area to allow you to program them for specific areas or rooms and to stay clear of obstacles.
Most robot vacs have some level of object detection however, higher-end models such as the iRobot j7 come with advanced features like "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that can really make your life easier (although our test bot did "eat" a pair of socks). If you're seeking to improve the quality of your home maintenance, consider an automated mop that comes with an water container that can be filled and then empty.
While none of the models that we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a stand-up vacuum, they did an excellent job cleaning hard floors as well as carpets with low pile. They excel at sweeping up fine dirt, food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked into. They can also tackle pet litter that is stray and metal screws and nuts. The most effective robot vacuums can remove dirt from edges and corners and can work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
A robot vacuum will help keep your home tidy and clean without doing lots of work. You can schedule cleanings using the app, and you can set up no-go areas so that your robot doesn't get in the way of your favorite chair or plants. A majority of our top picks empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking station.
The most effective robot vacuums are programmable to clean your floors regularly for weeks or months at a time, making it easier to save time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or day. This allows you to spend more time doing things you like and reduces the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.
During testing the Q Revo was able to grab fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like metal screws and nails as well as fluffy things such as hair of pets. It's not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, however it's adequate for most families.
The best feature of the j7 is that it makes use of cameras and processor-powered smarts to recognize and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes, socks, and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up before using your robot. However, cluttered rooms could cause your robot to become stuck and do poorly.