What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

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

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

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that is able to pick up big items such as lamp cords and toys as well as fine dust. This will ensure that they don't get caught by the roller brush and aren't left on your floors. This feature is particularly important when you have pets or children and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's recommended to select a model that has strong motors and plenty of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint, and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.

Another factor to consider is the size of your room. If you live in a large house you might want to choose one that has multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire house in one session. Some models also have mopping capabilities that can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last for a long time however, they must be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many the years to come. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we have spoken to have been using their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes, and batteries with time).

A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning surface dirt, pet fur and lint. You can use them to scrub your floor several times a day. The downside is they don't come with as technological innovation, and may be prone to getting stuck or require human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The Best robot vacuum cleaner small robot vacuum vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to navigate your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles like cords and furniture legs, and some models will automatically return to their dock or base when they run low on energy. The more expensive ones often have mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the design of your home and spend less time hitting walls.

You don't have to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a great job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like wood, tile, and low-pile rugs. They can also take care of larger debris such as metal screws, rusty nails or even toys that have been discarded. Some come with a self-emptying base, which is useful in the event that you don't wish to empty the trash bin after every cleaning run.

Most robotic vacs also offer advanced features that make your regular stick vacuum appear ancient such as scheduling, zone targeting, and the capability to control them using an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to enter.

Some robotic vacs such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from derailing by running into furniture or getting caught in cords. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance, which uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to see and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots that I've tried, however it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and never is stuck or tripped while working on my floor.

The J7+ from iRobot was a great obstacle-avoiding robot however, it didn't always do a good job at avoiding dirt or crumbs on my rugs. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum specific areas, leading to dust accumulating in the filters, and a less tidy home.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums have an app that lets you customize cleaning modes, set schedules and see a map of your flooring area that the machine covers. This is a handy feature, and one that some competitors lack altogether. This lets you create profiles that will automatically start the robot at specific times and continue to run continuously. For instance, you could clean the living area every day, or just before dinner.

A good app can also let you 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.

To have a hands-free experience, look for models with a large dust bin that can withstand many cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. You can find models that self-empty, eliminating the need to empty the machine after each vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a machine that can do more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into the possibility of a model that can mop floors. They are typically larger than robotic vacuums and have a water tank that can hold multiple cleaning sessions' worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your house and can even remember the layout from one cleaning to the next which can help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a huge difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums because it won't have to spend time going back to the beginning of the room whenever it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test subjects who tested a robot vacuum with self empty with this capability found it to be very efficient, and could comfortably watch TV or complete other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some models employ 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 every room in your home when you're at work.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency with which the robot cleans your home and choose the cleaning mode, it's best to get one that has an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also see the status of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin in the app. Some of the top robot vacuums can even be controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters is simple to keep clean, particularly if you can easily access the filter and take it off it to wash it. A powerful brush is another great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards to get rid of dirt and hair. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the blockage of brushes that could happen in other machines.

Certain robo-vacs utilize navigation tools to help them understand your home and overcome obstacles. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles such as stairs, furniture, and cords. The cheaper models could utilize boundary strips to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with young children who scatter toys and socks all over the house. This helps your robot collect these items, instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is useful for those with floors that are hard and need to mop regularly. These robots have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate piece you can swap in when ready to mop. They might need to be refilled more frequently than other types of robots, Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner however they're great for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.

These robots come with impressive technology, and they cost much less than you'd think. In fact, you can find an affordable model for less than $200 that does a decent job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rugs. The robot can be programmed to vacuum specific rooms on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.