What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A good robotic vacuum can assist you in keeping track of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many robot vacuums are compatible with applications that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries or 'walls,' to ensure that the vacuum stays away from areas that you don't want cleaned.
This smart vac-mop creates the map of your home using its first run. It then stores the area for future cleaning jobs. It has self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empties automatically.
Object Detection
When selecting a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that can pick-up large objects like toys and lamp cords as well as dust particles of fine size. This will help ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush and aren't left behind on your floors. This feature is particularly important for those who have pets or children, and may need to clean the robot on a regular basis.
It's recommended to choose a model with a powerful motor and lots of suction power. This will help it to be more effective in eliminating dust, pet hair and lint off carpets and hardwood flooring.
The size of your house is a different factor to consider. If you have a huge home, you may want to opt for a model with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire house in one go. Some models have mopping capabilities that can be utilized to keep floors clean and fresh.
Robot vacuums can last for 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 ensure that your robot is running smoothly for a long time. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak to have been using their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along with time).
A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning the surface of dirt as well as pet fur and lint. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can send out often throughout the week to keep your floors free of dirt. They do not have as much technology and are more susceptible to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.
Object Avoidance
The top robot vacuums make use of cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They also can stay clear of obstacles such as furniture legs and cords, and some models automatically return to their base or dock when they are running low on energy. The most expensive models usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the arrangement of your home, and spend less time hitting walls.
If you don't want spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can locate a model that does a great job of picking up pet hair dirt, dust, and dust from floors made of tiles and wood, as well as low-pile carpets. They can also do a decent job of handling larger objects such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some have an automatic base that drains itself, which is a great feature if you do not want to empty it after each cleaning session.
Some robotic vacuums have clever features, making the traditional stick vacuum look quaint. They include zones-targeting, schedules, and the ability for you to control them via an app or a voice assistants, such as Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't want robots to access.
Some robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will keep them from tripping over furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology which uses a camera, processors and algorithms to stay clear of items such as lamp cords and pet waste. It is a little 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 when I'm working on my floor.
The iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle-avoiding robot however it didn't always do a great job at avoiding dirt or crumbs on my rugs. It also tended to over-vacuum certain areas, which led to a lot of extra dust in the filter, and a less clean house.
Smart Mapping
The best cleaning robot vacuum and mop robot vacuums have an app that can help you customize cleaning modes set schedules, and view a map of your floor area that the machine covers. This is an extremely useful feature that many competitors do not have. It is easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specified times and continue to run on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning your living room prior to dinner or every other day.
A good app will allow you to control your robot using voice commands. Certain models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot using voice commands.
Choose a model that has an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to perform numerous cleaning sessions without having empty it. There are models that are self-emptying which takes a portion of the labor out of emptying the machine after each run of vacuuming.
If you're looking for a machine that can do more than simply vacuum, you'll need to consider one that can mop floors. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums, and come with a water tank which can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before needing to emptied.
The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your house and can even keep track of the layout from one cleaning to the next, which helps them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a significant difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to return to where it was when it encounters walls or furniture.
Our testers who used robots with this capability found it to be extremely efficient, and they could sit back and watch TV or perform other chores while the robot cleaned. 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 just the bedroom after dinner, or every room in the house while you're at work.
App Control
It is best to select one that comes with a mobile application for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and select a cleaning mode. Through the app, you can also examine the status of your vacuum and its dust bin. Some of the top robot vacuums can even be controlled by voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is simple to keep clean, particularly if you can easily access the filter and then remove it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some even have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the obstruction of brushes that may be a problem in other machines.
Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to assist them in navigating around obstacles and learn your home. The top models come with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, whereas cheaper models sometimes use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark off areas where you don't want it to leave. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with children who scatter toys and socks all over the house. This allows your robot collect the items instead of scattering.
We're beginning to see more robots equipped with mops which are useful for those who have hard floors and need to clean them regularly. They have a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate piece you can swap in when ready to mop. They may need to be refilled more often than other types of robots, but they're ideal for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.
We've seen some impressive technology in these small robots and they're cheaper than you expect. In fact, you can find a decent one for less than $200 that does a decent job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, and also navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rugs. The robot can be programmed to vacuum the room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.