How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you’re able to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and don’t mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robotic vacuum is likely to work for you. Look for an option with a clean base and works with voice assistants.
It excels at picking up dirt, pet hair and cat litter on tile floors, hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting better than any other robo vacuum we’ve tried. It also has the ability to map out and create virtual no go zones for rooms or specific areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum can help you keep up with the dust, pet fur and dander that accumulates on your floor each day. It can also cut down on how often you need to deep clean which will save you time and effort. The best model has powerful suction that can clean up most mess and leave your home clean.
You can cover a larger area by using a robot vacuum and mop, which can be useful if you have a large home. You can find a model with a water tank either built into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can remove after vacuuming. You’ll need to empty and refill it, though, so this is an additional task that will require a little extra work on your part.
In a perfect universe you would clean your floors first before using your robot vacuum to prevent it from crashing into anything. However, in the majority of homes, this isn’t feasible or desirable. Most models allow you to make use of an app for your smartphone to build virtual barriers that the robot will detect. Some models have no-go zones which you can use to mark areas that you don’t want it access, such as children’ rooms or a pile of cords for your device in the corner.
This model is a great choice if you want an easy robot cleaner that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. It is quiet, is able to work on hard floors as well as carpets with low pile and can be programmed using the app to mop and vacuum at your own convenience. It comes with a battery life of up to 180 minutes.
2. Simple to operate
Robot vacuums generally require very little from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to move through obstacles and robot vacuum & mop collect dust, food crumbs and pet hair from hard floors, tiles carpets, and hardwood. Many models have boundary strips that allow them to stay inside a room. More expensive models can be programmed to get up at a particular time and begin cleaning. Some models include fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down stairs or getting caught in cords.
Find models that you can control from your couch via voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also select Wi-Fi models that permit you to begin a cleaning session anywhere using an app. Depending on the size of your home is, you might prefer an item with a long battery life and a spacious dust bin that doesn’t have to be regularly emptied.
Certain robot vacuums are also mops. They use water reservoirs to wash the floor. This is useful for regular mopping but won’t work for extra-tough messes, like pet poop or other wet spills. You can choose hybrids with an adjustable microfiber mopping pad, or a self-emptying version that allows you to stay for up to 60 days before emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Certain robots utilize advanced mapping technology to create a precise map as they clean. This helps them avoid hitting furniture and tripping on cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on higher-end models, but it lets your robot get a complete understanding of your home’s layout and knows where to go when the battery is out.
Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done using an app or physical boundary strips. This lets you create zones that you do not want your robot to venture into, so it can concentrate its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most cleaning.
A lot of robots are able to automatically navigate to different floorings according to the type of floor they’re cleaning, whether they’re switching between hard and carpet or focusing on particular areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. This feature was effective in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. It is essential to put away any loose cords or furniture prior to using your robot vacuum, so that it doesn’t become caught.
4. Remote Control
Most robot vacuums have WiFi connectivity and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which allow you to control them using voice commands or through your smartphone. Many robot vacuums connect to smart home systems, and can create a map of the area they clean after each cleaning session. This allows them to “learn” how your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Certain models have obstacle avoidance built in that prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on objects like loose charging cables or pet hair.
The majority of robots come with the ability to control them with a remote that can be used to guide them around your home. However, many can be controlled via an app on your mobile that comes with additional features. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and create an agenda of your most-loved rooms. You can also manually direct the robot using the directional arrows.
Some models have no-go zones. These are virtual barriers that can be created in the app to prevent the robot from entering specific areas (like kid’s toys or dishes and dog beds). Other apps let you create an outline of your home and provide the robot with detailed information about your floors. The roborock robot vacuum S7+ app has a number of useful features to aid in cleaning the house. However its interface isn’t as sleek as iRobot or Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robot vacs that can work all over your home without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust save you time and effort. Some are compatible with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also create a map of the space that allows you to program them for certain areas or rooms, and to avoid obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, but the iRobot j7 comes with advanced features like “home mapping” and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life much easier (although one of our test bots did “eat” two socks). If you want to take your home maintenance to the next level, look for a robotic mop that comes with an water tank that you fill and empty yourself.
While none of the models we tested could compete with the power of a stand-up vacuum most do an admirable job of cleaning carpets and hard floors. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked in. They can also handle nuts and screws made of metal as well as cats’ litter. The top robot vacuums are able to clean edges and corners and can even work on furniture. For an affordable model that can work by itself and is relatively inexpensive, check out the Eufy 11S.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
With the proper setup with the right setup, a robot vacuum will help you keep your home looking and looking and feeling cleaner on a regular basis with minimal effort. You can schedule cleanings using the app, and create no-go zones so that your robot doesn’t walk on your plants or sit on your favorite chair. Many of our top picks empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking stations.
The most effective robot vacuums are programmable to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a time, thereby making it easier to save time and effort of manually sweeping or mopping your floors every week or every day. This allows you to enjoy more time doing things you like and reduces the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.
In our tests the Q Revo was able to pick up small particles such as baking soda and oatmeal as well as heavier debris such nails and screws made of steel, and fluffy stuff such as hair of pets. It isn’t equipped with the advanced mapping and objects-avoiding features of our top 10 robot vacuums picks, but it is still a great choice for families with children.
The greatest aspect of the j7 Robot Vacuum & Mop is that it uses camera and processor-powered sensors to identify and avoid obstacles like shoes, power cords, socks and pet waste. This means that you don’t need to clean the room prior to running your robot, however messy rooms can mean that your bot may get stuck and not perform as well.