The Best Robot Vacuums
A quality robot vacuum does most of the work and removes pet hair, lint and dirt before it adheres to furniture or sink into carpets. They also have smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer an unrestricted experience.
Many models include the ability to map, which allows them to create maps of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around cords that connect devices.
What to Look For
Some robots come with advanced features that allow you to control them via apps and voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. These include smart mapping as well as spot and zone cleaning, and object avoidance. These machines might also have larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Select a model with broad brushes that can clean up large debris and is small enough to be able to fit under furniture. Find out if the vacuum is able to clean various kinds of floors without having to change suction settings or brushes. This can reduce its cleaning efficiency and shorten its lifespan.
The best robot vacuums have high-quality filters that sift out small particles to guard the interior of your home and a large, accessible collection bin that you can empty it frequently. Some robot vacuums come with an extra side brush to remove pet hair or other debris in difficult-to-access places, such as under and behind furniture. The bins are typically transparent, so you can see the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum to operate at times when you're likely to be at home, you can use the app to draw a boundary around your furniture and areas that you want it to avoid. Some models also recognize the kind of floor they're cleaning, and automatically adjust their brush and suction settings to match.
There are also robots that will recharge and resume cleaning exactly where they left off when their batteries are running low. And some have a built-in camera that allows you to observe the path of your robot vacuum and even see what it's collected.
Certain robots can be controlled by voice commands but not all. Make sure the model you choose is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice, and test how well it responds to different commands during the buying process. Some robots will even empty their trash bins or clean their docking stations which can reduce the chore list. But this feature comes at an expense, as does an extra bin for collection and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
Robots aren't a substitute for a vacuum or broom. However, they can be incredibly efficient and effective in keeping your floors clean. The best robotic cleaners can remove small particles such as dust, pet hair and crumbs, as well as larger items such as metal shavings or wood shavings. They do this without causing damage to the floor or furniture.
In most cases, they'll be able to detect what type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features accordingly so that they can more thoroughly clean your floors. This is particularly important when you have a variety of flooring across your home. There are many models that offer many options to set up virtual boundaries, which allows you to instruct the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This is useful in keeping your pets or children from entering areas they shouldn't be in, and also helps ensure that your entire house gets cleaned in every scheduled session.
You should also think about how much autonomy you're willing to give your robot. Some models require your presence and attention while others operate on their own with the capability to alter cleaning schedules and cleaning modes via a mobile app or voice commands through an integrated smart assistant. Some models can map and understand your home and allow you to set up zones and tell the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our testing the iRobot J7+ was the best "set it and forget it" robot. It excelled at mapping, creating virtual boundaries and eliminating obstacles better than the other robots we tested. Plus, it can completely empty itself so you don't have to do that manually and has side brushes that help sweep debris into its path from corners and edges where the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor allow it to clean behind and under furniture which allows it to perform better than most robots. And its advanced navigation system lets it to clean the entire floor of your home with just one battery charge. For a price that is affordable you'll find it hard to beat for everyday use.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less of a chore, and more like a treat. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs and shedding pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home is on a regular basis. A basic robot is able to handle most cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a less hands-on experience may wish to search for a model that can be used as a mop.
Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI offers excellent performance in both vacuuming and mopping modes. It can handle pet hair, dirt and even cat litter. Its feature for avoiding objects is particularly impressive, allowing it to avoid objects and not become stuck on them.
It comes with a huge dustbin as well as a long-lasting battery, so it can cover a significant amount of space in a single session. It's also a smart vacuum, which means that it can track your home, and is compatible with apps like those provided by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to let you control the vacuum with voice commands.
The application that comes with the robot is easy and easy to use it allows you to create schedules, assign rooms for cleaning, or pause and resume sessions. It will even warn you when its battery is running low and return to its docking station to recharge.
The robot can also differentiate between carpets and hard floors and adjust its settings according to the type of floor. This helps to prevent the machine from becoming stuck on one type of floor and accidentally tearing your furniture. It's not able detect seams or carpeting with high pile in rooms, therefore it is crucial to be aware when picking up large objects.
To keep robot vacuums in good working order they require regular maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair, and emptying the dust bin (and sometimes washing it) after each cleaning session. Sensors and cameras should also be cleaned between uses. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these steps as well as other steps, which may differ depending on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums might not be cheap, but they are considerably less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or even a stand-up one. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums as most only require that you empty and sometimes rinse their dust bins following every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums have intelligent features that help them be more effective in your home, for instance mapping technology, which allows you to guide the vacuum on the layout of your space via an app so that it doesn't run over the stairs or underneath the furniture, where there could be a mess. Other robot vacuums are able to detect the kind of floor they are cleaning, so they can alter their suction and brush features to achieve the most effective results.
Certain models come with objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even a camera) to detect toys and other items on the floor and instruct the robot to walk around them, rather than running through them. This is a great option if your children or pets are prone to leaving toys all over the home.
Voice control is another smart feature that you could consider useful. It lets you operate your robot with your voice, rather than the buttons on the board. This can be helpful for children who aren't yet old enough to use the controls or if you are looking for a hands-free option.
How often you should use your robot will be contingent on the amount of dirt or debris is on your floor. The majority of experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least once per week to keep your floors spotless and remove pet hair, lint, and dirt on the surface.
If you're only working with the space for a floor space and don't plan to utilize the robot for any other purpose such as cleaning, then a budget model, like our top pick Eufy robots that vacuum and mop 11S is a great choice. It's inexpensive, simple to install and operate, and does the job without causing any noise disruption while you work or watch TV.