20 Trailblazers Setting The Standard In Good Robot Vacuum

What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A quality robot vacuum that mops and vacuums will assist you in keeping track of pet hair, lint and dust on a regular basis. Many use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times and set virtual boundaries or 'walls' to keep them away from areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vac-mop will create the map of your home with its first run. It then saves the area to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with a self-cleaning brush roll and an large dust bin that is empty automatically.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that can take in big items, such as lamps and toys and also dust particles. This will help ensure they don't get caught by the roller brush and don't end up on your floors. This is especially important for those who have children or pets and you may have to clean the robot regularly.

A model with a powerful engine and lots of suction is also an excellent option. This will help it be more effective in removing pet hair, lint, and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.

Another factor to consider is the size of your home. If you live in an apartment it is possible to choose a model that has multiple cleaning zones so that you can clean your entire house in a single session. Certain models have a mopping feature that can be used to keep floors looking clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums are tough however, they must be maintained in a timely and efficient manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will ensure that your robot is functioning efficiently for many years to come. Many of the owners of robot vacuums who we talk to have been using their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes, and batteries with time).

A basic robot is much less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. You can use them to scrub your floors multiple times per day. They don't have as much technology and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums make use of sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs and some models will automatically return to their base or dock when they run low on power. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to remember your home's layout and therefore spend less time bouncing off walls.

If you don't want to spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that does a great job of removing pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tiles and wood, as well as carpets with low pile. They also do a good job of handling larger objects such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even discarded toys. Some come with an automatic base that drains itself, which is a great feature if you do not want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with innovative features that make a ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned such as zones, schedules, and the ability to control them with an app or voice assistant like Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish robots to access.

Some robotic vacs, such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice, the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from crashing into furniture or tangling cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tested however, it did a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles within my home and rarely got stuck or tangled when I was cleaning my flooring.

The J7+ from iRobot was a great obstacle-avoiding robot, but it did not always do a great job at avoiding crumbs and dirt on my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, leading to dust accumulating in the filters and a less tidy home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robot vacuums come with an app that helps you to customize cleaning settings and schedules, as well as view an outline of the floor vacuum robot area that the machine covers. This is a useful feature, and one that many competitors don't have. This allows you to create profiles that automatically start your robot at certain times and continue to run on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning your living room prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app will allow you to 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.

For a truly hands-free experience, opt for models with a large dust bin that can withstand several cleaning sessions before having to be emptied. You can also find models that are self-emptying which takes a portion of the burden of emptying the robot after each cleaning run.

If you want a robot capable of doing more than just vacuum, you'll want to consider the possibility of a model that can mop floors. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums, and include an internal water tank that holds many cleaning sessions of dirt and small debris prior to needing to be emptied.

The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home. They can even keep track of the layout between cleanings, which helps them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a big difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums, small since it won't be spending time returning to the beginning of the room if it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test participants found that the robots with this feature were very efficient. They could sit and watch TV or do other things while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models utilize laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your home, meaning you can program them to clean only 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 at which the robot cleans your house and select a cleaning mode, it's best to get one that works with a mobile app. In the app, you can examine the status of your vacuum and its dust bin. Some of the best robotic vacuums can be controlled with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is a great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair legs than others. Some have sensors that automatically clean brushes to avoid the clogging.

Some robot vacuums come with navigation tools to assist them in navigating around obstacles and help you understand your home. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to detect obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. Less expensive models might use boundary strips to mark areas you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance is especially important for families with children who have toys and socks scattered throughout the house, as it assists your robot in capturing those items instead of scattering them.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mop heads. This is great for those with hard floors who need to mop frequently. These robots come with a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in when they're ready to mop. They may require refilling frequently, but are ideal for homes with hard floors that can't be cleaned with vacuums.

We've seen some impressive technology in these small robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might expect. In fact, you can find a decent one for less than $200 that does a good job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs off hard floors, while navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. You can program the robot to clean a room regularly and can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.