What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A quality robot vacuum will keep you on top of pet hair, lint and dust on a daily basis. Many of them use apps to allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them out of areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vacuum and mop creates a home map after its first run, memorizing your space for future use. It comes with 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 that are fine. This will ensure that they do not get stuck in the roller brushes or strewn across your floor. This feature is particularly important if you have pets or children, and need to clean the robot regularly.

It's recommended to choose a model with a powerful motor and plenty of suction power. This will help it to be more efficient in removing dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets and hardwood flooring.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you live in a big home, you might choose one with multiple cleaning zones that cover your entire house in one go. Some models also come with mopping capabilities, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will keep your machine functioning efficiently for many years to be. Many robot vacuum owners we have spoken to have owned their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries with time).

A basic robot is less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They'll still perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces as well as pet fur and lint. You can use them to sweep your floors several times per day. However, they don't have as smart technology, and can be prone to getting stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, lasers or cameras to guide them around your home without falling off or getting stuck on the stairs. Some models can return to their base or dock when their batteries are low. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords. The most expensive models usually come with mapping capabilities that permit them to remember the arrangement of your home, and spend less time running into walls.

There is no need to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a fantastic job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as tile, wood and low-pile rug. They also can handle bigger debris like metal screws, rusty nails or discarded toys. Some come with an auto-emptying base which is helpful if you don't want to empty the trash bin after every clean-up.

The majority of robotic vacuums have advanced features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned with features like scheduling, zone targeting, and the capability to control them using an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want robots to access.

Certain robotic vacuums like the Eufy 11S and my former top choice Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from getting sucked into furniture or getting caught in cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes sensors powered by processors to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots that I've tried, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or tripped when I'm working on my floor.

The iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle-avoiding robot, but it did not always do a great job at avoiding dirt or crumbs on my carpets. It also was known to over-vacuum specific areas, which resulted in dust accumulation in the filters, and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums have an app that lets you alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is a great feature that many competitors don't have. This lets you create profiles which will automatically start the robot at specified times and run it regularly. For instance, you could clean the living room each morning or prior to dinner.

A good app can also 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.

Look for models with a large dustbin. This will allow you to perform numerous cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that self-empty, eliminating the requirement to empty the robot after each vacuuming session.

If you want a robot capable of doing more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at 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 generate their own maps of your home and can even remember the layout from one cleaning to another which can help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to return to where it was when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our testers found that robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch TV or do other tasks while the robot cleaned. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create the map of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms while you're working.

App Control

It is recommended to select a robot that has an app for mobile devices if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose the cleaning mode. In the app, you can check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. The best robot vacuum and mop for luxury vinyl plank floors robotic vacuums can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot equipped with a washable filter and a self-emptying container, especially when the filter is easily removed and rinsed. A high-powered brush is another excellent feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the blockage of brushes that could occur in other robots.

Certain robo-vacs utilize navigation tools that help them learn your home and get around obstacles. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to identify obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. Less expensive models might use boundary strips to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys all over the house. This can help your robot to collect these items instead of scattering.

We're starting 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 can be swapped in when ready to mop. These robots may require frequent refills however, they are perfect for homes that have hard floors and can't be cleaned with a vacuum.

These robots are loaded with some impressive technology, and cost significantly less than you would expect. You can find a quality one for less than $200, and it does a decent job cleaning on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and area rugs. The robot can be programmed to vacuum specific rooms on a regular basis. It can be controlled remotely through an app or by pressing buttons.