The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum will take care of most of the cleaning work for you. It will take pet hair, lint, and dirt from surfaces and furniture before they can become stuck. Some also integrate with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer an unrestricted experience.
Many models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to create a map of your home. This helps them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around clusters of devices if cords are.
What to Do You Look For?
Some robots come with advanced features that allow you to control them through the app and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning and object avoidance are some of the features. These machines may also have larger dust bins as well as longer-lasting batteries.
Select a model with broad brushes that can sweep up large debris, and is small enough to fit under furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum can be used on multiple flooring types without the need to swap brushes or alter suction settings, which can make it less effective in cleaning and shorten its life.
The most effective robot vacuums feature top-quality filters that catch small particles to guard the interior of your house and an ample, accessible collection bin that allows you to clear it frequently. Some have an extra side brush that can be used to sweep up pet hair and debris in difficult-to-access areas under and behind furniture. The bins are typically transparent, allowing you to see the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.
You can also make use of the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms that you don't want it to enter. Some models are also able to detect the type of flooring and adjust their vacuum and brush settings accordingly.
There are robots that recharge and continue cleaning where they left off when their battery is exhausted. Some also have a built-in camera that lets you see your robot vacuum's route and even see what it's collected.
Some robots also allow you to control them with your voice, however not all of them do it as effortlessly as other models. Check that the model you pick is compatible with the voice assistant you prefer and then test it to see how well the robot responds to various commands before you purchase. Some robots are able to automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations, making your chore list a little bit. This feature is expensive, as are a larger container for collecting waste and a more rapid charging speeds.
Cleaning Performance
While robots aren't able to substitute for a full-on vacuum cleaner or broom, they provide an effective and efficient alternative to the routine of cleaning floors. The best robotic cleaners can clean up small particles such as dust, pet hair and crumbs, or bigger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without damaging the flooring or furniture.
They will often register the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush features according to the type of floor you have. vacuum mop combo allows them to clean it more thoroughly. This is especially important if your home is made up of various types of flooring. Many models offer the option of setting up virtual boundaries. This lets you tell your robot to stay clear of certain areas of your house. This can help keep your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire house is cleaned during each scheduled time.
Consider how much autonomy your robot will enjoy. Certain models require your attention and presence while others work on their own with the capability to change cleaning modes and schedules via a mobile app or voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Some models map and learn your home's layout and let you set up zones, and instruct the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot j7+ proved to be the best robot for "set it and forget it". It was superior in mapping the virtual boundaries and eliminating obstacles than any of the other robots we test. It can also completely empty itself so that you don't have to do it manually. It also has side brushes that can help sweep debris into its path from corners and edges where a vacuum may not reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors also allow it to get behind and under furniture to provide a deeper clean than most robots, and its advanced navigation system allows it to be more capable of cleaning the entire area of your home in a single charge as compared to other devices we've tested. It's difficult to beat, especially at a reasonable price.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel like less of a chore and more like an indulgence. Quickly removing dirt, crumbs and shed pet hair can make a huge difference in the cleanliness of your home on a regular basis. A basic robot is able to handle most cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a less hands-on experience might want to look for a model that can be used as a mop.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one the best models for both, as it delivers excellent performance in both its mop and vacuuming modes and is able to easily deal with dirt and pet hair, as well as debris and even cat litter. Its feature for avoiding objects is awe-inspiring, allowing it to avoid objects and not become stuck on them.
It also has a long battery lifespan and a large bin for dust, making it able to cover a considerable amount of space in one session. It's also a smart vacuum, which means that it can track your home, and works with apps such as those offered by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to let you control the vacuum with voice commands.
The application that comes with the robot is simple and straightforward to use, allowing you to set schedules, assign rooms for cleaning, or stop and resume sessions. It will also notify you the moment its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.
Another nice feature of this robot is the ability to distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly, which helps keep the machine from getting bogged down in one type of surface or damaging furniture. It's not able detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, which is why it's important to be careful 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. Cameras and sensors should be cleaned after each use. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these steps as well as others, which can vary depending on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums aren't inexpensive, but they're less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or an all-in-one stand-up vac. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums as most only require that you empty and rinse their dust bins following each cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums come with smart features that make them more efficient in your home. For example mapping technology lets you instruct the vacuum on where to go via an app, which means it doesn't run into the stairs, or under furniture, where there might be a mess. Others can identify what floor type they're working on, allowing them to alter their suction or brush features to get the most effective results.
Some models have object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even cameras) to spot toys and other items on the floor and instruct the robot to walk around them instead of running into them. This can be a huge help if you have kids or pets who scatter toys around the house.
Another smart feature that might be important to you is voice control, which lets you operate the robot using your voice instead of using the buttons on the board. This is a great option when you have children who aren't quite old enough to operate the controls, or if you just want a hands-free option.
How often you have to use your robot depends on how much dirt and debris is normally found on your floors. Most experts recommend using a robotic vacuum several times a week to keep your floors looking good and to remove pet hair, dust and dirt from the surface before it can get trapped or become difficult to remove.
If you're working with limited areas of floor space and don't want to use your robot for other tasks, a budget model such as our top pick the Eufy 11S, is a great option. It's inexpensive, simple to install and operate and gets the job done with minimal noise disturbance while you watch TV or work.