What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A robot vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair and lint on a daily basis. Many use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times and create virtual boundaries, or ‘walls’ to keep them from areas that you don’t want to be cleaned.
This smart vac-mop creates a map of your home using its first run. It then remembers the space to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically emptys, as well as self-cleaning, self-cleaning brush roll.
Object Detection
When picking a robot vacuum, choose one that can take in big items, such as lamp cords and toys, and also dust particles. This will ensure that they don’t get snarled in the roller brush, and aren’t left behind on your floors. This feature is particularly important when you have children or pets and you may have to clean the robot regularly.
A model with an efficient engine and plenty of suction is an excellent option. This will enable it to be more efficient in removing dust, pet hair and lint off carpets and hardwood flooring.
The size of your home is another important consideration. If you have a large house it is possible to choose a model that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean the entire house in one session. Certain models also include a mopping function, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums are long-lasting, best self Emptying stick vacuum but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your robot working efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we chat with have had the same model for a decade or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries as they went along).
A basic robot will cost you less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, however they’ll still do an excellent job at keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair and dust. You can use them to scrub your floors multiple times per day. They don’t have as much technology and are more prone to get stuck or require manual intervention.
Object Avoidance
The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without getting stuck or falling down the staircase. Some models can return to their dock or base when the battery is low. They also can avoid obstacles such as furniture cords and legs. Some of the more expensive models have mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the layout of your home and spend less time bouncing against walls.
If you don’t want spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you can still find a model that is capable of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tile and wood as well as low-pile carpets. They also do a good job of handling larger objects such as metal screws, rusty staples or discarded toys. Some come with an automatic base that drains itself, which is ideal when you don’t need to empty it after each cleaning session.
Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features that make the look of a stick vacuum old-fashioned. These include schedules, zone-targeting, and the ability to control them through an app or a voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones as well as ‘virtual walls’ to block off areas you do not want the robot to venture.
Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from getting sucked into furniture or getting caught in cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It’s a little more expensive than other bots I’ve tested, but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles within my home and rarely got derailed or trapped when I was working on my flooring.
The iRobot J7+ was an excellent obstacle avoidance robot however, it didn’t always do a great job at avoiding crumbs and dirt on my rugs. 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 best self emptying stick vacuum robot vacuums have an app that can help you set up cleaning modes, set schedules and see a map of your flooring area that the machine covers. This is an extremely useful feature that some competitors don’t have. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at specific time intervals and run it on regularly, for example, cleaning the living room before dinner or on a regular basis.
A good app will 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 using voice commands.
Find a model that has an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to perform many cleaning sessions without needing empty it. There are models that self-empty which takes a portion of the labor out of emptying the machine after each run of vacuuming.
If you’re looking for a machine that can do more than just vacuum, you’ll want to consider the possibility of a model that can mop your 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 having to be emptied.
The most advanced robots create their own maps of your house and can even remember the arrangement from one cleaning to the next which can help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a significant difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums, as it won’t have to spend time returning to the beginning of the room if it comes across walls or furniture.
Our testers who used a robot with this feature discovered it to be extremely efficient, and could easily watch TV or complete other chores while the robot cleaned. Some of these models utilize laser navigation and can create an exact map of your entire home, which means that you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or every room in the house while you’re at work.
App Control
It is recommended to select one that comes with a mobile application for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and select a cleaning mode. You can also check the status of the vacuum as well as the state of its dust bin using the app. The best self emptying robot vacuum robotic vacuums can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, particularly if you can easily access the filter and take it off it to wash it. A high-powered brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards to remove hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others have an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to prevent obstruction.
Some robot vacuums have navigation tools that allow them to learn your home and navigate around obstacles. High-end models have sensors and cameras that detect obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords, while cheaper models often use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark off areas you don’t want it to leave. Avoidance of objects is particularly useful for families with children who scatter socks and toys around the home. This allows your robot to gather these items instead of scattering.
We’re seeing more robots that have mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and need to regularly clean them. They have a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in when they’re ready to mop. They might need to be filled more frequently than other types of robots, however they’re perfect for homes with hard floors that can’t be easily cleaned with a vacuum.
These robots come with some amazing technology, and they are priced significantly less than you’d think. You can get a good one for under $200. It can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rugs. It is possible to schedule the robot to clean a room every day, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.