How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you can live without advanced features such as mapping, and aren’t worried about emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose one with a clean base and is compatible with voice assistants.
It is the best value robot Vacuum and mop robo-vacuum we have tested in picking up dirt and pet hair from tiles, hardwood floors, and low-pile carpeting. It can also map out and set virtual no-go zones for rooms or certain areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum cleaner can help you keep up with the pet fur, dust and dander that collects on your floors every day. It can also cut down on the frequency at which you have to do a deeper clean, saving your time and effort. The most effective models have powerful suction that can clean up most mess and leave your home sparkling clean.
Selecting a vacuum that can also mop will help you cover more ground with one machine, which could be especially helpful for homes with a large area. There are models with a water tank either integrated into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can swap out after vacuuming. It will have to be filled and empty, so it’s an extra task.
In a perfect world, you would clear your floors before you use your robot vacuum to stop it from hitting anything. However, in the majority of homes, this isn’t possible or desirable. The majority of models let you utilize an app on your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot will observe. Some models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don’t want the robot to access. For instance the child’s room or a pile of cords in a corner.
If you’re looking for a basic robot vacuum that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, this model made by networking company TP-Link is a good choice. It’s quiet, works well on both hard floors and low-pile rugs and can be scheduled via the app to vacuum or mop at your convenience. It comes with a battery life of up to 180 minutes.
2. Simple to operate
Robot vacuums generally require only minimal effort from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to move around obstacles and remove food particles, dust and pet hair from floors, tile carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. Many models come with boundaries strips that help them remain in a room. Higher-end models can be programmed to get up at a particular time and begin cleaning. Certain models come with fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down stairs or becoming tangled in cords.
If you’re looking to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of your couch, you should look for models that work with voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also search for models with Wi-Fi connectivity that allow you to start cleaning from any location using an app. You might want to choose a model that has an extremely long-lasting battery as well as a large dust bin, depending on the size of your house.
Some robot vacuums can double as mops, utilizing water reservoirs to clean your floor. This is great for mopping, but not great for tough messes like pet poop and other spills. There are hybrids that have a removable microfiber pad for mopping, or opt for an auto-emptying model that lets you go for Best robot Vacuum For thick carpet 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Certain robots employ advanced mapping technologies to build a detailed map of your floorplan while they clean, making it easier for them to avoid crashing into furniture or tripping over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on the top models, but it allows your robot to get a complete understanding of the layout of your home and to know where it should go when the battery is out.
If you don’t want your robot navigating into areas of your home that you’d rather it stay away from (like your kids’ toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide some way to create virtual barriers, either via their apps or physical boundary strips. This lets you create zones that you do not want your robot to venture into, so it can concentrate its attention on areas and rooms that require the most cleaning.
Many robots can also automatically navigate to different floors based on the type of floor they’re cleaning, whether that’s changing between hard and carpet or focusing on specific areas of your home, like baseboards and corners. In our tests, this was a useful feature that improved their scores on picking up carpeting that is low-pile and hardwood. It is essential to put away any furniture or cords that are loose before using your robot vacuum, so that it doesn’t become caught.
4. Remote Control
Almost all robot vacuums are WiFi-connected and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which enable you to control them via voice commands or through your smartphone. Many robot vacuums connect to smart home systems and can create an outline of the area they clean after each session. This allows them to “learn” how your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes for future cleaning sessions. Some come with obstacles avoidance built-in, which prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.
Most robots come with a remote you can use to pilot them around your home. However, many can be controlled with a mobile app, which gives you more options. You can typically set up multiple cleaning schedules, make a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas using directional arrows on the screen.
Some models provide no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can set up in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like kids’ toys or dog bowls and beds). Other apps let you set up an outline of your home and provide the robot with detailed information about your floors. The app on our top choice one, the Roborock S7+, has many useful options to help you tidy your house, but its interface isn’t as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robot vacuums that clean your entire house without stopping to recharge or emptying their trash bins save time and effort. Some work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also make an outline of the space for you to program them for specific areas or rooms and to stay clear of obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums come with some degree of detection of objects and object detection, but more expensive models like the iRobot j7 come with advanced features like “home mapping” and advanced obstacle avoidance that can really simplify your life (although our test bot did once “eat” a pair of socks). If you’re looking to push your home maintenance even further opt for a robotic mop that comes with a tank of water that you fill and empty yourself.
While none of the models we tested beat the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, the majority of them do an excellent job at cleaning carpets with low pile and hard floors. They excel at sweeping up food crumbs, and dirt that has been tracked into. They are also able to tackle pet litter that is stray and metal screws and vacuum that vacuums and mops nuts. The most effective robot vacuums can clean edges and corners and can work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
A robot vacuum can keep your home clean and tidy without having to do lots of work. It is possible to schedule cleanings with the app, and create no-go zones so that your robot doesn’t get in the way of your plants or sit on your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks empty their dustbins and clean their docking station.
The best robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for months or even weeks at a time, removing you from the tedious chore of manually mopping and sweeping your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you spend more time doing things you enjoy, and decreases the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.
In the course of testing, the Q Revo was able to capture tiny particles such as oatmeal and baking soda, heavier debris such as nails and screws made of metal and even fluffy matter such as hair of pets. It does not have the advanced mapping and objects-avoiding features of our top picks, but is still a great option for most families.
The best thing about the j7 is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles such as power cords as well as socks and shoes as well as pet waste. This means that you don’t have to tidy up before using your robot. However, rooms that are cluttered can cause your robot to become stuck and perform an inadequate job.