12 Companies Leading The Way In Good Robot Vacuum
What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A good robot vacuum can help you stay on top 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 vacuum and mop creates a home map after its first trip, and then it will remember your home's layout for future tasks. It has self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.
Object Detection
When picking a robot vacuum, look for one that is able to pick up big items, such as toys and lamp cords, as well as dust particles. This will ensure that the items don't get stuck in the roller brushes or strewn across your floor. This feature is especially crucial if your robot is going to be regularly cleaned by pets or children.
It's an excellent idea to select a model that has a powerful motor and plenty of suction power. This will help it be more effective in removing pet hair, lint and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.
The size of your house is a different factor to consider. If you have a huge house, you may choose one with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in a single session. Certain models have mopping features that can be used to keep floors fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums are durable but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust container and wiping down the sensors regularly will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many long time to come. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we chat with have owned the same machine for a period of 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries in the process).
A basic robot is much less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They will still be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning dirt from surfaces pet fur, lint and other debris. You can use them to sweep your floors multiple times per day. The downside is they don't come with as smart technology, and can be susceptible to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.
Object Avoidance
The best robot vacs use sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They also can stay clear of obstacles such as furniture legs and cords, and some models will automatically return to their dock or base when they are running low on power. The ones that are more expensive usually feature mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the arrangement of your home, and spend less time bumping into walls.
If you're not looking to spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you can find one that does an excellent job of removing pet hair, dirt, dust and dust from floors made of wood and tile and carpets with a low pile. They also can handle larger debris such as metal screws, rusty nails or even toys that have been discarded. Some come with an auto-emptying base, which is useful in the event that you don't wish to empty the dustbin after every clean-up.
Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned with features like scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't wish robots to access.
Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former top pick, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will keep them from tripping over furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses sensors, cameras and smarts to avoid items such as lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tested however, it did a great job of avoiding obstacles in my home and rarely got stuck or derailment when I was cleaning my floors.
The J7+ from iRobot was a great obstacle-avoiding robot, but it did not always do a good job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas which resulted in dust accumulation in the filters, and a less tidy house.
Smart Mapping
A few of the top robot vacuums come with an app that lets you set up cleaning modes, set schedules and see a map of your floor area that the machine covers. This is a very useful feature that many competitors do not have. This lets you create profiles that automatically start the robot at specified times and run it regularly. For instance, you could clean the living room every day, or just before dinner.
A good app will allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without having to use the app.
To have a hands-free experience, choose models with a large dust bin that can accommodate many cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are also models that are self-emptying that take some of the burden 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 a model that can mop your floors. These are usually bigger than robotic vacuums and have a water tank in the interior that holds many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to needing to be cleaned.
The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home. They can even remember the layout from one cleaning to another and help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to return to where it was when it comes across walls or furniture.
Our test subjects who tested the robot that has this capability found it to be extremely efficient, and could easily watch TV or complete other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some models use laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or in all rooms while you are at work.
App Control
If you're looking to change the frequency at which the robot cleans your house and select a cleaning option, it's best to get one that has an app that can be downloaded on mobile. Through the app, you can check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the top robot vacuums can even be controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot that has a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, especially if you can easily access the filter and take it off it to wash it. Another feature that is great is a high-powered brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to clean up dirt and hair. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others have a sensor that automatically cleans brushes to prevent obstruction.
Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to aid them in navigating obstacles and help you understand your home. High-end models have sensors and cameras that recognize obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, whereas cheaper models may use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas you don't want it to go. cleaning robot mop and vacuum of objects is particularly important for families with young children who throw socks and toys scattered across the house, as it assists your robot in capturing the items instead of scattering them.
We're starting to see more robots equipped with mops which are useful for those who have hard floors and need to mop them regularly. They come with water tanks built into the chassis or an additional piece that you can put in when it's time to mop. These robots might need to be refilled frequently however, they are perfect for homes with hard floors and can't be cleaned with a vacuum.
We've seen some amazing technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might expect. You can find a decent one for less than $200, and it does a decent job cleaning on hard floors while navigating around the edges of carpets and area rugs. The robot can be programmed to clean a particular room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.