5 Laws That'll Help The Good Robot Vacuum Industry
What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A good robotic vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many robot vacuums work with apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries, or walls, to ensure that the vacuum is kept away from areas that you don't want cleaned.
This smart vacuum and mop creates a map of your home with its first trip, and then it will remember your space for future jobs. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.
Object Detection
When picking a robot vacuum, choose one that can take in large objects, such as lamps and toys as well as dust particles. This will ensure that they don't get stuck in the roller brushes or end up on your floor. This feature is especially crucial if the robot will be regularly cleaned by pets or children.
A model that has an engine that is powerful and lots of suction is also a good option. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, dust and lint from your hardwood and carpet floors.
The size of your house is another important consideration. If you live in a large house it is possible to select models that have multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean your entire house in one session. Certain models also include a mopping function that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums are tough however, they must be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying the dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your robot running smoothly for a long time. Many of the robot vacuum owners who we talk to have owned their machines for ten years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries along with time).
A basic robot is much less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They will still perform a great job of cleaning the surface of dirt, pet fur and lint. They're a great maintenance cleaner that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floor free of dirt. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more susceptible to getting jammed or needing manual 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. Some models can return to their dock or base when the battery is low. They can also stay clear of obstacles like furniture cords and legs. The ones that are more expensive usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to learn the design of your home and lessen the time you spend bumping into walls.
If you don't want spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can still locate a model that is capable of removing pet hair dirt, dust, and crumbs from hard floors like tile and wood as well as low-pile carpets. They can also handle bigger debris like metal screws, rusty nails or even toys that have been discarded. Some have a base that automatically empties itself, which is great when you don't need to empty it every cleaning session.
Some robotic vacuums have smart features, which make the standard stick vacuum look outdated. They include scheduling, zone-targeting and the ability to control them using an app or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones as well as 'virtual walls to block off areas where you do not want the robots to go.
Some robotic vacs such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice, the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from crashing into furniture or tangling with cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology which uses cameras, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects like lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tested but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles around my home and rarely got derailed or trapped when I was working on my floors.
While the iRobot's j7+ was a good obstacle avoidance robot however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of avoiding dirt and crumbs off my carpets. It also tended to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in an abundance of dust in the filter, and a less clean house.
Smart Mapping
Some of the best robot vacuums come with an app that lets you set up cleaning modes, set schedules and see the floor area that the machine covers. This is a useful feature, and one that many competitors don't have. It allows you to create profiles which will automatically start the robot at specific times and run it regularly. For example, cleaning the living area every day, or just before dinner.
A good app will allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Some models support Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start with a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without having to use the app.
To have a hands-free experience, choose a model with a large dust bin that can accommodate numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. There are models that are self-emptying that take some of the labor out of emptying the machine after each cleaning run.
If you're looking for a machine that is more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into the possibility of a model that can mop floors. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums and have a water tank inside that can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and other debris prior to needing to be cleaned.
Robots that are more sophisticated can create their own maps, and can remember the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a significant difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum since it won't have to return to where it started when it comes across furniture or walls.
Our test subjects found that robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch television or perform other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some of these models utilize laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your entire house, which means you can program them to clean just the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house when you're at work.
App Control
It is best to select a robot that has an app for mobile devices if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose cleaning mode. Through the app, you can examine the status of your vacuum and its dust bin. Some of the best robot vacuums can even be operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters is simple to keep clean, particularly if you can easily access the filter and then remove it to wash it. Another excellent feature is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove dirt and hair. Certain robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some also have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the blockage of brushes that could occur in other machines.
Certain robo-vacs utilize navigation tools that help them discover your home and overcome obstacles. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to identify obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords. good robot vacuum could use boundaries to mark areas that you don't wish it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially beneficial for families with children who scatter socks and toys around the home. This helps your robot collect these items, instead of scattering them.
We're starting to see more robots that have mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to mop them regularly. These robots have a water reservoir that is built into their chassis or as a separate piece you can swap in when ready to mop. These robots may require frequent refills, but are ideal for homes that have hard floors that can't be cleaned easily with a vacuum.
These robots come with some amazing technology, and they are priced a lot less than you'd think. In fact, you can get a good one for under $200 that does a decent job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area rugs. The robot can be programmed to clean a particular room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.