How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you can live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose a model with clean and tidy base that is compatible with voice assistants.
It is the best robo-vacuum we have tested at picking up dirt and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpeting with low pile. It also maps and create virtual no-go zones in rooms or areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum will stay on top of the dust, pet hair and dander that collects on your floors on a day-to-day basis. It can also cut down on the frequency you have to deep clean, saving you time and effort. The best models have powerful suction that can clean up most mess with ease and leave your house cleaner.
You can cover a larger area with a robot vacuum and mop, which is particularly beneficial if you live in a large home. Choose models that have an water reservoir in the chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in when vacuuming is complete. It will have to be emptied and refilled and refilled, which is an additional task to complete.
In ideal world, you'd clear your floors prior to using your robot vac to keep it from hitting things. But in most homes, this isn't possible or desirable. Most models allow you to utilize an app on your smartphone to create virtual barriers the robot can observe. Certain models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don't want the robot to access. For example the child's room or a pile of cords in the corner.
This model is a good option if you're looking for a simple robot cleaner without all the bells and whistles. It's quiet and works well on hard floors as well as low-pile rugs and can be scheduled via the app to mop or vacuum at any time. It has a good battery life that can last for up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.
2. Easy 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 maneuver around obstacles and remove food particles, dust and pet hair from hard floors, tiles carpets, and hardwood. Many have boundary strips to allow them to stay within a room's walls, while more expensive models can be programmed to automatically wake up and begin cleaning at a set time. Some models even have fall detection technology that prevents falling down stairs or becoming caught in electrical cords.
Look for models that you can control from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also pick Wi-Fi models that allow users to start a cleaning session anywhere using an app. Depending on the size of your home is, you may want a model with a long-lasting battery and a spacious dust bin that doesn't have to be emptying frequently.
Certain robot vacuums are also mops. They make use of water reservoirs to wash the floor. This is useful for normal mopping, but it won't work for tough messes like pet poop or other wet spills. You can select hybrids with an adjustable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying option that allows you to go for up to 60 days before emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Some robots use advanced mapping technology to create a precise map of your floorplan as they clean, making it easier for them to avoid crashing into furniture or falling over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on the top models, but it lets your robot have a thorough understanding of the layout of your home and to know where it should go when the battery runs out.
Most robots let you create virtual barriers. This can be done through an application or even physical boundary strips. You can block off areas you don't wish your robot to access to allow it to focus on the rooms that need the most attention.
Many robots also automatically switch floors based on the kind of flooring they are cleaning. This can be achieved by changing from carpet to hard flooring or by focusing on specific areas of your house like corners and baseboards. In narwal robot vacuum was a great feature that helped improve their performance in picking up hardwood and low-pile carpeting. It's important to tuck away any loose cords or furniture before using your robot vacuum so that it doesn't become caught.
4. Remote Control
Most robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many connect to smart home systems and create an outline of your space after each cleaning session, so they can "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future trips. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance that stops them from bumping into furniture and causing damage or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose shoes, laces for shoes and hair from pets.
Most robots come with a remote you can use to control them around your home. The majority of robots can be controlled by a mobile app, which offers more features. You can set up a variety of cleaning schedules, and create an agenda of your most-loved rooms. You can also manually direct the robot with direction arrows.
Some models have no-go zones. These are virtual barriers can be created within the app to block the robot from accessing certain areas (like toys for kids or dishes and dog beds). Certain apps let you draw an outline of your home and provide detailed information about the floors. The app that we recommend as our top pick one, the Roborock S7+, has a lot of useful options to help you clean your home, however its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robot vacs that can work a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their dust bins can save you time and energy. Certain robot vacuums can work with smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to enable hands-free operation. They can also create an image of your home, allowing you to program them to clean specific areas or rooms and beware of obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, but the iRobot j7 offers advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can simplify your life (although one of our test robots did "eat" two socks). If you're looking to take your home maintenance even further consider a robot mop with a tank of water that can be filled and then empty.
While none of the models we tested could compete with the dirt-picking power of a standup vacuum, they were able to do a fantastic job cleaning hard floors and carpets with a low pile. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs, and dirt that has been tracked in. They are also able to handle nuts and screws made of metal as well as stray cat litter. The best robot vacs can effortlessly work through furniture, and they excel at cleaning corners and edges as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively affordable and basic model.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
With the right configuration with the right setup, a robot vacuum will aid in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh regularly, with minimal effort. You can schedule cleanings through the app, and you can create no-go zones so that the robot won't step on your plants or sit on your favorite chair. The majority of our top picks automatically empty their bins and clean their docking stations for you.
The top robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a time, removing you from the time-consuming task of manually mopping and sweeping your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you have more time to do the things you like and reduces the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.
In the course of testing the Q Revo was able to pick up tiny particles such as baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like nails and screws made of metal and even fluffy matter such as hair of pets. It doesn't have the smart mapping and object avoidance features of our top picks, but it's adequate for the majority of families.
The greatest feature of the j7 is that it makes use of cameras and processor-powered sensors to identify and avoid obstacles such as shoes, power cords, socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to tidy up before using your robot. However, messy rooms may cause your bot to become stuck and perform an inadequate job.