The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum can do most of the cleaning work for you. It will take pet hair, lint and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they become stuck. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free clean experience.
Many models include the ability to map, which allows them to draw a map of your home. This can help them avoid falling off ledges or moving around clusters if device cords.
What to Look for
Certain robots come with advanced features, allowing you to control them using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning and object avoidance are some of the features. These machines may also have larger dust bins as well as longer-lasting batteries.
Look for a model with an extended brush that can sweep large particles and one that is slim enough to fit under furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum can be used on multiple flooring types without having to swap out brushes or alter suction settings, which can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and decrease its lifespan.
The best robot vacuums are equipped with high-quality filters that trap fine particles and protect your home from damage. They also come with a large easy-to-access collection bin so you can empty it often. Some robot vacuums have an extra side brush to remove pet hair or debris in difficult-to-access places like under and behind furniture. The bins are typically transparent, so you can see the amount of dirt in the bin and when you should empty it.
You can also use the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms you do not want it to enter. Some models are also able to detect the type of floor and alter their brush and vacuum settings accordingly.
There are also robots that recharge and continue cleaning right where they left off if their battery runs low. There are some that have an inbuilt camera that lets you track the route of your robot vacuum and even see what it's collecting.
Some robots also allow you to control them with your voice, though not all do so as easily as others. Make sure the model you choose is compatible with your voice assistant of choice, and test out the way it responds to different commands during the buying process. Some robots can even empty their dustbins or clean their docking station, which will help you reduce your chore list. But this feature comes with cost, as do an extra bin for collection and a faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
Robots aren't the same as for a vacuum or broom. However, they can be incredibly efficient and effective in keeping your floors tidy. The most effective robotic cleaners remove small particles such as dust, pet hair, and crumbs, or bigger objects like metal shavings and wood shavings. They do this without causing damage to the flooring or furniture.
In most cases, they'll be able to detect the type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features accordingly so that they can more thoroughly clean your floors. This is particularly important if you have a variety of flooring in your home. A lot of models come with many options to set up virtual boundaries, which allows you to instruct the robot to stay clear from certain areas of your home. This helps to keep your pets and children from getting in areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire house is cleaned at the end of each scheduled time.
Consider the amount of autonomy your robot will enjoy. Some models require you to be active and attentive, while others work on their own. They can alter cleaning methods and schedules using an app on mobile devices or by voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and understand your home's layout and let you set up zones, and instruct the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our tests, the iRobot j7+ was the top "set it and forget it" robot. It was the best in mapping, forming virtual boundaries and avoiding obstacles better than all the other robots we tested. Additionally, it can completely empty itself so you don't need to do that manually and has side brushes that help to sweep debris out of corners and edges where the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor enable it to clean under and behind furniture which allows it to perform better than other robots. Furthermore, its advanced navigation system allows it to clean the entire floor of your home with just one battery charge. It's a tough one to beat even at a reasonable price.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel like less of a chore and more like a treat. Promptly nabbing tracked-in dirt, crumbs, and shed pet hair can make all the difference in the cleanliness of your home every day. A basic robot can handle the majority of cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a more relaxed experience may wish to search for a model that doubles as an mops.
Ecovacs' Deebot T10 OMNI provides excellent performance in both vacuuming and mopping modes. It is able to handle dirt, pet hair, and even cat litter. Its feature for avoiding objects is awe-inspiring, allowing it to avoid objects and avoid getting stuck on them.
It has a big dustbin as well as an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a significant amount of space in a single session. It is also a smart vacuum, which means it can create maps of your home and integrate with apps, such as those provided by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to let you control it using voice commands.
Robot Vacuum Mops that comes with the robot is easy and straightforward to use, allowing you to set schedules, designate rooms for cleaning, or to pause and resume your sessions. It will notify you when its battery is depleted and then return to the docking station to recharge.
Another great feature of this robot is the ability to distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly. This prevents the machine from getting bogged down in one type of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. However, it isn't yet able to discern high pile carpeting or the seams of rooms, so you'll have to be cautious when picking up large objects.
All robot vacuums require a degree of maintenance, such as brush hair removal and emptying (and sometimes, rinsing) the bin of dust after each cleaning session, and wiping down cameras or sensors between uses to keep them in good condition. The manufacturer will provide specific guidelines for these and other maintenance procedures that may differ based on the model.
Cost
The best robot vacuums aren't cheap, but they're far less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or even an entire stand-up vacuum. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums as they only require you to empty and occasionally rinse their dust bins following every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums have intelligent features that make them more efficient for your home, such as mapping technology which lets you instruct the vacuum on the layout of your room via an app so that it knows not to run into the stairs or under the furniture, where there might be a mess. Other robot vacuums are able to detect the type of flooring they are cleaning so they can adjust their suction and brush capabilities to achieve the most effective results.
Certain models come with object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even a camera) to identify objects and toys on the floor and instruct the robot to move around them instead of running through them. This is a great option when your pets or children are prone to leaving toys all over the house.
Another feature that might be important to you is voice control which allows you to operate the robot using your voice instead of using the buttons on board. This is a great option when your children aren't old enough yet to operate the robot or when it's convenient for you.
How often you have to use your robot will depend on the amount of dirt and debris is usually found on your floors. Most experts recommend using your robot vacuum at least every week to keep your floors clean and to remove pet hair, lint and dirt on the surface.
If you have limited flooring and don't intend to utilize your robot for other purposes, a budget model such as our top pick the Eufy 11S, is a great option. It's user-friendly cost-effective, and can do the job without causing any noise when you work or watching television.