What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A robot vacuum will help keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on regular basis. Many robot cleaner with mop vacuums have applications that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions. You can also set virtual boundaries or 'walls,' to ensure that the vacuum stays away from areas that you don't want cleaned.
This smart vac-mop creates the map of your home with its initial run. It then stores the space for future cleaning jobs. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically empties and a self-cleaning, brush roll.
Object Detection
When selecting a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that can clean up big items such as lamps and toys as well as dust particles of fine size. This will ensure they don't become entangled in the roller brush and aren't left behind on your floors. This is particularly crucial if your robot is going to be cleaned frequently by pets or children.
It's also a good idea to select a model that has an efficient motor and plenty of suction power. This will make it more effective at getting up pet hair, lint and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.
The size of your home is another important consideration. If you live in a big home, you might prefer one with multiple cleaning zones that can cover the entire house in one session. Certain models also include a mopping function, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums are tough, but they need to be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors regularly will keep your robot running efficiently for long time to come. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for ten years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries with time).
A basic robot will cost you less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll still do an excellent job of keeping up with surface dirt, pet hair, and dust. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can send out every week to keep your floor free of dirt. They do not have as much technology and are more prone to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.
Object Avoidance
The most effective robot vacuums utilize cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home and prevent getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Certain models are able to return to their dock or base when their batteries are low. They also can avoid obstacles such as furniture legs and cords. The more expensive ones often come with mapping capabilities that permit them to memorize the design of your home and lessen the time you spend hitting walls.
There is no need to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a great job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as wood, tile and low-pile rugs. They can also do a good job of removing larger debris such as metal screws or staples that have rust, or discarded toys. Some models even have self-emptying bases that is handy in the event that you don't wish to empty your trash bin after every clean-up.
Most robotic vacs also offer advanced features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned, including schedules, zone targeting and the ability to control them with an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to enter.
Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from getting sucked into furniture or getting caught in cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes a camera and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots I've tested, but it does an excellent job of avoiding obstacles, and never is stuck or tripped while working on my floor.
The iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle-avoiding robot, but it did not always do a good job at avoiding dirt or crumbs on my rugs. It also tends to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in a lot of extra dust in the filter, and a less-clean house.
Smart Mapping
The best robot vacuums come with an app that can help you customize cleaning modes and schedules, as well as view a map of your floor area that the machine covers. This is an extremely useful feature that other models don't have. It allows you to create profiles that will automatically start the robot at certain times and run it regularly. For example, it could be cleaning the living room each day or before dinner.
A good app can also let you control your robot via voice commands. Certain models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot through voice commands.
Choose models with an enormous dust bin. This allows you to complete many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. You can also find models that self-empty, which takes some of the burden of emptying the machine after each cleaning run.
If you're looking to purchase a robot that can do more than vacuum, think about a model with mopping functions. They're usually bigger than robotic vacuums, and include a tank of water which can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dust and dirt before it needs to be empty.
The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home. They can even remember the arrangement from one cleaning to another, which helps them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, since it won't have to return to where it started when it comes across walls or furniture.
Our test participants found that the robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch television or perform other tasks while the robot was cleaning. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or in all rooms when you're at work.
App Control
It is recommended to select one that comes with an app that is mobile for those who want to modify the frequency of cleaning and select cleaning mode. You can also view the status of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin using the app. Some of the top robot vacuums can even be operated by voice using Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot that has a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, especially when you are able to easily access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. A powerful brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others come with sensors that automatically clean brushes to avoid obstruction.
Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools that help them navigate around obstacles and help you understand your home. The top models come with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. On the other hand, less expensive models sometimes use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark off areas you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with young children who scatter socks and toys all over the house. This helps your robot collect the items instead of scattering.
Robots are increasingly equipped with mop heads. This is useful for those with hard floors who need to clean regularly. They come with a water tank built into the chassis, or an extra piece you can put in when it's time to clean. They may need to be refilled more often than other kinds of robots, however they're ideal for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.
We've seen some impressive technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you imagine. In fact, you can find a decent one for less than $200 that can do a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area carpets. The robot can be programmed to clean specific rooms on a regular basis. It can be controlled remotely through an app or by pressing buttons.