The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum will take care of most of the cleaning for you. It can remove pet hair, lint and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they get stuck. Some also integrate with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer an unrestricted experience.
Many models include the ability to map, which allows them to create maps of your home. This helps them avoid tumbling off ledges and traversing the cords of devices.
What to Look for
Some robots come with advanced features that let you control them through the app and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. These include smart mapping as well as spot and zone cleaning and object avoidance. These machines may also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Choose a model with a an extended brush that can clean large particles and one that's small enough to be able to fit under furniture. Make sure the robot vacuum is able to clean different kinds of floors without altering suction settings or brushes. This can decrease its cleaning efficiency and shorten its life span.
The best robot vacuums have high-quality filters that sift out small particles to guard the inside of your home and an easy-to-access bin that lets you clear it frequently. Some have an extra side brush that can be used to sweep up pet hair and other debris in hard-to-reach places under and behind furniture. They also have a clean dustbin door, which helps you keep an eye on the level of dirt accumulation to can tell when it's time to empty.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum to run at times when you're likely be at home, you can use the app to set a boundary around your furniture and rooms you'd like it to avoid. Some models are also able to detect the type of floor and alter their brush and vacuum settings accordingly.
There are also robots that can recharge and continue cleaning right where they left off in case their batteries are running low. Some robot vacuums come with cameras built-in which allows you to view the route that your robot has taken and the information it has collected.
Certain robots can be controlled via voice commands, but not all. Make sure the model you select is compatible with the voice assistant of your preference, and then test how it responds to different commands during the purchasing process. Some robots can even self-empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations, making the chores you have to do a bit. However, this feature comes at cost, as do an extra bin for collection and a faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
Robots aren't a substitute for a broom or vacuum. However they can be extremely efficient and effective in keeping your floors clean. The best robotic cleaners can pick up small debris such as pet hair, dust and crumbs, or larger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without causing damage to the flooring or furniture.
They usually detect the type of surface that they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush features in order to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is especially important when your home has different kinds of flooring. Many models also come with many options for setting virtual boundaries, which allows you to instruct the robot to stay clear from certain areas of your home. This is useful in protecting your pets or children from entering areas they shouldn't be, and it helps to ensure that your entire home is cleaned at the end of every scheduled time.
You should also think about the level of autonomy you're comfortable giving your robot. Certain models require you to be present and attentive, while others work on their own. They can change cleaning methods and schedules using a mobile application or voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Some models will map and learn your space and allow you to set up zones and tell the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our testing, the iRobot j7+ was the top "set it and forget it" robot. It was better in mapping the virtual boundaries and eliminating obstacles than any of the other robots we evaluated. It can also completely empty itself so that you don't need to do that manually and has side brushes that can help sweep debris out of corners and edges that a vacuum may not reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors also permit it to go behind and under furniture to provide more thorough cleaning than other robots. Its advanced navigation system is more capable of cleaning the entire level of your home in a single charge as compared to other devices we've tested. It's hard to beat even at a reasonable price.
Battery Life
A quality robot vacuum will make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore and more like a treat. The difference between a clean house and one that is dirty can be achieved by getting rid of dirt that has been tracked into the house, and crumbs, pet hair, and other debris. A basic robot can take care of the majority of cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a more hands-off experience may want to look for a model that doubles as a mop.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one of the top models for both as it offers great performance in both its mop and vacuuming modes and can easily handle dirt, debris, pet hair and even cat litter. Its ability to avoid objects is impressive. It lets it avoid objects and not get caught on them.
It comes with a huge dust bin and a battery that lasts for a long time, so it can cover a significant amount of space in just one go. robot vacuum that vacuums and mops 's also a smart vacuum, which means that it can make maps of your home and use apps, such as the ones offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant that let you use voice commands to control it.
The application that comes with the robot allows you to create schedules, define rooms to be cleaned or pause/resume sessions. It will also notify you the moment that its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.
This robot can also distinguish between carpets and hard floors, and adjust its settings according to the type of floor. This will prevent the machine from getting stuck on a particular type of surface and then accidentally tearing furniture. It's not able detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, which is why it is crucial to be aware when picking up large objects.
To ensure that robot vacuums are in good condition they require regular maintenance. This includes cleaning the brushes of hair and emptying the trash bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Sensors and cameras should also be cleaned between each use. The manufacturer will offer specific guidelines for these and other maintenance procedures that may differ based on the model.
Cost
The best robot vacuums might not be inexpensive, but they're far cheaper than a professional carpet cleaning machine or even a stand-up vacuum. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, since they only require you to empty and occasionally rinse their dust bins following each cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums have clever features that make them more efficient for your home, for instance mapping technology which lets you instruct the vacuum on the layout of your home via an app so that it is aware not to go over the stairs or underneath the furniture, where there might be the possibility of a mess. Others can tell what floor type they are working on, allowing them to adjust their suction or brush features to achieve the most effective results.
Certain models have object avoidance. The system uses sensors (or cameras) that can detect toys and other items lying on the floor. The robot is instructed to stay clear of them, instead of running into them. This is a great solution when your pets or children tend to leave toys in the home.
Another smart feature that might be important to you is voice control which allows you to operate your robot using your voice instead of using the on-board buttons. This can be beneficial for children who aren't yet old enough to operate the controls or simply want a hands-free solution.
How often you have to use your robot depends on the amount of dirt and dust is normally found on your floors. The majority of experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least once per week in order to keep your floors spotless and remove pet hair, lint, and dirt on the surface.
If you're working with limited floor surfaces and don't plan to utilize your robot for other tasks, a budget model such as our top pick, the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's easy to use and affordable, and it does the job without making any noise when you work or watching TV.