The Best Robot Vacuums
A good robot vacuum does the bulk of the work for you and removes pet hair, lint and dirt before it can cling to furniture or get ground into carpets. Many robot vacuums work with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free clean experience.
Many models have maps that allow them to create an interactive map of your house. This can help them avoid falling off ledges or navigating through clusters if the cords for your device are.
What to Look For
Some robots have advanced features, allowing users to control them with voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. These include smart mapping as well as spot and zone cleaning, and object avoidance. They could also have longer battery lives and larger dust collection bins.
Find a model that has a broad brushes that can clean up large pieces of debris and one that is slim enough to be able to fit under furniture. Also, check if the vacuum is able to move across different flooring types without having to change brushes or change suction settings. This can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its lifespan.
The top robot vacuums have high-quality filters that can catch fine particles and safeguard your home from damage. They also have an ample easy-to-access bin for collecting so that you can empty it often. Certain robot vacuums come with an extra side brush to remove pet hair or debris in difficult to reach areas like under and behind furniture. They also usually have a clear dustbin door which allows you to 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 operate at times when you're most likely to be at home, you can use the app to draw an area around your furniture and the rooms that you'd like it avoid. Certain models can also detect the kind of floor they're cleaning and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings accordingly.
You can also find robots that will recharge and resume cleaning right where they left off when their battery is low. And some have a built-in camera that lets you observe the path of your robot vacuum and view what it's taken in.
Some robots also let you control them with your voice, but they may not do so as well as others. Make sure that the model you select is compatible with the voice assistant you prefer and then test it to see how the robot responds to different commands before buying. Some robots can even self-empty their bins of dust and clean their docking stations, reducing your list of chores a bit. But this feature comes with cost, as do the capacity of the bin and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
Robots aren't the same as for a vacuum or broom. However they can be incredibly efficient and efficient 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 harming the floor or furniture.
They usually detect the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush functions in order to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is especially important if your home is made up of different types of flooring. A lot of models have the option of setting up virtual boundaries. This allows you to instruct your robot to stay out of certain areas of your house. This can help keep your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire house is cleaned at the end of every scheduled session.
Think about the amount of autonomy your robot can enjoy. Some models require your presence and attention while others work on their own, with the ability to alter cleaning schedules and cleaning modes via a mobile app or voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Some models map and learn your home's layout and let you create zones, and tell the robot to clean certain areas in your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot was the top "set it and forget it" robot. It was a master at mapping, creating virtual boundaries and getting around obstacles better than the other robots we test. Plus, it can completely empty itself so you don't need to do it manually. It also has side brushes that help sweep debris out of corners and edges that a vacuum may not reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors also enable it to reach under and behind furniture for an even more thorough clean than most robots. Its advanced navigation system allows it to be more capable of cleaning the entire level of your home on a single charge than other devices we've tried. With its low cost you'll find it hard to beat in everyday use.
Battery Life
A good robot vacuum can help keep your floors tidy and seem less like a chore, and more like a treat. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs and shed pet hair can make a big difference in the cleanliness of your home every day. A basic robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a more hands-off experience may want to look for a model which also can be used as an mops.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is among the best models for both, as it delivers excellent performance in both vacuuming and mop modes, and is able to handle dirt and pet hair, as well as debris and even cat litter. Its ability to avoid objects is impressive. It allows it to keep away from objects and not get tangled on them.
It has a big dustbin and a long-lasting battery, so it can cover a lot of space in one session. It's also a smart vacuum, which means it can map your home, and can be used with apps like the ones offered by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to allow you to control the vacuum using voice commands.
The app that comes with the robot allows you to set up schedules, designate rooms to be cleaned or suspend or resume sessions. It can even alert you to the moment that its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.
Another nice feature of this robot is that it can distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly. This keeps the machine from being stuck on one kind of surface or damaging furniture. It is not able to detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, which is why it is important to be cautious when picking up large objects.
All robot vacuums require some degree of maintenance, such as removing hair from brushes and emptying (and occasionally rinsing) the dust bin after each cleaning session and wiping down sensors or cameras between use to keep them in top shape. The manufacturer will provide specific instructions for these actions and others, which can vary depending on the model.
Cost
The best robot vacuums aren't cheap, but they are considerably less expensive than a professional carpet cleaning machine or even a stand-up one. They also need less maintenance than a traditional vacuum and most require that you empty (and sometimes wash) their dust bin after each cleaning session and periodically cleaning their sensors or cameras.
Many robot vacuums come with smart features that can help them be more effective in your home, for instance mapping technology that allows you to guide the vacuum on the layout of your room by using an app, so it doesn't run into the stairs or under the furniture where there could be a mess. Other models can determine the floor type they're working on, so they can alter their suction or brush functions to get the best results.
Some models have object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even cameras) to spot objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to move around them instead of running over them. This is a great solution for families with pets or children who are prone to leaving toys around the house.
Voice control is another useful feature you may consider useful. It allows you to operate your robot with your voice instead of the on-board buttons. This can be beneficial if you have little ones who aren't yet old enough to use the controls, or if you 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. Most experts recommend using a robot vacuum at least once a week to keep your floors looking good and nabbing pet hair, dirt and lint before it is able to get trapped or become difficult to remove.
If you have the space for a floor space and don't intend to use the robot for any other tasks and you're looking for you should consider a budget model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's reasonably priced, easy to set up and use, and can complete the task with minimal noise disturbance while you work or watch TV.