The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum can do most of the cleaning work for you. It can remove pet hair, lint, and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they can become stuck. They also have smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to give you a hands-free experience.
A lot of models come with the ability to map, allowing them to create an interactive map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around the cords of devices.
What to Look For
Certain robots have advanced features that let you control them through the app and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning and object avoidance are a few of the features. These machines could also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Look for a model with broad brushes that can clean up large pieces of debris and one that's slim enough to be able to fit under furniture. Also, check if the vacuum can move over multiple flooring types without having to swap out brushes or change suction settings, which could reduce its cleaning effectiveness and decrease its lifespan.
The best robot vacuums come with top-quality filters to catch fine particles and safeguard your home from damage. They also come with an ample easy-to-access bin for collecting so that you can empty it frequently. Some robot vacuums have an extra side brush to sweep up pet hair or debris in difficult to reach areas like under and behind furniture. The bins are typically transparent, allowing you to see how much dirt is in the bin and when you should empty it.
You can also make use of the app to establish the boundaries of furniture and rooms you do not want it to enter. Some models can also detect the kind of flooring and adjust their brush and vacuum settings to match.
You can also find robots that can recharge and resume cleaning exactly where they left off when their batteries are running low. And good robot vacuum have a built-in camera that allows you to observe the path of your robot vacuum and even see what it's collected.
Many robots also allow you to control them with your voice, however they may not do so as well as others. Check that the model you pick is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice and then test it to see how the robot responds to different commands before you purchase. Some robots are able to automatically empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations, which can reduce your chore list a little bit more. This is a costly feature and comes with a bigger collection container and more rapid charging speeds.
Cleaning Performance
Robots aren't the same as for a vacuum or broom. However they can be extremely efficient and effective in keeping your floors clean. It doesn't matter if you have to keep track of dirt, crumbs and pet hair or get rid of larger debris like wood shavings and screws The top robotic cleaners are adept at removing various materials in the first go-around and without causing any damage to your floor surfaces or furniture.
They often detect the type of floor they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush functions according to the type of floor you have. This allows them to clean it more thoroughly. This is particularly important if you have various flooring types throughout your home. Many models come with the option to set up virtual boundaries. This lets you tell your robot to stay out of certain areas of your home. This is useful in keeping your pets or children from stepping into areas where they shouldn't be in, and also helps ensure that your entire house is cleaned up at the end of every scheduled time.
Think about the amount of autonomy your robot will enjoy. Certain models require your attention and presence while others work on their own with the capability to change cleaning modes and schedules through a mobile app or voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Some models will map and learn your home and allow you to set up zones and instruct the robot to only clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our testing, the iRobot was the best "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 tried. It can also 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 a vacuum may not reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor allow it to clean under and behind furniture which allows it to perform better than most robots. Its advanced navigation system allows it to clean the entire floor of your home using just a single charge of battery. Even at its affordable price, you'll find it tough to beat for everyday use.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel like less of a chore and more of an enjoyable experience. Quickly removing dirt, crumbs and shedding pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home feels every day. A basic robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks. However, those who prefer a more hands-off experience may wish to search for a model that can be used as an mop.
Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI offers excellent performance in both mopping and vacuuming modes. It can handle pet hair, dirt, and even cat litter. Its object avoidance function is impressive. It lets it keep away from objects and not get caught on them.
It has a large dust bin and an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a lot of space in one session. It also functions as a smart vacuum, which means that it can make maps of your home and integrate with apps, such as those offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant that let you use voice commands to control it.
The app that comes with the robot is simple and easy to use, allowing you to set schedules, define rooms for cleaning, and pause and resume sessions. It will alert you when its battery is low and return to the docking station for recharging.
This robot can also distinguish between hard floors and carpets, and adjust its settings accordingly. This will prevent the machine from getting stuck on a particular type of surface and accidentally tearing your furniture. It's not able detect seams or carpeting with high pile in rooms, which is why it is important to be cautious when picking up large objects.
To ensure that robot vacuums are in top condition, they require maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair, and emptying the dust bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Sensors and cameras should also be cleaned between each use. The manufacturer will provide specific recommendations for these and other maintenance procedures that may differ based on the particular model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums aren't cheap, but they're far cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or a full-size stand-up vac. They also require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, with most requiring only that you empty (and sometimes rinse) their bins of dust after each cleaning session, and often cleaning their sensors or cameras.
Many robot vacuums are equipped with clever features that make them more effective for your home, for instance mapping technology that allows you to instruct the vacuum on the layout of your room through an app so it doesn't run through the stairs or under the furniture, where there could be the possibility of a mess. Other models can determine the floor type they are working on, and they can adjust their suction and brush features for the best results.
Some models have objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even cameras) to spot objects and toys on the floor and instruct the robot to walk around them, rather than running over them. This can be a huge help if you have kids or pets that tend to scatter toys around the home.
Another smart feature that might be important to you is voice control which allows you to operate the robot using your voice instead of using the on-board buttons. This is a great option for children who aren't old enough to operate the robot, or if it's just practical for you.
How often you should use your robot will be contingent on how much dirt or debris has accumulated on your floor. The majority of experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least once a week to keep your floors clean and to remove pet hair, lint and surface dirt.
If you have limited flooring and don't intend to utilize your robot for other tasks, a budget model, such as our top pick, the Eufy 11S, is a good choice. It's reasonably priced, easy to set up and use, and gets the job done with little noise interference while you watch TV or work.