The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum can do most of the cleaning for you. It will remove pet hair, lint, and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they get stuck. Many also work with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer the convenience of hands-free operation.
Many models come with maps that allow them to create an interactive map of your house. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around clusters of devices if cords are.
What to look for
Certain robots come with advanced features that allow you to control them via voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning, and object avoidance are some of the features. These machines might also have larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Select a model that has an extensive brush that can clean up large debris and that is slim enough to be able to fit under furniture. Find out if the vacuum robot mop is able to clean various types of floors without altering the suction settings or brushes. This could reduce its cleaning efficiency and shorten its lifespan.
The best robot vacuums are equipped with high-quality filters that catch fine particles and safeguard your home. They also have an enormous easy-to-access bin for collecting so that you can empty it often. Some come with an additional side brush that can be used to sweep up pet hair and other debris in difficult-to-access places such as behind and under furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, so you can see how much dirt is in the bin and when you should empty it.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum to run at times when you're likely to be at home, you can also use the app to set the boundaries around your furniture and rooms that you want it to avoid. Certain models also recognize the kind of flooring and adjust their brush and vacuum settings accordingly.
There are robots that can recharge and continue cleaning the area they left after their battery has run out. Some also have a built-in camera that lets you observe the path of your robot vacuum and even see what it's collected.
Some robots are operated by voice commands, but not all. Check that the model you select is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice and then test it to see how well the robot responds to commands prior to purchasing. Some robots will even empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations, reducing your chore list a little more. However, this feature comes at an expense, as does the capacity of the bin and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots can't replace a traditional vacuum or broom, they can provide a practical and efficient alternative to the everyday chore of keeping floors clean. The best robotic cleaners can clean up small particles such as pet hair, dust and crumbs, as well as larger objects like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without damaging the floor or furniture.
They will often register the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush settings in order to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is particularly important if you have different flooring types across your home. There are many models that offer many options for setting up virtual boundaries, which allows you to tell the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This is useful in preventing your kids or pets from stepping into areas where they shouldn't be, and it helps to ensure that your home gets cleaned in each scheduled session.
You should also think about the amount of autonomy you're comfortable with giving your robot. Certain models require your attention and presence while others work independently with the capability to change cleaning modes and schedules via a mobile app or voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and understand your space and let you define zones and tell the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot+ proved to be the best robot for "set it and forget it". It was better in mapping virtual boundaries, making virtual borders and avoids obstacles than the other robots we evaluated. Additionally, it can completely empty itself so you don't need to do it manually. It also has side brushes that help to sweep debris into its path from corners and edges where a vacuum may not reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor allow it to clean behind and under furniture, allowing it to do a better job than other robots. Furthermore, its advanced navigation system enables it to sweep the entire floor of your home using just a single charge of battery. It's a tough one to beat, especially at a reasonable price.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less of a chore, and more of an enjoyable experience. The distinction between a clean home and one that is dirty can be achieved by getting rid of tracked-in dirt as well as crumbs pet hair, and other particles. While a simple robot can keep up with most cleaning tasks, those who want more of a hands-free experience should choose one that doubles as mop.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one the top models for both, as it offers great performance in both its mop and vacuuming modes, and is able to handle dirt and pet hair, as well as debris and even cat litter. The feature to avoid objects is awe-inspiring, allowing it to avoid objects and avoid getting stuck on them.
It has a large dustbin as well as a battery that lasts for a long time, so it can cover a lot of space in one session. It's also a smart cleaner which means it can be able to map your home, and can be used with apps like those provided by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to allow you to control the vacuum using voice commands.
The software that comes with the robot is easy and simple to use it allows you to create schedules, designate rooms to be cleaned, or stop and resume sessions. It will also alert you to when its battery is running low and then return to its docking station to recharge.
Another great feature of this robot is that it can distinguish between carpets and hard floors and adjust its settings accordingly. This keeps the machine from becoming bogged down in one type of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. It's not able to detect seams or carpeting with high pile in rooms, so it's important to be careful when grabbing large objects.
To ensure that robot vacuums are in top condition they require regular maintenance. This includes cleaning the brushes of hair, and emptying the dust bin (and sometimes washing it) after each cleaning session. Cameras and sensors must be cleaned after each use. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these actions and others, which can vary depending on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums might not be cheap, but they are much less expensive than a professional carpet cleaning machine or even a stand-up one. They also need less maintenance than traditional vacuums, with most requiring only that you empty (and sometimes wash) their bins after each cleaning session and often wiping down their sensors or cameras.
Many robot vacuums have clever features that make them more efficient in your home. For instance, mapping technology lets you tell the vacuum where to go using an app, which means it doesn't go through staircase or under furniture, where there could be a mess. Other robot vacuums can recognize the type of floor they are cleaning so that they can adjust their suction and brush features to get the most effective results.
Some models feature object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even a camera) to identify objects like toys and other things on the floor. They then instruct the robot to walk around them, rather than running through them. This is a great option when your pets or children are known to leave toys in the house.
Voice control is another smart feature that you could consider useful. It allows you to operate your robot using your voice instead of the on-board buttons. This is a great option for children who aren't old enough to operate the robot or when it's convenient for you.
The frequency at which you use your robot will depend on how much dirt or debris is accumulating on your floor. Most experts recommend using your robot vacuum at least once a week to keep your floors spotless and to get rid of pet hair, lint and dirt from the surface.
If you only have only a small amount of space on your floor and do not intend to use the robot for any other purpose and you're looking for a budget model, like our top choice Eufy 11S is a great option. It's inexpensive, simple to install and operate, and gets the job done without causing any noise disruption while you watch TV or work.