The Best Robot Vacuums
A quality robot vacuum does most of the work for you and nabs pet hair, lint, and surface dirt before it can cling to furniture or get ground into carpets. They also have smart assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to give you an unrestricted experience.
A lot of models come with maps that allow them to create an interactive map of your home. This helps them to avoid falling off ledges or navigating around clusters if device cords.
What to Look For
Some robots come with advanced features that let you control them using apps and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning, and object avoidance are just a few of the features. These machines might also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Choose a model that has a wide brush to sweep up large debris, and is thin enough to fit underneath furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum is able to move across different floor types without having to change brushes or alter suction settings, which could make it less effective in cleaning and shorten its life.
The best robot vacuums have high-quality filters that sift out fine particles to protect the interior of your home and a large, easy-to-access bin that allows you to clear it frequently. Some robot vacuums come with an additional side brush to remove pet hair and debris from difficult to reach areas like under or behind furniture. They also typically have a door for the dustbin that is clear that helps you keep an eye on the level of dirt accumulation to know when it's time to empty the.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum for times when you're likely to be at home, you can use the app to create an area around your furniture and rooms that you want it to avoid. Some models can also detect the kind of flooring and adjust their brush and vacuum settings to match.
There are robots that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left after their battery has run out. Certain robot vacuums have cameras built-in that allows you to see the path that your robot has taken and the data it has gathered.
Some robots are operated by voice commands, but not all. Be sure that the robot you choose is compatible with your voice assistant of preference, and then test the way it responds to various commands during the purchase process. Some robots can even self-empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations, which can reduce the chores you have to do a bit more. This is a costly feature, as are a larger collection container and more rapid charging speeds.
Cleaning Performance
Robots are not a replacement for a broom or vacuum. However they can be extremely efficient and effective in keeping your floors spotless. The best robotic cleaners can pick up small debris like pet hair, dust and crumbs, as well as larger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without harming the floor or furniture.
In most cases, they'll be able to detect what type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush functions accordingly to more effectively clean your floors. This is particularly important when you have various flooring types throughout your home. A lot of models have the option to set virtual boundaries. This allows you to tell your robot to stay out of certain areas of your house. This will prevent your children or pets from getting into areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire home is kept clean during every scheduled session.
Think about how much autonomy your robot can enjoy. Certain models require you be present and attentive, while others operate independently. They can change cleaning schedules and cleaning modes using the mobile app or via voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and understand your home's space, and allow you to set up zones, and instruct the robot to clean certain areas in your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot+ proved to be the most effective robot for "set it and forget it". It was superior at mapping, creating virtual borders and avoiding obstacles than any of the other robots that we tested. Plus, it can completely empty itself so that you don't need to do it manually. It also has side brushes that help to sweep debris away from corners and edges where a vacuum may not reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors also enable it to reach under and behind furniture for more thorough cleaning than other robots, and its advanced navigation system makes it more efficient in cleaning the entire floor of your home in a single charge than other models we've tried. It's difficult to beat even at its affordable price.
Battery Life
A high-quality robot vacuum can make keeping your floors clean feel less like a chore and more like a treat. The difference between a clean home and one that is filthy can be achieved by getting rid of tracked-in dirt as well as crumbs pet hair, and other messes. A basic robot can take care of the majority of cleaning tasks. However, those who prefer a less hands-on experience might want to look for a model which also serves as an mops.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is among the best models for both, since it delivers excellent performance in both its mop and vacuuming modes and is able to easily deal with dirt and pet hair, as well as debris and even cat litter. Its ability to avoid objects is impressive. It allows it to steer away from objects and avoid getting caught on them.
It also has a long battery life and a large dust bin that allows it to cover a large amount of space in one session. It's also a smart vacuum, which means that 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 with voice commands.
The application that comes with the robot is easy and simple to use and allows you to set schedules, define rooms to be cleaned, or pause and resume sessions. It will also 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 prevents the machine from getting bogged down in one type of surface or accidentally tearing up your furniture. However, it isn't yet able to detect high pile carpeting or the seams of rooms, so you'll have to be cautious about picking up large objects.
All robot vacuums require some amount of maintenance, like brush hair removal and emptying (and sometimes rinsing) the dust bin after each cleaning session and wiping down sensors or cameras between uses to keep them in good condition. The manufacturer will offer specific guidelines for these and other steps to maintain which can differ based on the specific model.
Cost
The best robot vacuums don't come cheap, but they're far less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or a full-size stand-up vac. They also need less maintenance than a traditional vacuum as they require that you empty (and sometimes wash) their bins of dust after each cleaning session, and periodically wiping down their cameras or sensors.
Many robot vacuums come with intelligent features that make them more effective for your home, such as mapping technology, which allows you to guide the vacuum on the layout of your home by using an app, so it doesn't run into the stairs or under the furniture, where there could be a mess. Others can identify what floor type they're robot vacuum black friday working on, and 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 a camera) to identify objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to move around them rather than run through them. This could be extremely helpful for families with children or pets that tend to scatter toys all over the house.
Voice control is another useful feature you might find useful. It allows you to operate your robot with your voice, rather than the buttons on the board. This is useful when your children aren't old enough yet to operate the robot, or when it's practical for you.
How often you need to use your robot will depend on how much dirt and debris is normally found on your floors. The majority of experts recommend using your robot vacuum at least once per week in order to keep your floors spotless and to get rid of pet hair, lint and dirt on the surface.
If you have limited floor surfaces and don't plan to make use of 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 install and operate and does the job without causing any noise disruption while you watch TV or work.