The Best Robot Vacuums
A quality robot vacuum does the bulk of the work for you and nabs pet hair, lint and surface dirt before it adheres to furniture or sink into carpets. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free cleaning experience.
A lot of models come with maps that allow them to create an interactive map of your home. This can help them avoid falling off ledges and navigating around clusters of devices if cords are.
What to Look For
Certain robots come with advanced features, allowing you to control them via voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. These include smart mapping, cleaning zones and spots, and object avoidance. These machines might also have larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Look for a model with an extended brush that can clean up large pieces of debris and one that is slim enough to be able to fit under furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum can be used on multiple flooring types without having to swap out brushes or change suction settings, which can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and decrease its lifespan.
The most effective robot vacuums feature high-quality filters that sift out tiny particles to safeguard the interior of your house and an easy-to-access collection bin that allows you to empty it often. Some come with an additional side brush for sweeping up pet hair and debris in difficult-to-access places such as behind and under furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can see the amount of dirt in the bin, and when to empty it.
You can also use the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms that you don't want it to enter. robotvacuummops are also able to detect the kind of flooring and alter their brush and vacuum settings accordingly.
There are robotics that recharge and continue cleaning where they left off when their battery is exhausted. Some robot vacuums come with a camera built in which allows you to view the route taken by your robot and the information it has collected.
Some robots also allow you to control them using your voice, but they may not do so as easily as others. Check that the model you select is compatible with the voice assistant you prefer and test it out to see how the robot responds to commands before you purchase. Some robots will even empty their bins and clean their docking stations which will help you reduce your chore list. But this feature comes at cost, as do a larger collection bin and a faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots aren't able to replace a full-on vacuum or broom, they provide a practical and efficient alternative to the routine of keeping floors clean. Whether you need to keep track of dirt as well as pet hair and crumbs or nab bigger debris like wood shavings and screws Most top-rated robotic cleaners are adept at removing a variety of materials on the first go-around and without causing damage to your floor surfaces or furniture.
They will often register the type of floor they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush features accordingly to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is especially important when your home has different kinds of flooring. Many models offer the option to set up virtual boundaries. This allows you to tell your robot to stay clear of certain areas of your home. This helps prevent your children or pets from getting into areas they shouldn't. It will also ensure that your home is kept clean during every scheduled session.
You should also think about how much autonomy you're comfortable giving your robot. Certain models require your presence and attention while others operate on their own, with the ability to alter cleaning schedules and cleaning modes via a mobile app or voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Some models will map and learn your space, allowing you to create zones and instruct the robot to only clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot was the best "set it and forget it" robot. It excelled in mapping, creating virtual boundaries and eliminating obstacles better than the other robots we tested. It can also empty itself so that you do not have to manually do it. Additionally, the side brushes are used to sweep debris from corners and edges that a vacuum might not reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors permit it to go behind and under furniture for a deeper clean than most robots, and its advanced navigation system makes it more capable of cleaning the entire area of your home in a single charge than other devices we've tried. Even at its affordable price you'll be able to find it difficult to beat for daily use.
Battery Life
A quality robot vacuum will make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore, and more like a treat. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs and shedding pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home feels on a regular basis. While a robot of a basic design is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those looking for an extra hands-free experience should choose models that double as 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 is able to easily deal with dirt, debris, pet hair and even cat litter. Its object avoidance feature is particularly impressive, allowing it to avoid objects and not become stuck on them.
It also has a long battery lifespan and a huge dust bin which allows it to cover a considerable amount of space in just one session. It is also a smart vacuum, meaning it can create maps of your home and work with apps, such as those provided by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to let you use voice commands to control it.
The app that comes along with the robot allows you to create schedules, define rooms to be cleaned or pause/resume sessions. It will even notify you the moment its battery is low and return to its docking station to recharge.
The robot can also differentiate between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings according to the type of floor. This will prevent the machine from becoming stuck on one type of floor and accidentally tearing your furniture. It's not able detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, so it's important to be careful when picking up large objects.
All robot vacuums require a amount of maintenance, such as getting rid of hair from brushes, emptying (and sometimes, rinsing) the bin of dust after each cleaning session, and wiping down cameras or sensors between uses to ensure they are in good shape. The manufacturer will give specific guidelines for these and other maintenance procedures that may differ based on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums aren't expensive, but they're less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or an entire stand-up vacuum. They also require less maintenance than a traditional vacuum and most require that you empty (and occasionally rinse) their bins after each cleaning session, and periodically wiping down their cameras or sensors.
Many robot vacuums come with intelligent features that help them be more effective in your home, like mapping technology which lets you instruct the vacuum to follow the layout of your space via an app so that it is aware not to go through the stairs or under the furniture, where there could be an issue. Others can tell what floor type they are working on, so they can alter their suction and brush features to achieve the most effective results.
Certain models come with object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even a camera) to spot toys and other items on the floor. They then instruct the robot to walk around them instead of running through them. This is a great option for families with pets or children who tend to leave toys around the home.
One other smart feature that could be of interest to you is voice control, which lets you operate your robot with your voice instead of using the buttons on board. This is a great option for children who aren't yet old enough to operate the robot, or is it just more convenient for you.
How often you have to utilize your robot is contingent upon how much dirt and debris is typically on your floors. Most experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least every week in order to keep your floors spotless and remove pet hair, lint, and dirt from the surface.
If you only have the space for a floor space and do not intend to make use of the robot for other tasks, then you should consider a budget model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great option. It's easy to use cost-effective, and can do the job without making any noise when you work or watching television.