The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum can do most of the cleaning work for you. It can remove pet hair, lint, and dirt from surfaces and furniture before they can become stuck. Many robot vacuums work with smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free cleaning experience.
Many models have maps, which allows them to draw a map of your home. This helps them avoid tumbling off ledges and navigating around clusters of 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 a few of the features. These machines might also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Select a model with broad brushes that can sweep up large debris, and is small enough to fit underneath furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum is able to move across different kinds of floors without the need to swap brushes or change suction settings, which can make it less effective in cleaning and shorten its life.
The best robot vacuums are equipped with high-quality filters that can trap fine particles and protect your home from damage. They also come with an enormous accessible collection bin that allows you to empty it frequently. Some have an extra side brush that can be used to sweep up pet hair and debris in difficult-to-access places such as under and behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, allowing you to see the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.
You can also make use of the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms that you don't want it to enter. Certain models can also detect the type of floor they're cleaning, and automatically adjust their brush and suction settings to match.
There are also robots that will recharge and resume cleaning right where they left off if their battery runs low. Some robot vacuums come with a camera built in that lets you see the path that your robot has taken and what it has collected.
Some robots also allow you to control them using your voice, though they may not do so as well as others. Make sure that the model you choose is compatible with the voice assistant you prefer and then test it to see how well the robot responds to commands prior to purchasing. Some robots can even self-empty their bins of dust and clean their docking stations, making your list of chores a more. But this feature comes at a premium, as does an extra bin for collection and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots can't replace a traditional vacuum or broom, they do offer a reliable and effective alternative to the daily chore of cleaning floors. If you're looking to keep track of tracked-in dust, crumbs and pet hair or nab bigger debris like metal screws and wood shavings Most top-rated robotic cleaners are capable of picking up various materials in the first attempt and without causing any damage to the flooring or furniture.
They often detect the type of floor they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush settings in order to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is especially important if your home is made up of different types of flooring. Many models come with the option of setting virtual boundaries. This lets you instruct your robot to stay out of certain areas in your home. This helps prevent your children or pets from getting in areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire house is cleaned at the end of every scheduled session.
Think about how much autonomy your robot will have. Certain models require your presence and attention while others function on their own, with the ability to change the cleaning mode and schedule using a mobile application or voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and learn your home's layout and allow you to set up zones, and instruct the robot to clean specific areas within your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot+ proved to be the best robot to "set it and forget it". It was a master in mapping, creating virtual boundaries and getting around obstacles better than the other robots we tested. Additionally, it can completely empty itself so that you don't have to do that manually and has side brushes that can help sweep debris out of corners and edges where the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors enable it to reach behind and under furniture for an even more thorough clean than most robots, while its advanced navigation system allows it to be more capable of cleaning the entire level of your home in a single charge as compared to other devices we've tried. It's difficult to beat even at its affordable price.
Battery Life
A high-quality robot vacuum can help keep your floors tidy and seem less like a chore and more like a luxury. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs and shedding pet hair can make a huge difference in how clean your home is on a regular basis. While a simple robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those looking for an extra hands-off experience should look for one that doubles as a mop.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one the best models for both, as it is extremely efficient 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 remarkable. It lets it avoid objects and avoid getting caught on them.
It comes with a huge dustbin as well as a long-lasting battery, so it can cover a significant amount of space in one session. It is also a smart vacuum, which means that it can create maps of your home and integrate with applications, such as the ones offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to let you control it using voice commands.
The application that comes with the robot allows you to create schedules, assign specific rooms for cleaning, or suspend or resume sessions. It will alert you when its battery is low and return to the docking station for recharging.
The robot is also able to distinguish between carpets and hard floors and adjust its settings in accordance with the type of flooring. This will prevent the machine from getting stuck on one type of surface and causing damage to furniture. It is not able to detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, which is why it's important to be careful when picking up large objects.
All robot vacuums require a level of maintenance, such as removing hair from brushes and emptying (and sometimes rinsing) the dust bin after each cleaning session and wiping down cameras or sensors between uses to keep them in good condition. The manufacturer will offer specific recommendations for these and other maintenance steps that may differ based on the specific model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums are not inexpensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or even an all-in-one stand-up vac. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, since they only require you to empty and occasionally rinse their dust bins after every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums come with smart features that can help them be more effective in your home, for instance mapping technology, which allows you to instruct the vacuum to follow the layout of your home via an app so that it doesn't run into the stairs or under the furniture where there could be an issue. Others can identify what floor type they are working on, allowing them to adjust their suction and brush features to get the best results.
Some models feature objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even cameras) to spot objects and toys on the floor and coach the robot to walk around them, rather than running through them. This is a great benefit for families with children or pets that tend to scatter toys around the home.
Voice control is another useful feature you may find useful. It allows you to control your robot with your voice, rather than the buttons on the board. This is a great option when you have children who aren't yet old enough to be able to use the controls or simply want a hands-free solution.
The frequency at which you should use your robot will depend on the amount of dirt and dust is normally found on your floors. Most experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least once a week in order to keep your floors clean and to get rid of pet hair, lint and surface dirt.
If you're limited with flooring and don't intend to make use of your robot cleaning robot mop and vacuum for other tasks, a budget model like our top pick, the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's reasonably priced, easy to install and operate, and can complete the task without causing any noise disruption while you watch TV or work.