How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you're able to live without smart capabilities like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum will probably work for you. Choose a model with clean and tidy base that is compatible with voice assistants.
It is the best robo-vacuum we have tested for picking up dirt and pet hair from tile floors, hardwood floors and carpets with low pile. It also has the ability to map out and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or certain areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum can keep up with the dust, pet hair and dander that build up on your floors on a daily basis. It also can reduce the frequency at which you have to clean your floors which will save your time and effort. The best models have powerful suction that can clean up most mess with ease and leave your house cleaner.
Selecting a vacuum that also mop will help you cover more ground using one machine, which could be especially helpful for homes with a large area. You can find a model that has a water tank integrated into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It will need to be empty and refill it, however,
mopping robot vacuum cleaner so this is an additional task that requires a little extra work on your part.
In a perfect universe, you would clear your floors first before you use your robot vacuum to prevent it from running into anything. In the majority of homes this isn't possible or desirable. The majority of models let you use an app for your smartphone to build virtual barriers that the robot will see. Certain models have no-go zones that you can mark areas you don't want the robot to access. For example the child's room or a pile of cords in an area.
If you're looking for a basic robot vacuum without all the bells and whistles, this model from networking company TP-Link is a great choice. It's quiet and works well on both hard floors and low-pile carpets and can be scheduled through the app to vacuum or mop at your own convenience. It has a good battery life that can last for up to 180 minutes before it needs to recharge.
2. Easy to Operate
Robot vacuums generally require very little from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors and lasers to navigate around obstacles and suck up dust, food crumbs and pet hair from hard flooring, tile carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. Many models have boundary strips that allow them to stay inside a room. More expensive models can be programmed to get up at a particular time and start cleaning. Certain models come with fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down a flight of stairs or becoming tangled in cords.
Look for models that you can control from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also choose Wi-Fi models that permit you to begin cleaning from anywhere with an app. You may prefer an option with a long-lasting battery, as well as a large dust bin, depending on the size of your house.
Some robot vacuums can double as mops and use water reservoirs to clean your floor. This is helpful for regular mopping but won't be effective for messes that are more difficult to clean, like pet poop, or other spills that are wet. You can pick hybrids with a removable microfiber
mopping Robot vacuum Cleaner pad or a self-emptying model that lets you go for up to 60 days without emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Some robots utilize advanced mapping technologies to build a precise map of your floorplan as they clean the floor, which makes it easier for them to avoid crashing into furniture or falling over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is only available on the top models however, it lets your
robot vacuum mop combo get a complete understanding of your home's layout and know where to go when the battery runs out.
If you do not want your robot to go into areas of your home you'd rather it stay away from (like your children's toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide some method of creating virtual barriers, either via their app or physical boundary strips. This allows you to define areas that you do not want your robot to enter, so that it can focus its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most attention.
Many robots also have the ability to automatically navigate to different flooring types based on the type of flooring they're cleaning, be it that's switching between carpet and hard flooring or focusing on specific areas of your home, like corners and baseboards. This feature was effective in our tests and enhanced the vacuum's performance on both hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. But, it's still essential to put away furniture and cords before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get stuck or run into something it shouldn't.
4. Remote Control
The majority of robot vacuums are WiFi-enabled and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which allow users to control them with voice commands or from your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems that create an outline of your space after each cleaning session, so that they can "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future runs. Some come with obstacles avoidance built-in, which prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.
Most robots come with a remote you can use to control them around your home. However, most can also be controlled via a mobile app that comes with additional options. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and make an inventory of your preferred rooms. You can also manually direct the robot using direction Arrows.
Some models provide no-go zones that are virtual barriers you can set up within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like kids' toys or dog beds and bowls). Other apps let you create a map of your home and give the robot detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features that will assist you in cleaning your home. However the interface isn't as polished as iRobot or Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robot vacuums that can sweep your entire house without stopping to recharge or to empty their bins save time and effort. Some robot vacuums are compatible with smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to enable hands-free operation. They can also build a map of your space that allows you to program them to clean certain areas or rooms, and to avoid obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, but the iRobot j7 comes with advanced features such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These can make your life much easier (although one of our test bots did "eat" a couple of socks). If you're seeking to improve your home's maintenance, think about an automated mop that comes with an water container that you can fill and empty.
While none of the models we tested beat the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum they all do a great job at cleaning carpets and hard floors. They excel at picking up food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked in. They can also tackle scattered cat litter, as well as metal screws and nuts. The most effective robot vacuums are able to easily maneuver through furniture, and they do a great job of cleaning edges and corners as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
A robot vacuum will help keep your home clean and tidy without doing much work. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and set up no-go zones to ensure that your robot won't trample your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks will empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking station.