How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you're able to live without advanced features such as mapping, and aren't worried about emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum will probably work for you. Choose one that has a clean base and can work with voice assistants.
It excels at removing dirt, clumps of pet hair and cat litter on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpeting that is lower-pile better than any other robo vacuum we've tried. It can also map out and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or areas.
- Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum is able to stay up with the dust, pet hair and dander that collects on your floors on a daily basis. It also can reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, saving your time and effort. The most effective model comes with powerful suction that will easily clean up most mess and leave your home cleaner.
Selecting a vacuum that also mop will allow you to get more space using one machine, which could be especially helpful in a larger home. You can find a model with a water tank either in the chassis itself or as an additional piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will have to be emptied and refilled in order to complete the chore.
In a perfect world you would clean your floors first before you use your robot vacuum to prevent it from hitting anything. But in most homes, this isn't feasible or desirable. Thankfully, most models let you use your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot is able to see and avoid. Some models include no-go areas, which you can flag areas that you don't want it to be allowed to enter. For instance an area for children's play or a pile of cords in a corner.
If you're looking for a basic robot vacuum with no bells and whistles, this model made by the networking company TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet, it is able to work on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be programmed through the app to mop and vacuum at your leisure. It's got a long battery life, which can last up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.
- Easy to Operate
In general robot vacuums require little input from you. They utilize instruments for navigation, such as sensors, lasers, and cameras to move around and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs from tiles, hard floors and hardwood. Many models come with boundary strips to help them remain inside the room. The more expensive models can be programmed to start up at a certain time and start cleaning. Some even come with fall detection technology that can help them avoid falling down stairs or becoming caught in electrical cords.
If you want to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of your couch, you should look for models that integrate voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for Wi-Fi-connected models that allow you to begin cleaning from any location via an app. You might want to choose an option with a long-lasting battery, as well as a large dustbin, depending on the size of your home.
Some robot vacuums can also be mopping machines. They utilize water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is ideal for mopping, but not ideal for tough messes like pet poop and other wet spills. You can find hybrids with an ejectable microfiber pad for mopping, or opt for a self-emptying model that lets you go 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.
- Smart Mapping
Some robots utilize advanced mapping technologies to build an accurate map of your floorplan while they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or tripping over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is only available on the top models however it lets your robot have a thorough understanding of your home's layout and know where to go when the battery runs out.
If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your house that you'd rather it stay away from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide the possibility of creating virtual barriers, either through their app or a set of physical boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don't wish your robot to go into in order to focus on the rooms that require the most attention.
A lot of robots can also automatically change floors based on the type of flooring they are cleaning. This can be achieved by switching from carpet to hard flooring or by paying attention to certain areas of your home like corners and baseboards. This feature was useful during our tests and helped improve the performance of the vacuum on hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. It's nevertheless important to secure loose cords and furniture before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get stuck or come into contact with something it shouldn't.
- Remote Control
Almost all robot vacuums are WiFi-enabled and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and www.robotvacuummops.com Siri Shortcuts, which enable you to control them using voice commands or from your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and create a map of your space after each cleaning session, so that they can "learn" your layout and devise more efficient routes for future runs. Some also have built-in obstacle avoidance that prevents them from bumping into furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose shoes, laces for shoes and pet hair.
Most robots come with a remote you can use to pilot them around your home. Most robots can be operated by mobile applications that comes with more features. You can typically set multiple cleaning schedules, make a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot around specific areas using directional arrows on the screen.
Certain models have no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can set up in the app to stop the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for children or dog bowls and beds). Certain apps let you draw an outline of your home and provide detailed information on the floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features to aid in cleaning the house. However, its interface isn't quite as polished as that from iRobot or Shark.
- Long Battery Life
Robotic vacs that can clean a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their trash bins make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also make a map of the space that allows you to program them for certain rooms or areas and to avoid obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, however the iRobot j7 offers advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can simplify your life (although one of our test bots did "eat" a few socks). If you're looking to improve the quality of your home maintenance, you should consider the use of a robot mop and water containers that you can fill and empty.
While none of the models we tested can match the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, they all do a great job at cleaning carpets and hard floors. They excel at sweeping up fine dust and debris, food crumbs, tracked-in dirt and pet hair. They also can handle screws and nuts made of metal, as well as stray cat litter. The best robot vacs can easily maneuver around furniture and are great at cleaning edges and corners as well. For an affordable model that can work on its own and is relatively inexpensive take a look at the Eufy 11S.
- Convenient Self-Charging
A robot vacuum will help keep your home tidy and clean without you having to do much work. You can schedule cleanings in the app and create zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot won't trample your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks automatically empty their bins and clean their docking stations for you.
The best robot vacuums are programmable to clean your floors regularly for weeks or months at a time, which saves you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or day. This helps you have more time to do the things you enjoy and cuts down on the amount of time your floors need to be cleaned manually.
In our tests, the Q Revo was able to capture fine particles like oatmeal and baking soda as well as heavier debris such nails and screws made of metal as well as fluffy things such as hair from pets. It isn't equipped with the advanced mapping and object-avoiding features of our top picks but is still a great choice for most families.
The greatest aspect of the j7 robot is that it uses camera and processor-powered sensors to identify and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes socks, and pet waste. This means you don't have to spend time tidying up before you can run your robot, but cluttered rooms will mean that the robot may become stuck and not be able to do as good a job.