The Best Robot Vacuums
A quality robot vacuum does the bulk of the work and nabs pet hair, lint and dirt before it can cling to furniture or be sucked into carpets. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free cleaning experience.
Many models have the ability to map, which allows them to draw a map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges or navigating cords that connect devices.
What to Do You Look For?
Some robots have advanced features that allow you to control them using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. These include smart mapping spot and zone cleaning, and objects avoiding. They may also have longer battery lives and larger dust collection bins.
Select a model with a wide brush to sweep up large debris, and is thin enough to be able to fit under furniture. Also check whether the robot vacuum is able to move across different kinds of floors without the need to swap brushes or change suction settings, which could reduce its cleaning effectiveness and shorten its life.
The top robot vacuums are equipped with high-quality filters to trap fine particles and protect your home. They also have an ample, easily accessible collection bin so you can empty it often. Certain robot vacuums come with an extra side brush to sweep up pet hair and debris from difficult to reach areas, such as under and behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can observe the amount of dirt in the bin, and when to empty it.
You can also make use of the app to set the boundaries of furniture and rooms you do not want it to enter. Some models can also detect the type of flooring and adjust their brush and vacuum settings to match.
There are robotics that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left when their battery is exhausted. Some robot vacuums come with a camera built in that allows you to see the path that your robot has taken and the information it has collected.
Some robots can be controlled by voice commands, but not all. Make sure the model you pick is compatible with the voice assistant you prefer and then test it to see how the robot responds to various commands before buying. Some robots will even empty their trash bins or clean their docking stations, which will reduce your chore list. This feature is expensive and comes with a bigger collection container and more rapid charging speeds.
Cleaning Performance
While robots can't substitute for a full-on vacuum cleaner or broom, they do provide an effective and efficient alternative to the routine of cleaning your floors. It doesn't matter if you have to keep track of dirt or pet hair, crumbs and crumbs or get rid of larger debris like metal screws and wood shavings The top robotic cleaners are adept at picking up various materials in the first attempt and without causing any damage to your furniture or floors.
Often, they will register the type of floor they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features in accordance with the type of surface to more effectively clean your floors. This is particularly important if you have a variety of flooring throughout your home. Many models come with the option to set virtual boundaries. This lets you tell your robot to stay out of certain areas of your home. This can be helpful in protecting your pets or children from stepping into areas where they shouldn't be in, and it helps to ensure that your home is cleaned up at the end of each scheduled session.
You should also consider how much autonomy you're willing to give your robot. Certain models require your attention and presence while others work on their own, with the ability to change the cleaning mode and schedule via a mobile app or voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Some models will map and learn your home and allow you to create zones and instruct the robot to only clean certain areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our testing, the iRobot was the best "set it and forget it" robot. It excelled at mapping, creating virtual boundaries and getting around obstacles better than the other robots we tested. It can also completely empty itself so you don't need to do that manually and has side brushes that help sweep debris out of corners and edges that the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor allows it to clean under and behind furniture which allows it to perform better than most robots. Its advanced navigation system allows it to sweep the entire floor of your home using just a single charge of battery. It's difficult to beat, even at a reasonable price.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel like less of a chore, and more of an enjoyable experience. The difference between a clean house and a dirty one can be achieved by getting rid of tracked-in dirt as well as crumbs pet hair, and other particles. While a simple robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those looking for an extra hands-off experience should look for models that double as mop.
Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is a top performer in both mopping and vacuuming modes. It is able to handle dirt, pet hair, and even cat litter. Its feature for avoiding objects is particularly impressive, enabling it to avoid objects and not get stuck on them.
It has a large dust bin and a battery that lasts for a long time, so it can cover a lot of space in one session. It also functions as a smart vacuum, which means it can make maps of your home and work with apps, like those provided by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to allow you to control it with voice commands.
The application that comes with the robot is easy and easy to use, allowing you to set schedules, designate rooms to be cleaned, or pause and resume sessions. It can even warn you the moment that its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.
This robot can also distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings according to the type of floor. This will prevent the machine from getting stuck on one type of surface and causing damage to furniture. It's not able to detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, which is why it is crucial to be aware when grabbing large objects.
All robot vacuums require some degree 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 ensure they are in top shape. The manufacturer will provide specific instructions for these steps and others, which can vary depending on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums are not inexpensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or even an entire stand-up vacuum. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, since most only require that you empty and rinse their dust bins following every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums come with intelligent features that help them be more effective in your home, such as mapping technology which lets you instruct the vacuum to follow the layout of your space through an app so it doesn't run through the stairs or under the furniture, where there might be a mess. Other robot vacuums are able to detect the kind of flooring they are cleaning so they can adjust their suction and brush best robot cleaner features to get the best results.
Some models have object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even a camera) to spot objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to walk around them, rather than running into them. This is a great option when your pets or children are prone to leaving toys all over the house.
Another smart feature that could be of interest to you is voice control which allows you to operate the robot using your voice instead of using the on-board buttons. This is helpful for children who aren't yet old enough to operate the robot or when it's practical for you.
How often you should use your robot will be contingent on how much dirt or debris has accumulated on your floor. Most experts suggest using a robot vacuum several times a week to keep your floors looking good and to remove pet hair, lint and surface dirt before it gets ground in or become more difficult to get rid of.
If you're limited with areas of floor space and don't want to utilize your robot for other tasks, a budget model like our top choice the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's affordable, easy to set up and use and can complete the task without causing any noise disruption while you watch TV or work.