How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you don't need the most advanced features like mapping, and aren't worried about emptying your bin every 60 to 90 days, a basic robotic vacuum could be suitable for you. Choose a model that is clean and can work with voice assistants.

It excels at picking up 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 also maps and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum can assist you in keeping up with the pet fur, dust and dander that settles on your floor every day. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save your time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction, which will take on the majority of messes and leave your house cleaner.

You can cover more area by using a robot vacuum as well as a mop, which can be beneficial if you live in an extensive home. There are models with a water tank either integrated into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be filled and empty and refilled, which is an additional task to complete.

In a perfect universe, you would clear your floors before you use your robot vacuum to prevent it from running into anything. However, in the majority of homes, this isn't feasible or desirable. Most models allow you to utilize an app that you can install on your phone to create virtual barriers the robot can observe. Certain models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don't want the robot to be allowed to enter. For example the child's room or a pile of cords in a corner.

If you're looking to buy a basic robot vacuum without all the bells and whistles, this model from the networking company TP-Link is a great choice. It's quiet, it can be used on hard floors as well as carpets with low pile and can be programmed through the app to vacuum and mop at your convenience. It's got a long battery life that can last for up to 180 minutes before it needs to recharge.

2. Easy to operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to maneuver around obstacles and remove dust, food crumbs and pet hair from floors, tiles, hardwood and low-pile carpets. A lot of them have boundary strips that help them stay within a room's walls, while pricier models can be programmed to automatically wake up and begin cleaning at a set time. Some models have fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

Look for models that you can control from your couch using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also choose Wi-Fi models that allow you to begin cleaning from anywhere with an app. You may prefer a model that has an extremely long-lasting battery as well as an enormous dust bin, based on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums can double as mops, utilizing reservoirs of water to clean your floors. This is useful for normal mopping, but it won't work for extra-tough messes, like pet poop or other wet spills. You can pick hybrids with an adjustable microfiber mopping pad or Brookstone Robot Vacuum a self-emptying option that allows you to go up to 60 days before emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots employ advanced mapping technology to create a precise map as they clean. This makes it easier to avoid hitting furniture and getting caught on cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on higher-end models however, it allows your robot to be aware of the layout of your home and knows 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 kids' toys or the tangled mess of gadget cords in the corner), most robots offer some way to create virtual barriers, either with their apps or a set of physical boundary strips. You can block off areas you don't wish your robot to go into, so that it can concentrate on the rooms that require the most attention.

Many robots also automatically change floors depending on the kind of flooring they are cleaning. This can be achieved by switching from carpet to hard flooring or by focusing on certain areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. In our tests, this was a useful feature that improved their pick-up scores for both carpeting that is low-pile and hardwood. It is important to secure any furniture or cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum, so that it doesn't become caught.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many tesvor robot vacuum vacuums connect to smart home systems, and generate a map of the area they clean after each cleaning session. This allows them to "learn" the way your home is laid out and plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Certain models have obstacle avoidance built in to prevent them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or pet hair.

The majority of robots come with the ability to control them with a remote that you can use to navigate them around your house. Most robots can be controlled via a mobile application which has more options. You can usually create multiple cleaning schedules, create a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas using directional arrows on the screen.

Certain models have no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can configure within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dog beds and bowls). Some apps allow you to create an outline of your home and provide more detailed information about the floors. The app on our top robot vacuum pick one, the Roborock S7+, has a lot of useful options to help you clean your house, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacs that can clean a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their trash bins can save you time and energy. Some robot vacuums are compatible with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to enable hands-free operation. They can also make an outline of your living space and allow 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 has advanced features such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life easier (although one of our test robots did "eat" a couple of socks). If you're looking to push your home maintenance to the next level consider a robot mop that has a water tank that you fill and empty yourself.

While none of the models we tested could match the dirt-picking power of a stand-up model, the majority of them do an excellent job of cleaning carpets and hard floors. They excel at sweeping up fine dust and food particles, dirt tracked in and pet hair. They are also able to handle screws and nuts made of metal as well as cats' litter. The most effective robot vacuums are able to easily maneuver around furniture and excel at cleaning corners and edges as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the right configuration, a robot vacuum can aid in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh regularly, without a lot of effort. 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 ruin your favorite chair. The majority of our top picks will empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking stations.

The top Brookstone Robot vacuum vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for months or even weeks at a stretch, freeing you from the arduous task of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you spend more time on things you enjoy and reduces the amount of time your floors need to be cleaned manually.

In our tests, the Q Revo was able to grab tiny particles such as oatmeal and baking soda, heavier debris such as nails and screws made of steel and even fluffy matter such as hair of pets. It's not equipped with the advanced mapping and object avoidance features found in our top picks, but it's sufficient for Brookstone Robot Vacuum the majority of families.

The j7's best buy robot vacuum feature is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles like power cords as well as socks and shoes, and pet waste. This means that you don't need to spend time tidying up before running your robot, however clutter in your home can mean your bot may get stuck and not be able to do as good a job.