What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum can keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on a regular basis. Many of them use apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them from areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vac-mop will create the map of your home's layout with its first run. It then saves the area to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, choose one that can take in large items, like lamps and toys and also dust particles. This will help ensure they don't get caught by the roller brush and don't end up on your floors. This feature is especially crucial if your robot is going to be regularly cleaned by children or pets.

It's an excellent idea to choose a model with strong motors and plenty of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another crucial factor to consider. If you have a large house, you may want to choose models that have multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire house in one session. Some models also have a mopping function that can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums last a long time however they'll need to be cleaned regularly and properly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean regularly will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many the years to be. Many owners of robot vacuums we speak with have owned the same model for a decade or more (and replaced brushes, motors and batteries as they went along).

A basic robot is much less expensive than a large vacuum cleaner. They'll be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning the surface of dirt, pet fur and lint. They're a great maintenance cleaner that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floors tidy. However, they don't come with as smart technology, and can be susceptible to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The top robot vacuums make use of sensors, cameras or lasers to navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. Some models will return to their dock or base when the battery is low. They also can avoid obstacles like furniture cords and legs. The most expensive models usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to memorize the arrangement of your home, and reduce the amount of time you're running into walls.

If you don't want to spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you can find a model that is capable of removing pet hair dirt, dust, and crumbs from hard floors like wood and tile and carpets with a low pile. They can also do a decent job of handling larger objects such as metal screws or staples that have rust, or the remains of toys. Some come with a base that automatically empty itself, which is great when you don't need to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric such as schedules, zone targeting and the ability to control them via an app or voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't wish robots to access.

Some robotic vacs like the eufy robot vacuum cleaner 11S and my former top choice the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from crashing into furniture or getting caught in cords. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes sensors powered by processors to see and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots that I've tested, but it does an excellent job of avoiding obstacles and rarely gets stuck or derailed when working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance tool but it wasn't always able to do an excellent job of avoiding dirt and crumbs from my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum certain areas leading to dust accumulation in the filters and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best self emptying robot vacuum robots vacuums come with an app that allows you to alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at the floor area covered by the machine. This is a handy feature, Best Buy and one that many competitors don't have. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at specified times and continue to run on a regular basis, like cleaning your living room prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app can also let you control your robot via voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free. You can say "start cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

Find a model that has a large dust bin. This will allow you to do numerous cleaning sessions without having empty it. There are models that self-empty, which takes some of the work out of emptying the robot after each cleaning run.

If you're looking to purchase a robot that does more than vacuum, think about the models that have a mopping function. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums and come with a water tank that can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before it needs to be empty.

The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home. They can even remember the layout from one cleaning to another which can help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, since it won't have to go back to where it started when it encounters walls or furniture.

Our test participants found that the robots with this feature were very efficient. They could watch television or perform other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some models use laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or in all rooms while you are at work.

App Control

If you'd like to alter how often the robot cleans your home and choose a cleaning option, it's Best Buy to get one that is compatible with an app for mobile devices. You can also check the status of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin using the app. Some of the top vacuums that are robotic can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot equipped with an washable filter and self-emptying bin, particularly when the filter is easily removed and rinsed. A high-powered brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the blockage of brushes that could happen in other robots.

Certain robo-vacs utilize navigation tools that help them discover your home and navigate around obstacles. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to detect obstacles like furniture, stairs, and cords. Cheaper models may use boundary strips to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with young children who throw socks and toys all over the home. This can help your robot to collect these items instead of scattering.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mop heads. This is great for those with hard floors who need to mop regularly. These robots have a water reservoir that is built into their chassis or as a separate component that can be swapped in when ready to mop. They might need to be refilled more often than other types of robots, but they're perfect for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned by vacuum.

We've seen some impressive technology packed into these little robots and they're cheaper than you expect. You can get a good one for less than $200, and it does a decent job cleaning on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rugs. You can schedule the robot to clean the room on a regular basis and can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.