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 robot vacuum could be suitable for you. Select a model with an uncluttered base that can work with voice assistants.

It excels at picking up dirt, cat litter and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpeting with less pile than any other robo vacuum we’ve tested. It can also plan out and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or certain 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 each day. It can also cut down on the frequency you have to do a deeper clean and saves you time and effort. The most effective model comes with powerful suction that can clean up most mess and leave your home clean.

You can take care of more space by using a robot vacuum as well as a mop, which can be useful if you have an extensive home. You can find a model that has a water tank built into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can take out after vacuuming. You’ll have to empty it and fill it up, however it’s an additional chore that requires some extra effort on your part.

In a perfect world, you would clear your floors first before you use your robot vacuum to prevent it from running into anything. In the majority of homes, however this isn’t possible or desirable. The majority of models let you use an app for your smartphone to build virtual barriers the robot can see. Some models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas that you don’t want it to be allowed to enter. For example the child’s room or a pile cords in an area.

This model is a good choice if you want a simple robot cleaner without all the bells and whistles. It is quiet, can be used on hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed through the app to vacuum and mop at your leisure. It has a long battery life that can last up to 180 minutes.

2. Easy to Operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors, lasers and cameras to navigate through obstacles and collect food particles, dust and pet hair from hard floors, tile carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. A lot of them have boundary strips that aid in staying within the walls of a room while pricier models can be programmed to automatically wake up and begin cleaning at a predetermined time. Certain models come with fall detection technology to help them avoid falling down stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

Look for models that can be controlled from your couch via voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. Also, look for models that connect to Wi-Fi and allow you to start cleaning sessions from anywhere through an app. Depending on how big your house is, you might prefer a model that has a long battery life and a roomy dustbin that doesn’t require being emptying frequently.

Some robot vacuums can also be mopping. They use water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is ideal for mopping, but not great for difficult messes such as pet poop and other wet spills. There are hybrids that come with a removable microfiber pad for mopping, or choose a self-emptying model that lets you go 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots utilize advanced mapping technology to create a precise map of your floorplan as they clean, making it easier for them to avoid crashing into furniture or tripping over things such as cords or chairs. This feature is typically only available on higher-end models, but it’s one of the best ways to make sure your robot has a full understanding of the layout of your home and can determine where to go when it’s running out of battery.

Most robots let you create virtual barriers. This can be done using an app or physically-based boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don’t want your robot to enter in order to concentrate on the areas that require the most attention.

Many robots can also automatically navigate to different flooring types depending on the surface they’re cleaning, whether that’s switching between carpet and hard flooring or focusing on certain areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. In our tests it was a great feature that improved their performance in picking up carpeting made of low-pile or hardwood. It is important to secure any loose cords or furniture prior to using your robot vacuum so it doesn’t get caught.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled using voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums connect to smart home systems and can create 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. There are also built-in obstacles avoidance that stops them from crashing into furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or shoe laces, as well as pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to control them around your home. Most robots are controlled by a mobile app, which offers more features. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and create an inventory of your preferred rooms. You can also guide the robot by using the directional arrows.

Some models offer no-go zones These are virtual barriers you can set up within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for children or dog bowls and beds). Some apps let you create an image of your home and provide more detailed information about the floors. The app we ranked as our top pick, the Roborock S7+, has many useful options to help you tidy your home, however its interface isn’t as polished as those from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that clean your entire house without stopping to recharge or emptying their trash bins save time and effort. Some of them work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also make an outline of the space to allow 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 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” two socks). If you’re looking to improve your home’s maintenance, consider a robot mop with an water container that you can fill and empty.

While no of the models we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a standup vacuum, they did a great job cleaning hard floors and low pile carpets. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs and tracked-in dirt. They are also able to tackle pet litter that is stray and metal screws and nuts. The top robot vacuums can clean edges and corners and can work around furniture. For a basic model that works by itself and is comparatively inexpensive look into the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can keep your home tidy and clean without you having to do many tasks. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and create no-go zones to ensure that your robot doesn’t damage your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations.

The best Affordable robot mop robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for weeks or even months at a stretch, freeing you from the time-consuming task of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This lets you take more time doing the things you enjoy and reduces the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.

During testing, Q Revo was able grab fine particles such as baking soda and oatmeal. It also snatched up heavier particles such as nails and screws made of steel, as well as fluffy things like pet hair. It’s not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and object avoidance features found in our top picks, but it’s sufficient for the majority of families.

The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to spot and avoid obstacles such as power cords as well as socks and shoes and pet waste. This means you don’t have to spend time tidying the room prior to running your robot, however cluttered rooms will mean that your bot may get stuck and not perform the job as well.