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 daily basis. Many work with apps to allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or 'walls' to keep them out of areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vac-mop makes an outline of your home's layout with its initial run. It then remembers the area to help you with future cleaning tasks. It comes with a large dust bin that automatically empties and self-cleaning, self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that is able to pick up big items, such as toys and lamp cords, as well as fine dirt. This will ensure that they don't get caught in the roller brush, and aren't left behind on your floors. This feature is particularly important when you have children or pets and may need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's also a good idea to choose a model with an efficient motor and lots of suction power. This will help it be more effective at getting up pet hair, dust and lint off your carpets and hardwood floors.

Another important consideration is the size of your space. If you live in a large house, you may want to pick a model that has multiple cleaning zones so you can clean the entire house in one go. Some models also have mopping functions that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your machine functioning efficiently for many years. Many robot vacuum owners we have spoken to have owned their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll still perform a great job of cleaning the surface of dirt as well as pet fur and lint. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can distribute every week to keep your floors free of dirt. The drawback is that they don't offer as much smart technology, and can be prone to becoming stuck or requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best vacuum robot mop robot vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to help you navigate your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They also can avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models will automatically return to their dock or base when they run out of energy. Some of the more expensive models come with the ability to map, which allows them to memorize your home's layout and spend less time bumping against walls.

You don't have to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a great job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces like wood, tile, and low-pile rugs. They also can handle larger debris such as nails that are rusty, metal screws or discarded toys. Some models even have a self-emptying base that is handy in the event that you don't wish to empty the trash bin after every clean-up.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features, making the standard stick vacuum look old-fashioned. These include scheduling, zone-targeting and the ability to control them using an app or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and 'virtual walls to block off areas you do not want the robots to venture.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over cords or furniture. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that uses sensors powered by processors to identify and avoid items like lamp cords, shoes, socks, and pet waste. It is a little bit more expensive than the other bots I've tested, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and rarely gets stuck or derailed when working on my floor.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a great obstacle avoidance bot however, it wasn't always doing well in removing dirt and crumbs from my carpets. It also was known to over-vacuum certain areas, resulting in dust accumulation in the filters, and a less tidy house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums come with an app that lets you customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and see a map of the floor area covered by the machine. This is a great feature that other models don't have. It allows you to create profiles which will automatically start the robot at certain times and run it regularly. For example, it could be cleaning the living room every day, or just before dinner.

A good app can allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot through voice commands.

To enjoy a hands-free and effortless experience, choose models with a large dust bin that can accommodate numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after every time you vacuum.

If you're looking for a robotic that does more than vacuum, consider one that has mopping functions. These are typically larger than the robotic vacuums and have a water tank in the interior that can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and other debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your home and can even keep track of the arrangement from one cleaning to another, which helps them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a significant difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum because it won't need to return to the beginning when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch TV or complete other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your home, which means that you can program them to clean just the bedroom after dinner or each room of the house when you're at work.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency with which the robot cleans your house and select a cleaning mode you should choose one that has an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also see the state of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin in the app. Some of the top vacuums that are robotic can be controlled by Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot that has an washable filter and self-emptying bin, particularly when the filter is easily removed and rinsed. Another great feature is a powerful brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to get rid of dirt and hair. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair leg than others. Others come with an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to avoid clogging.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to help them navigate around obstacles and to learn about your home. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords. Cheaper models may use boundaries to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys around the house. This can help your robot collect these items instead of scattering.

We're beginning to see more robots equipped with mops which are great for people who have hard floors and require to regularly clean them. These robots have an integrated water tank into the chassis, or an additional piece that you can swap in when you're ready to mop. They may require to be refilled more frequently than other kinds of robots, however they're ideal for homes with floors made of wood that can't be easily cleaned with a vacuum.

We've seen some incredible technology packed into these little robots and they're cheaper than you expect. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that does a decent job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs off hard floors, and also navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rugs. You can program the robot to clean rooms on a regular basis and it can be controlled remotely with the app or by pressing buttons on its side.