How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you're willing to live without smart capabilities like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum could be a good choice for you. Look for one that has a clean base and is compatible with voice assistants.
It excels at removing dirt, clumps of pet hair and cat litter on tile floors, hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting better than any other robo vacuum we've tested. It also maps and create virtual no-go zones in rooms or areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum can help you keep up with the dust, pet fur and dander that settles on your floor every day. It also can reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, saving you time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction, which will take on the majority of messes and leave your house cleaner.
Selecting a vacuum that also mop will help you achieve more coverage using one machine, which could be especially helpful in larger homes. There are models with a water tank either in the chassis itself or as an additional piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It will have to be emptied and filled in order to complete the task.
In the ideal world, you'd clear your floors prior to using your robot vacuum to prevent it from crashing into objects. In most homes, however it's not feasible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models allow you to use your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot will detect and avoid. Some models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don't wish it to be allowed to enter. For instance, a child's room or a pile of cords in an area.
If you're looking for a simple robot vacuum without all the bells and whistles, this model made by the company that makes networking TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet, and it works on hard floors as well as low-pile rugs and can be scheduled through the app to vacuum or mop at any time. It has a long battery life, which can last up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.
2. Easy to operate
Robot vacuums typically require only minimal effort from you. They utilize navigation tools like sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to navigate around obstacles and remove dust, food crumbs and pet hair from floors, tile carpets, and hardwood. Many have boundary strips that help them stay within a room's walls, while higher-end models can be programmed to automatically wake up and begin cleaning at a set time. Some models even have fall detection technology that helps them avoid tumbling down stairs or getting tangled in electrical cords.
Look for models that can be controlled from your couch via 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. Depending on how large your house is, you may prefer an item that has a long battery life and a large dust bin that doesn't need to be emptying frequently.
Certain robot vacuums are also mops. They utilize 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 top rated robot vacuum that come with an ejectable microfiber pad for mopping, or opt for a self-emptying model that lets you go 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Certain robots employ advanced mapping technology to create a precise map of your floorplan while they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid crashing into furniture or falling over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is only available on the top models, but it allows your robot to have a thorough understanding of your home's layout and know where to go when the battery runs out.
If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your home you'd prefer to keep it away from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of gadget cords in the corner) The majority of robots offer some way to create virtual barriers, either via their apps or a set of physical boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don't wish your robot to go into to allow it to concentrate on the rooms that require the most attention.
A lot of robots are able to automatically navigate to different floorings based on the type of floor they're cleaning, whether they're switching between hard flooring and carpet or focusing on particular areas of your home, such as baseboards and corners. This feature proved to be effective in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. It is essential to put away any loose cords or furniture before using your robot vacuum so it doesn't get caught.
4. Remote Control
Most robot vacuums are WiFi-connected and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow users to control them with voice commands or through your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and create an outline of your space after each cleaning session so that they can "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future trips. Some come with obstacles avoidance built-in to prevent them from causing damage to furniture and getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or pet hair.
Most robots have an remote control that can be used to guide them around your house. However, many can be controlled via an app on your mobile that comes with additional options. You can typically set multiple cleaning schedules, build a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot around specific areas using directions on the screen.
Some models have no-go zones. These are virtual barriers that can be created in the app to stop the robot from entering certain areas (like kid's toys or dishes for dogs and dog beds). top rated robot vacuum let you make an outline of your home and give the robot detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features that will aid in cleaning the house. However, its interface isn't quite as polished as that from iRobot or Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robotic vacuums that can sweep all over your home without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some of them work with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also make an outline of your living space, allowing you to program them to clean specific areas or rooms, and to beware of obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums come with some degree of detection of objects however, higher-end models like the iRobot j7 come with advanced features such as "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that will simplify your life (although our test bot did "eat" the socks of a pair). socks). If you're looking to take your home maintenance to the next level consider a robot mop with a tank of water that you fill and empty yourself.
While no of the models we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a stand-up vacuum they did an excellent job cleaning hard floors and carpets with low pile. They are great at sweeping up fine dust and food crumbs, tracked-in dirt and pet hair. They can also tackle pet litter that is stray and metal screws and nuts. The top robot vacuums can easily maneuver around furniture, and they do a great job of cleaning edges and corners as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
With the right configuration and the right setup, a robotic vacuum can assist you in keeping your home looking and feeling cleaner on a regular basis with minimal effort. You can schedule cleanings through the app and set up zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot doesn't damage your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks also automatically empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations for you.
The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a time, saving you from the tedious chore of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This allows you to enjoy more time doing things you enjoy, and decreases the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.
During testing the Q Revo was able to grab tiny particles such as baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like nails and screws made of metal as well as fluffy things like pet hair. It lacks the intelligent mapping and objects-avoiding features of our top picks but is still a great choice for families with children.
The best thing about the j7 is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles like power cords and socks, shoes and pet waste. This means that you don't need to spend time tidying up before you can run your robot, however cluttered rooms will mean that your bot may get stuck and not do as well.