The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum can do most of the cleaning work for you. It can remove pet hair, lint, and dirt from surfaces and furniture before they get stuck. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free clean experience.
Many models have the ability to map, which allows them to draw a map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around cords that connect devices.
What to Do You Look For?
Certain robots have advanced features that allow you to control them through the app and voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. These include smart mapping spot and zone cleaning, and the ability to avoid objects. These machines may also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Choose a model that has broad brushes that can clean up large debris and is small enough to be able to fit under furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum can move over multiple floor types without having to change brushes or change suction settings. This can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and shorten its life.
The best robot vacuums have high-quality filters that sift out fine particles to protect the inside of your home and an accessible collection bin that allows you to clear it frequently. Some robot vacuums come with an additional side brush that can remove pet hair or debris in hard-to reach places like under and behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can observe the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.
You can also use the app to set the boundaries of furniture and rooms you don't want it to enter. Some models are also able to detect the type of floor and alter their brush and vacuum settings to match.
There are robots that recharge and continue cleaning where they left off when their battery is exhausted. Some robot vacuums have a camera built in which allows you to view the path taken by your robot and what it has collected.
Certain robots can be controlled by voice commands however, not all. Make sure that the model you choose is compatible with the voice assistant of your preference, and then test the way it responds to various commands during the purchase process. Some robots will even empty their trash bins or clean their docking stations, which will help you reduce your chore list. This feature is costly, as are a larger storage container and a faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots aren't able to substitute for a full-on vacuum cleaner or broom, they can provide an effective and efficient alternative to the routine of keeping floors clean. The best robot vacuum robotic cleaners can clean up small particles like dust, pet hair, and crumbs, or bigger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without causing damage to the flooring or furniture.
Most of the time, they'll detect what type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features in accordance with the type of surface to more effectively clean your floors. This is especially important if you have various flooring types throughout your home. Many models come with the option to set virtual boundaries. This lets you instruct your robot to stay out of certain areas of your house. This can be helpful in preventing your kids or pets from getting into areas they shouldn't be in, and it helps to ensure that your entire house gets cleaned in every scheduled session.
It is also important to consider how much autonomy you're comfortable giving your robot. Certain models require you be present and attentive, whereas others operate independently. They can alter cleaning modes and schedules via an app on mobile devices or by voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and understand your home's layout and allow you to set up zones, and tell the robot to clean specific areas within your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot+ proved to be the best robot for "set it and forget it". It excelled in mapping, forming virtual boundaries and avoiding obstacles better than all the other robots we tested. Additionally, it can completely empty itself so you don't need to do that manually and has side brushes that can help sweep debris out of corners and edges that the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors allow it to get behind and under furniture to provide a deeper clean than most robots, while its advanced navigation system makes it more efficient in cleaning the entire floor of your home in a single charge as compared to other devices we've tested. With its low cost you'll be able to find it difficult to beat for daily use.
Battery Life
A high-quality robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore, and more like a luxury. Promptly nabbing tracked-in dirt, crumbs and shedding pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home is on a regular basis. A basic robot can handle the majority of cleaning tasks. However, those who prefer a more relaxed experience may want to look for a model that can be used as a mop.
Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI provides excellent performance in both vacuuming and mopping modes. It can handle dirt, pet hair, and even cat litter. The feature to avoid objects is particularly impressive, enabling it to avoid objects and avoid getting stuck on them.
It also has a long battery lifespan and a huge dust bin, making it able to cover a decent amount of space in a single session. It also functions as a smart vacuum, which means that it can make maps of your home and use apps, such as those provided by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to allow you to control it with voice commands.
The app that comes with the robot lets you set up schedules, designate specific rooms for cleaning, or the ability to pause and resume sessions. It will notify you when its battery is running low and then return to the docking station for recharging.
The robot is also able to distinguish between hard floors and carpets, and adjust its settings according to the type of floor. This will prevent the machine from getting stuck on one type of floor and accidentally tearing your furniture. It is not able to detect seams or carpeting with high pile in rooms, which is why it is important to be cautious when picking up large objects.
To keep robot vacuums in top condition, they require maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair and emptying the trash bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Cameras and sensors must also be cleaned between uses. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these steps as well as others, which can vary according to the model.
Cost
The most effective robot vacuums aren't inexpensive, but they're much less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or even a stand-up one. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, as they only require you to empty and sometimes rinse their dust bins following every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums come with smart features that can help them be more effective in your home, for instance mapping technology which lets you guide the vacuum on the layout of your space by using an app, so it is aware not to go into the stairs or under the furniture where there could be a mess. Other robot vacuums can recognize the kind of floor they are cleaning, so they can adjust their suction and brush features to get the best results.
Some models have objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even cameras) to identify objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to move around them, rather than running through them. This can be a huge help for families with children or pets who tend to scatter toys around the home.
Voice control is a different feature that you could consider useful. It allows you to control your robot with your voice, rather than the buttons on board. This can be beneficial if you have little ones who aren't yet old enough to use the controls or if you are looking for a hands-free option.
How often you have to use your robot will depend on the amount of dirt and debris is typically on your floors. Most experts recommend using a robotic vacuuming at least once per week to keep your floors looking great and nabbing pet hair, dust and dirt from the surface before it is able to get ground in or become more difficult to remove.
If you have limited floor surfaces and don't plan to utilize your robot for other tasks, a budget model like our top choice the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's reasonably priced, easy to install and operate and gets the job done with little noise interference while you watch TV or work.