How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you don't need advanced features such as mapping and aren't worried about emptying your bin every 60 to 90 days, a basic robotic vacuum is probably for you. Choose a model with an uncluttered base that can work with voice assistants.
It is a pro at picking up dirt, pet hair and cat litter on hardwood floors, tile and carpeting that is lower-pile better than any other robo vacuum we've tested. It also has the ability to map out and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum will help you keep track of the pet fur, dust and dander that settles on your floors every day. It also can reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save your time and effort. The best models have powerful suction that can take on the majority of messes and leave your home cleaner.
Selecting a vacuum that can also mop can help you cover more ground by using just one machine. This could be especially helpful for homes with a large area. There are models that has a water tank built into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can remove after vacuuming. You'll have to empty it and fill it up, however, so this is an additional task that will require a little extra work on your part.
In a perfect world, you'd clean your floors prior to using your robot vacuum to prevent it from crashing into objects. But in most homes, this isn't feasible or desirable. Thankfully, most models let you use your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot can detect and avoid. Some models include no-go areas that you can mark areas you don't wish it to access. For example the child's room or a pile of cords in an area.
If you're looking for a simple robot vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and bells, this model from the networking company TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet, it can be used on hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed using the app to mop and vacuum at your convenience. It has a long battery life, which can last for up to 180 minutes before it needs to recharge.
2. Simple to operate
In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of sensors lasers, cameras, and sensors to maneuver and collect dust, pet hair, and food crumbs from hard floors, tile and hardwood. Many have boundary strips to allow them to stay within the walls of a room while higher-end models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a predetermined time. Some models even have fall detection technology that prevents tumbling down stairs or getting tangled in electrical cords.
Find models that can be controlled from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. robotvacuummops.com can also pick Wi-Fi models that allow you to start a cleaning session anywhere using an app. Depending on how big your house is, you may want one that has a long battery life and a large dust bin that doesn't have to be emptied frequently.
Some robot vacuums can also be mopping. They make use of water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is helpful for normal mopping, but it won't be effective for messes that are more difficult to clean, such as pet poop or other wet spills. You can choose hybrids with an able mopping pad made of microfiber or a self-emptying option that lets you go up to 60 days before emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Some robots use advanced mapping technology to create an accurate map of your floorplan as they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid falling into furniture or falling over things such as cords or chairs. This feature is usually only available on higher-end models, but it's certainly one of the best ways to make sure your robot has a complete understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go next when it's running out of battery.
Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done via an application or even physical boundary strips. This lets you block off zones that you don't want your robot venture into, so it can focus its attention on the areas and rooms that require the most cleaning.
Many robots can also automatically navigate to different floorings based on the type of surface they're cleaning, whether that's switching between hard and carpet or focusing on particular areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. In our tests this was a helpful feature that improved their performance in picking up carpeting made of low-pile or hardwood. But, it's still essential to put away furniture and cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn't become stuck or come into contact with something it shouldn't.
4. Remote Control
Almost all robot vacuums are WiFi-enabled and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which allow users to control them with voice commands or via your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and create maps of your home after each cleaning session, so that they can "learn" your layout and devise more efficient routes for future runs. Some come with obstacle avoidance built in, which prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.
Most robots are equipped with the ability to control them with a remote that you can use to move them around your home. However, most can also be controlled using a mobile app that offers more options. It is possible to create multiple cleaning schedules, create the list of rooms you like and even manually guide your robot to specific areas using directions on the screen.
Some models offer no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can set up in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dog beds and bowls). Certain apps let you create a map of your house and provide more detailed information about the floors. The app that we recommend as our top pick one, the Roborock S7+, has numerous options to help you tidy your home, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robotic vacs that can clean throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some robot vacuums are compatible with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also build an outline of your space and allow you to program them to clean specific rooms or areas and stay clear of obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, however the iRobot J7 has advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life easier (although one of our test bots did "eat" a couple of socks). If you're trying to improve your home maintenance, think about the use of a robot mop and water containers that can be filled and then empty.
While none of the models we tested can match the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum most do an admirable job at cleaning carpets with low pile and hard floors. They excel at sweeping up fine dust and food dust, tracked-in dirt, and pet hair. They can even tackle some pet litter that is stray and metal screws and nuts. The top robot vacuums can easily maneuver through furniture, and they do a great job of cleaning edges and corners as well. For a basic model that functions by itself and is reasonably priced, check out the Eufy 11S.
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 your cleanings using the app and create zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot doesn't harm your plants or your favorite chair. Many of our top picks empty their dustbins for you and clean their docking station.
The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a time, which saves you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or even every day. This lets you have more time to do the things you love and decreases the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.
In our tests, Q Revo was able to capture fine particles such as baking soda and oatmeal. It also picked up heavier particles such as nails and screws made of metal, as well as fluffy stuff like pet hair. It does not have the intelligent mapping and object-avoiding features found in our top picks but is still a great option for families with children.
The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes and socks as well as pet waste. This means you don't have to spend time tidying the room prior to running your robot, although cluttered rooms will mean that your bot may get stuck and not be able to do as good a job.