The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum will do the majority of the cleaning for you. It will take pet hair, lint, and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they become stuck. Many robot vacuums work with smart assistants like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to give you a hands-free cleaning experience.
Many models come with the ability to map, allowing them to create an interactive map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and traversing clusters of device cords.
What to Find
Certain robots come with advanced features, which allow you to control them via voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. These include smart mapping spot and zone cleaning and object avoidance. These machines could also come with larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Select a model with a wide brush to clean up large debris and that is slim enough to fit underneath furniture. Also check whether the robot vacuum can move over multiple kinds of floors without having to swap out brushes or change suction settings, which could reduce its cleaning effectiveness and decrease its lifespan.
The top robot vacuums come with top-quality filters that catch fine particles to protect the interior of your home and an ample, easy-to-access collection bin that lets you empty it frequently. Some come with an additional side brush for sweeping up pet hair and debris in difficult-to-access areas behind and under furniture. The bins are typically transparent, allowing you to observe the amount of dirt in the bin and when to empty it.
You can also make use of the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms that you do not want it to enter. Some models also recognize the kind of floor they're cleaning, and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings to suit the floor.
There are also robots that can recharge and resume cleaning exactly where they left off in case their batteries are running low. Some robot vacuums come with cameras built-in that allows you to see the path the robot took and the data it has gathered.
A lot of robots allow you to control them using your voice, but they may not do so as well as others. Make sure the model you pick is compatible with the voice assistant you prefer and test it out to see how the robot responds to different commands before buying. Some robots even empty their trash bins or clean their docking stations which will help you reduce your chore list. This is a costly feature and comes with a bigger container for collecting waste and a more rapid charging speeds.
Cleaning Performance
Robots aren't the same as for a vacuum or broom. However they can be incredibly efficient and efficient in keeping your floors clean. Whether you need to keep track of dirt or pet hair, crumbs and crumbs or nab bigger debris like metal screws and wood shavings, most top-rated robotic cleaners are adept at removing different types of debris on the first pass and without causing damage to the flooring or furniture.
In most cases, they'll be able to detect what type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush functions accordingly to more effectively clean your floors. This is especially important when your home is made up of various types of flooring. Many models offer the option of setting virtual boundaries. This allows you to tell your robot to stay clear of certain areas in your home. This helps keep your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire home is kept clean during each scheduled session.
It is also important to consider the amount of autonomy you're comfortable giving your robot. Some models require you to be present and attentive, while others work on their own. They can alter cleaning methods and schedules using the mobile app or via voice commands with an integrated smart assistant. Some models map and learn your home's space, and allow you to create zones, and instruct the robot to clean specific areas within your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our tests, the iRobot+ proved to be the most effective robot for "set it and leave it". It was more adept in mapping the virtual boundaries and avoids obstacles than the other robots that we test. It can also empty itself, so you do not have to manually do it. Additionally, the side brushes help sweep debris from corners and edges which a vacuum can't reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors also permit it to go behind and under best robot vacuums furniture for more thorough cleaning than other robots, while its advanced navigation system is more efficient in cleaning the entire level of your home in a single charge than other models we've tested. It's hard to beat even at a reasonable price.
Battery Life
A good robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore and more like a luxury. The difference between a clean house and one that is filthy can be made by removing dirt that has been tracked in, and crumbs, pet hair, and other messes. A basic robot can take care of the majority of cleaning tasks. However, those who prefer a more hands-off experience might want to look for a model which also can be used as an mop.
Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI offers excellent performance both in vacuuming and mopping modes. It is able to handle pet hair, dirt, and even cat litter. Its object avoidance feature is particularly impressive, enabling it to avoid objects and not become stuck on them.
It has a big dustbin as well as an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a large amount of space in one session. It is also smart vacuum, which means it can create maps of your home and integrate with apps, such as those offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant that let you control it with voice commands.
The app that comes along with the robot allows you to create schedules, assign specific rooms for cleaning or the ability to pause and resume sessions. It will even alert you to when its battery is running low and return to its docking station to recharge.
Another nice feature of this robot is that it can differentiate between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly. This helps keep the machine from being caught up in one type of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. It's not able to detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, which is why it is important to be cautious when picking up large objects.
To keep robot vacuums in good working order, 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 should also be cleaned between each use. The manufacturer will give specific guidelines for these and other steps to maintain, which may vary depending on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums aren't cheap, but they're far less expensive than a professional carpet cleaner or even an all-in-one stand-up vac. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums as they require that you empty and occasionally rinse their dust bins after each cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums come with intelligent features that make them more efficient for your home, such as mapping technology which lets you instruct the vacuum to follow 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 the possibility of a mess. Others can identify what floor type they are working on, allowing them to alter their suction and brush features to achieve the most effective results.
Some models feature object avoidance, which uses sensors (or even a camera) to detect toys and other items on the floor and coach the robot to walk around them, rather than running over them. This is a great option when your pets or children tend to leave toys around the house.
Another feature that might be important to you is voice control that lets you control your robot using your voice instead of using the on-board buttons. This is helpful when your children aren't yet old enough to operate the robot or if it's just convenient for you.
How often you should use your robot will be contingent on how much dirt or debris has accumulated on your floor. The majority of experts recommend using your robot vacuum at least every week in order to keep your floors clean and to remove pet hair, lint and dirt from the surface.
If you're working with limited flooring and don't intend to utilize your robot for other purposes, a budget model such as our top pick the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's affordable, easy to set up and use and does the job without causing any noise disruption while you work or watch TV.