What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum will help keep you on top of pet hair and lint on regular basis. Many of them use apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac-mop makes the map of your home using its first run. It then remembers the area to be used for cleaning tasks in the future. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically emptys and self-cleaning, self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that can pick up big items, such as lamps and toys as well as dust particles. This will help ensure they don't get caught in the roller brush and aren't left behind on your floors. This is especially important for those who have pets or children and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's recommended to select a model that has a powerful motor and plenty of suction power. This will help it to be more effective in removing dust, pet hair and lint off carpets and hardwood floors.

Another factor to consider is the size of your space. If you live in a large house you might want to pick models that have multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean the entire house in one session. Certain models also include a mopping function, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are tough, but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will ensure that your robot is functioning efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums who we talk to have been using their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot is less expensive than a large vacuum cleaner. They'll still do an excellent job of cleaning robots surface dirt pet fur, lint and other debris. You can use them to scrub your floors multiple times per day. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more prone to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best budget robot vacuum mop robot vacs use sensors, lasers or cameras to guide them around your home without getting stuck or falling down the staircase. Some models can return to their dock or base when their batteries are low. They can also avoid obstacles such as furniture legs and cords. Some of the more expensive models have the ability to map, which allows them to remember your home's layout and therefore spend less time bouncing off walls.

If you're not looking to spend a lot of money on the latest robotic vacuums, you can find one that is capable of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tile and wood as well as low-pile carpets. They also can handle larger debris such as nails with rusty screws, metal screws or discarded toys. Some come with an auto-emptying base that is handy for those who don't want to empty the trash bin after every cleaning run.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features, making the standard stick vacuum look outdated. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the ability for you to control them via an app or voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you do not want the robots to enter.

Some robotic vacs, such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that prevents them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling with cords. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes sensors powered by processors to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tested however, it did a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles in my home. It was also very rarely derailed or trapped while working on my floors.

The iRobot J7+ was a fantastic obstacle avoidance robot however, it didn't always succeed at avoiding crumbs and dirt on my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, leading to dust accumulation in the filters, and an unclean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robot vacuums have an app that lets you customize cleaning modes and schedules, as well as view an outline of the area of floor that the machine covers. This is an excellent feature that many competitors don't have. This lets you create profiles which will automatically start the robot at specified times and continue to run continuously. For example, it could be cleaning the living area every day, or just before dinner.

A good app will also let you control your robot via voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work entirely hands-free, meaning you can say "start cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

For a truly hands-free experience, opt for models with a large dust bin that can withstand numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. You can also find models that self-empty, which takes some of the burden of emptying the best robot vacuum cleaner and mop machine after each vacuuming run.

If you're looking for a robot capable of doing more than just vacuum, you'll want to consider a model that can mop floors. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums and have an internal water tank that holds many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your home and can even remember the layout between cleanings which can help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a significant difference in the speed at which your robot vacuums, as it won't need to spend time going back to the beginning of the room if it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test subjects found that robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch TV or do other things while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models utilize laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your entire house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or every room in your home while you're at work.

App Control

If you're looking to change the frequency at which the robot cleans your house and select the cleaning mode, it's best robot mop for hardwood floors to get one that is compatible with a mobile app. Within the app, you can check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot with the ability to wash the filter and a self-emptying container, especially if the filter can be easily removed and rinsed. A powerful brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair leg splinters than others. Others come with a sensor that automatically cleans brushes to prevent clogging.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools that help them discover your home and overcome obstacles. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to identify obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords. Cheaper models may utilize boundaries to mark areas that you don't wish to see it go. Avoidance of objects can be particularly useful for families with young children who throw socks and toys around the home. This can help your robot to gather these items, instead of scattering them.

More robots are equipped with mops. This is beneficial for those with floors that are hard and need to mop frequently. These robots come with a water tank built into the chassis or an additional piece that you can swap in when it's time to mop. These robots may require frequent refills but they're ideal for homes with hard floors that aren't cleaned with vacuums.

We've seen some incredible technology in these small robots and they're cheaper than you imagine. You can get a good one for less than $200, and it does a decent cleaning job on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and area rugs. The robot can be programmed to vacuum specific rooms on a regular basis. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.