What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A good robotic vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many work with apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.
This smart vac and mop creates a home map with its first run, memorizing your home's layout for future tasks. It has self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an large dust bin that is empty automatically.
Object Detection
When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, choose one that can clean up big items such as lamp cords and toys as well as dust particles that are fine. This will ensure that they don't become entangled in the roller brush and aren't left behind on your floors. This is particularly crucial if your robot is going to be cleaned frequently by pets or children.
It's also a good idea to select a model that has a powerful motor and plenty of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint, and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.
Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your home. If you have a huge house, you may prefer models with multiple cleaning zones that can clean your entire house in one go. Certain models have mopping features that can be used to keep floors looking fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums can last for a long time however they'll need to be maintained regularly and in a proper manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will keep your machine running smoothly for long time to come. Many of the owners of robot vacuums who we talk to have owned their machines for ten years or longer (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries as time went by).
A basic robot is less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They will still perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces pet fur, lint and other debris. They're an excellent maintenance tool that you can use every week to keep your floor tidy. The drawback is that they don't offer as much technological innovation, and may be susceptible to becoming stuck or needing human intervention.
Object Avoidance
The most effective robot vacuums utilize sensors, cameras or lasers to guide you around your home and avoid getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Some models will return to their base or dock when their batteries are low. They can also avoid obstacles such as furniture cords and legs. The most expensive models usually have mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the layout of your home and spend less time running into walls.
You don't need to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do a fantastic job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as wood, tile and low-pile rug. They can also handle bigger debris like nails that are rusty, metal screws or even toys that have been discarded. Some have an automatic base that drains itself, which is ideal if you do not want to empty it every cleaning session.
The majority of robotic vacuums have smart features that make your ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned with features like scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them via an app or a voice assistant like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish the robot to get into.
Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over furniture or cords. Certain robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology that uses cameras, processors and smarts to avoid items like lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tested, but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles in my home. It also didn't get derailed or trapped when I was cleaning my floors.
The J7+ from iRobot was a great obstacle-avoiding robot, but it did not always do a great job in avoiding crumbs or dirt on my carpets. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas, resulting in dust accumulation in the filters, and an unclean house.
Smart Mapping
Some of the top robot vacuums have an application that lets you modify cleaning modes, make schedules, and look at an image of the area covered by the machine. This is an extremely useful feature that other models do not have. This allows you to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at specified times and continue to run on an ongoing basis, such as cleaning the living area prior to dinner or on a regular basis.
A good app will also allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Some models support Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work entirely hands-free, meaning you can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.
Choose a model that has a large dust bin. This will allow you to perform many cleaning sessions without needing empty it. You can also find models that are self-emptying which takes a portion of the burden of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.
If you're looking for a robotic that can do more than vacuum, think about the models that have mopping functions. These are usually bigger than the robotic vacuums, and come with a water tank in the interior that holds several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and other debris prior to needing to be emptied.
Robots that are more sophisticated can make their own maps and remember the layout of your home from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a big 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 when it comes into contact with walls or furniture.
Our testers who used robots with this feature discovered it to be extremely efficient. They could comfortably sit back and watch TV or perform other chores while the robot cleaned. Some models use laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms while you're working.
App Control
If you want to customize the frequency at which the robot cleans your house and select the cleaning mode, it's best to get one that works with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also check the status of the vacuum as well as the state of its dust bin in the app. Some of the top robot vacuums are controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.
A robot that has a self-emptying bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, especially when you are able to access the filter and take it off it to wash it. Another great feature is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to clean up dirt and hair. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair legs than others, and some even have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the obstruction of brushes that may occur in other robots.
Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools to help them navigate around obstacles and help you understand your home. The top models come with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords, while cheaper models may use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark areas you don't want to enter. Object avoidance can be especially beneficial for families with children who throw socks and toys all over the home. This can help your robot collect the items instead of scattering.
We're starting to see more robots with mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to clean them regularly. These robots have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate component that you swap in when they're ready to mop. These robots might require frequent refills however, they are perfect for homes with hard floors that aren't cleaned with a vacuum.
We've seen some impressive technology in these small robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might imagine. In fact, you can find an affordable model for less than $200 that can do a decent job of cleaning pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, while moving around the edges of light carpets or area rugs. The robot can be programmed to clean the room on a regular basis. best robot vacuum and mop can be controlled remotely through an app or by pressing buttons.