How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you can live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum could be a good choice for you. Find an option that is clean and is compatible with voice assistants.

It is the best robo-vacuum we have tested for cleaning up pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpeting with low pile. It can also plan out and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or certain 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 can also reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save your time and effort. The most effective model comes with powerful suction that will easily take on the most difficult messes and leave your home cleaner.

A robot mop and vacuum combo vacuum that can also mop will help you cover more ground using one machine, which could be especially helpful in larger homes. Find a model that has an water reservoir in the chassis or as a separate piece that you swap in when the vacuuming is done. It will have to be filled and empty in order to complete the chore.

In a perfect world, you'd clean your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from hitting things. In the majority of homes, however it's not feasible or desirable. Thankfully, many models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot will see and avoid. Some models include no-go areas, which you can flag areas that you don't want it to enter. For instance the child's room or a pile of cords in the corner.

If you're looking to buy a basic robot vacuum with no bells and whistles, this model from the networking company TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet and works on both hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be programmed using the app to vacuum and mop at your leisure. It has a long battery life of up to 180 minutes.

2. Simple to operate

Robot vacuums generally need very little from you. They make use of instruments for navigation, such as sensors cameras, lasers, and sensors to move around and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs off tiles, hard floors and hardwood. Many models have boundary strips that allow them to remain in a room. More expensive models can be programmed to start up at a certain time and start cleaning. Some models even have fall detection technology that can help them avoid falling down stairs or becoming tangled in electrical cords.

Look for models that can be controlled from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also pick Wi-Fi models that allow users to start cleaning anywhere you want using an app. Depending on how big your home is, you may want a model with a long battery life and a large dust bin that doesn't require being emptying frequently.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, Robot mop and Vacuum combo utilizing reservoirs of water to wash your floor. This is great for regular mopping but won't work for extra-tough messes, like pet poop or other spills that are wet. You can find hybrids with a removable microfiber pad for mopping, or you can choose a self-emptying model that lets you use the device for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots use advanced mapping technology to create a precise map while they clean. This helps them avoid bumping into furniture and getting caught on cords or chairs. This feature is typically only available on higher-end models, but it's one of the best robotic mop and vacuum ways to ensure that your robot has an accurate understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go next when it's running out of battery.

If you don't want your robot navigating into areas of your home that you'd prefer to keep it away from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of gadget cords in the corner) Most robots provide the possibility of creating virtual barriers, either through their app or physical boundary strips. This lets you define areas that you don't want your robot explore, so that it can concentrate its attention on the rooms and spaces that need the most attention.

A lot of robots can also automatically switch floors based on the kind of floor they are cleaning. This can be accomplished by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by focussing on specific areas of your house like corners and baseboards. This feature was helpful in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpet flooring with low pile. It's important to tuck away any loose cords or furniture prior to using your robot vacuum so it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. 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 have obstacle avoidance features built in that prevents them from damaging furniture and getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to steer them around your home. However, the majority of them can be controlled via an app for mobile devices that comes with additional features. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and create an inventory of your preferred rooms. You can also manually direct the robot by using direction arrows.

Some models have no-go zones. These are virtual barriers can be created in the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like kid's toys or dishes and dog beds). Other apps allow you to create the map of your house and provide the robot with precise information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features that will help you clean the house. However, its interface isn't quite as polished as that from iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacs that can clean throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their dust bins can save you time and energy. Certain robot vacuums can work with smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to enable hands-free operation. They can also make a map of your space and allow you to program them to clean certain rooms or areas and avoid obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums come with some level of object detection, but higher-end models such as the iRobot j7 come with advanced features like "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that can really make your life easier (although our test bot did "eat" socks). socks). If you're looking to improve your home's maintenance, consider a robot mop with water containers that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models we tested could compete with the dirt-picking power of a standup vacuum, they did a great job of cleaning hard floors and carpets with a low pile. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs, and dirt that has been tracked into. They are also able to tackle scattered cat litter, as well as metal screws and nuts. The best robot vacuums are able to remove dirt from edges and corners and can work on furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively affordable and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the right configuration and the right setup, a robotic vacuum can help you keep your home looking and feeling fresh on a regular basis without much work from you. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and set up zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot doesn't damage your plants or ruin your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations for you.

The top robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for months or even weeks at a time, removing you from the tedious chore of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a daily or weekly basis. This lets you enjoy more time doing things you enjoy, and decreases the time it takes to clean your floors manually.

In our tests during testing, Q Revo was able to grab small particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also grabbed heavier particles such as nails and screws made of metal, as well as fluffy things like pet hair. It's not equipped with the advanced mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, but it works well enough for the majority of families.

The most appealing thing about the j7 is that it uses camera and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes, robot mop And vacuum combo socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean the room prior to running your robot, however messy rooms can mean that your bot may get stuck and not do as well.