The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum can do the majority of the cleaning for you. It will remove pet hair, lint and dirt from surfaces and furniture before they can become stuck. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free clean experience.
Many models include maps, which allows them to draw a map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and navigating around the cords of devices.
What to Look for
Certain robots have advanced features that let you control them via apps and voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning and object avoidance are just a few of the features. These machines may also have larger dust bins as well as longer-lasting batteries.
Find a model that has a broad brushes that can clean up large debris and one that is slim enough to fit under furniture. Also check whether the robot vacuum is able to move across different flooring types without having to change brushes or change suction settings, which could reduce its cleaning effectiveness and shorten its life.
The top robotic vacuums are equipped with high-quality filters to trap fine particles and protect your home from damage. They also come with an ample, easily accessible collection bin that allows you to empty it often. Some robot vacuums have an additional side brush to clean pet hair and debris from difficult to reach areas like under or behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, so you can see how much dirt is in the bin, and when to empty it.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum to operate at times when you're most likely to be at home, you can use the app to create the boundaries around your furniture and areas that you want it to avoid. Some models also register what type of floor they're cleaning and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings accordingly.
There are also robots that can recharge and resume cleaning right where they left off in case their battery runs low. Some also have a built-in camera that allows you to observe the path of your robot vacuum and even see what it's collected.
Many robots also allow you to control them with your voice, though they may not do so as well as others. Make sure that the model you choose is compatible with your voice assistant of choice, and test out how it responds to different commands during the buying process. Some robots are able to automatically empty their bins of dust and clean their docking stations, making your list of chores a bit more. But this feature comes at a premium, as does the capacity of the bin and a faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
Robots are not a replacement for a vacuum or broom. However, they can be incredibly efficient and effective in keeping your floors spotless. The most effective robotic cleaners pick up small debris such as dust, pet hair, and crumbs, as well as larger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without harming the floor or furniture.
Most of the time, they'll detect the type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features accordingly so that they can more effectively clean your floors. This is especially important if you have various flooring types throughout your home. Many models offer the option to set up virtual boundaries. This lets you instruct your robot to stay out of certain areas of your house. This is helpful for preventing your kids or pets from stepping into areas where they shouldn't be in, and also helps ensure that your home gets cleaned in each scheduled session.
Think about the amount of autonomy your robot will have. Certain models require your presence and attention while others work on their own and can change cleaning modes and schedules via a mobile app or voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and understand your space and allow you to define zones and instruct the robot only to clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot j7+ proved to be the most effective robot to "set it and forget it". It was more adept in mapping, creating virtual borders and avoiding obstacles than any of the other robots that we evaluated. Plus, it can completely empty itself so you don't have to do it manually. It also has side brushes that help sweep debris out of corners and edges that the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors permit it to go behind and under furniture to provide a deeper clean than most robots, while its advanced navigation system allows it to be more efficient in cleaning the entire area of your home in one charge as compared to other devices we've tested. With its low cost you'll be able to find it difficult to beat in everyday use.
Battery Life
A good robot vacuum can make keeping your floors clean feel less like a chore and more like a treat. The difference between a clean home and one that is filthy is made by getting rid of dirt that has been tracked in, and crumbs, pet hair, and other debris. A basic robot can take care of the majority of cleaning tasks. However, those who prefer a more relaxed best rated robot vacuum experience might want to look for a model that serves as a mops.
Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI offers excellent performance in both vacuuming and mopping modes. It can handle dirt, pet hair, and even cat litter. Its object avoidance function is impressive. It allows it to keep away from objects and not get tangled on them.
It has a big dustbin and an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a lot of space in just one go. It is also a smart vacuum, which means it can make maps of your home and integrate with apps, such as those provided by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to let you control it with voice commands.
The software that comes with the robot is simple and easy to use and allows you to set schedules, designate rooms for cleaning, and stop and resume sessions. It can even notify you the moment its battery is low and return to its docking station to recharge.
Another great feature of this robot is the ability to distinguish between carpets and hard floors and adjust its settings accordingly. This prevents the machine from becoming bogged down in one type of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. However, it is not yet able to detect high pile carpeting or the seams between rooms, so you will have to be cautious when picking up large objects.
To ensure that robot vacuums are in good working order they require regular maintenance. This includes cleaning the brushes of hair and emptying the dust bin (and sometimes washing it) after each cleaning session. Cameras and sensors should also be cleaned between each use. The manufacturer will give specific instructions for these steps and other steps, which may differ depending on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums aren't expensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or an entire stand-up vacuum. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, since they only require you to empty and occasionally rinse their dust bins following every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums are equipped with intelligent features that help them be more effective in your home, like mapping technology that allows you to instruct the vacuum on the layout of your home via an app so that it knows not to run into the stairs or under the furniture where there could be a mess. Other robot vacuums are able to detect the kind of flooring they are cleaning so that they can adjust their suction and brush features to get the best results.
Some models feature object avoidance, which makes use of sensors (or even a camera) to detect objects and toys on the floor and instruct the robot to move around them instead of running over them. This could be extremely helpful if you have kids or pets who scatter toys all over the home.
Voice control is another useful feature you might find useful. It allows you to operate your robot with your voice, instead of the on-board buttons. This is a great option when your children aren't old enough to operate the robot or is it just more practical for you.
How often you have to use your robot will depend on the amount of dirt and debris is normally found on your floors. The majority of experts recommend using your robot vacuum at least once a week in order to keep your floors clean and remove pet hair, lint and dirt on the surface.
If you only have a limited amount of space on your floor and do not plan to make use of the robot for other purposes and you're looking for you should consider a budget model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's reasonably priced, easy to install and operate, and does the job with minimal noise disturbance while you watch TV or work.