The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum will do most of the cleaning work for you. It can remove pet hair, lint and dirt from surfaces and furniture before they become stuck. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide 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 navigating around clusters of devices if cords are.
What to Look For
Certain robots come with advanced features, allowing you to control them via voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning, and object avoidance are just a few of the features. They might also have longer battery lives and bigger dust collection bins.
Look for a model with broad brushes that can clean up large debris and one that's slim enough to fit under furniture. Make sure the robot vacuum is able to clean various kinds of floors without having to change the suction settings or brushes. This can decrease its effectiveness in cleaning and decrease its lifespan.
The top robotic vacuums come with top-quality filters that can capture fine particles and protect your home from damage. They also have an enormous easy-to-access collection bin that allows you to empty it often. Certain robot vacuums come with an extra side brush to sweep up pet hair and debris from difficult to reach areas like under or behind furniture. They also typically have a clean dustbin door that helps you keep an eye on the amount of dirt accumulation so you know when it's time for you to empty.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum to operate at times when you're likely to be at home, you can use the app to draw a boundary around your furniture and areas that you want it to avoid. Certain models also recognize the type of floor and adjust their vacuum and brush settings accordingly.
There are robotics that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left after their battery has run out. Some robot vacuums come with cameras which allows you to view the route taken by your robot and what it has collected.
A lot of robots allow you to control them with your voice, though not all of them do it as effortlessly as other models. 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 commands before buying. Some robots even empty their dustbins or clean their docking stations which can reduce the chore list. But this feature comes with a premium, as does an extra bin for collection and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots aren't able to replace a traditional vacuum or broom, they do offer a reliable and effective alternative to the daily chore of keeping floors clean. If you're looking to keep track of dirt, crumbs and pet hair or nab bigger debris like wood shavings and metal screws The top robotic cleaners are capable of picking up different types of debris on the first go-around and without causing any damage to your floor surfaces or furniture.
They often detect the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush functions accordingly to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is particularly important if your home has different kinds of flooring. A lot of models come with a wide range of options for setting up virtual boundaries, allowing you to instruct the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This is useful in preventing your kids or pets from entering areas they shouldn't be in, and it helps to ensure that your entire house is cleaned up at the end of each scheduled session.
Think about how much autonomy your robot will enjoy. Some models require your attention and presence while others operate on their own, with the ability to alter cleaning schedules and cleaning modes using a mobile application or voice commands through an integrated smart assistant. Certain models map and understand your home's layout and let you define zones and tell the robot to clean specific areas within your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our tests, the iRobot was the top "set it and forget it" robot. It was the best in mapping, forming virtual boundaries and getting around obstacles better than the other robots we tried. It can also completely empty itself so that you don't have to do it manually. It also has side brushes that can help sweep debris out of corners and edges where the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim profile and infrared sensors also permit it to go behind and under furniture to provide a deeper clean than most robots. 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. With its low cost you'll be able to find it difficult to beat for daily use.
Battery Life
A good robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore and more like a treat. The difference between a clean click here house and one that is filthy is made by getting rid of tracked-in dirt as well as crumbs pet hair, and other particles. While a robot of a basic design is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those looking for more of a hands-free experience should consider a model that doubles as mop.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one of the best models for both as it delivers excellent performance in both vacuuming and mop modes, and is able to handle dirt debris, pet hair and even cat litter. Its object avoidance function is remarkable. It allows it to keep away from objects and avoid getting caught on them.
It has a large dustbin and a battery that lasts for a long time, so it can cover a significant amount of space in one session. It is also a smart vacuum, meaning it can make maps of your home and integrate with apps, such as those offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, to let you control it using voice commands.
The app that comes with the robot lets you create schedules, assign specific rooms for cleaning, or the ability to pause and resume sessions. It will alert you when its battery is low and will return to the docking station to recharge.
The robot is also able to distinguish between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings in accordance with the type of flooring. This prevents the machine from becoming stuck on one type of surface and then accidentally tearing furniture. But, it's not yet able to discern high pile carpeting or seams in rooms, so you'll still have to be careful when picking up large objects.
To ensure that robot vacuums are in good working order, they require maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair and emptying the dust bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Sensors and cameras should be cleaned after each use. The manufacturer will offer specific instructions for these and other maintenance procedures that may differ based on the model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums are not expensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner, or even an entire stand-up vacuum. They also require less maintenance than a traditional vacuum, with most requiring only that you empty (and sometimes wash) their bins of dust after each cleaning session and often cleaning their sensors or cameras.
Many robot vacuums come with intelligent features that make them more efficient for your home, for instance mapping technology which lets you guide the vacuum on the layout of your room by using an app, so it is aware not to go into the stairs or under the furniture where there could be an issue. 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 ensure the most effective results.
Certain models have objects avoidance. This uses sensors (or a camera) which can detect toys and other objects lying on the floor. The robot is directed to stay clear of them, instead of running into them. This is a great option if your children or pets are known to leave toys all over the home.
Voice control is another smart feature you might consider useful. It allows you to operate your robot using your voice, rather than the on-board buttons. This is a great option for children who aren't quite old enough to be able to use the controls or just want a hands-free option.
How often you need to use your robot depends on the amount of dirt and debris is usually found on your floors. The majority of experts suggest using your robot vacuum at least once per week in order to keep your floors spotless and to get rid of pet hair, lint, and dirt from the surface.
If you're only working with only a small amount of floor space and don't plan to make use of the robot for other purposes such as cleaning, then you should consider a budget model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great option. It's easy to use and affordable, and it does the job without making any noise while you work or watch television.