Robot Vacuum: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you don't need advanced features like mapping, and do not mind cleaning your trash bin every 60 to 90 days, a basic robotic vacuum is probably for you. Look for a model with a clean base and is compatible with voice assistants.

It is the most effective robo-vacuum we have tested for cleaning up pet hair from tiles, hardwood floors, and carpets with low pile. It also maps and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum can assist you in keeping up with the dust, pet fur and dander that settles on your floors every day. It can also reduce the frequency you have to deep clean, saving your time and effort. The best inexpensive robot vacuum models come with powerful suction, which can tackle most messes with ease and leave your home clean.

You can take care of more space with a robot vacuum and mop, which is particularly useful if you have a large house. There are models with a tank for water either integrated into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be emptied and filled, so it's an extra chore.

In ideal world, you'd clean your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from hitting things. But in most homes, this isn't feasible or desirable. Most robots allow you to use an app on your smartphone to create virtual barriers the robot can observe. Certain models have no-go zones that you can mark areas that you don't want it to enter. For instance the child's room or a pile cords in a corner.

If you're looking to buy a basic robot vacuum without all the bells and bells, this model from the company that makes networking TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet and mini robot Vacuum works well on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be scheduled through the app to vacuum or mop at any time. It's got a long battery life that can last up to 180 minutes.

2. Easy to operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of sensors lasers, cameras, and sensors to move around and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs off hard floors, tiles and hardwood. Many have boundary strips that allow them to stay within the walls of a room while more expensive models can be set to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a set time. Some even come with fall detection technology that can help them avoid falling down stairs or becoming caught in electrical cords.

If you'd like to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of a couch, search for models that can work with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. Also, look for Wi-Fi-connected models that let you start cleaning sessions from anywhere using an app. You might want to choose a model that has a long-lasting battery, as well as a large dust bin, depending on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, using reservoirs of water to wash your floors. This is helpful for everyday mopping, but will not be effective for messes that are more difficult to clean, such as pet poop or other spills that get wet. You can find hybrids with a removable microfiber pad that can be used for mopping, or opt for self-emptying models that let you use the device for 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots use advanced mapping technology to create an accurate map of your floorplan while they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid falling into furniture or falling over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on the top models however it allows your robot to have a thorough understanding of the layout of your home and know where to go when the battery runs out.

The majority of robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done through an application or even physical boundary strips. This allows you to define areas that you don't want your robot venture into, so it can focus its attention on areas that require the most attention.

Many robots also have the ability to automatically navigate to different flooring types depending on the surface they're cleaning, whether they're switching between carpet and hard flooring or focusing on particular areas of your home, like baseboards and corners. This feature proved to be useful in our tests and improved the vacuum's performance on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. It is important to secure any loose cords or furniture before using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

Most Mini robot vacuum vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems and create an outline of the area they clean after each session. This lets them "learn" how your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes in future cleaning sessions. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance, which stops them from bumping into and damaging furniture or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose shoes, laces for shoes and pet hair.

Most robots have a remote control that can be used to guide them around your house. The majority of robots can be operated by mobile applications that comes with more features. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and create a list with your favorite rooms. You can also manually direct the robot by using directional arrows.

Some models offer no-go zones These are virtual barriers you can set up in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dog beds and bowls). Some apps allow you to draw a map of your house and provide detailed information on the floors. The app that we recommend as our top pick, the Roborock S7+, has a lot of useful options to help you tidy your house, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

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

The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, but the iRobot J7 has advanced features, such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These can simplify your life (although one of our test robots did "eat" a few socks). If you're seeking to improve your home's maintenance, think about a robot mop with an water container that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models we tested can beat the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, the majority of them do an excellent job of cleaning hard floors and low-pile carpets. They are excellent at sweeping up food crumbs and tracked-in dirt. They also can handle nuts and screws made of metal, as well as stray cat litter. The most effective robot vacuums are able to remove dirt from edges and corners and can work on furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the proper setup with the right setup, a robot vacuum will aid in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh regularly, with minimal effort. You can schedule cleanings using the app, and you can create no-go zones to ensure that your robot does not get in the way of your favorite chair or plants. A majority of our top picks will also empty their dustbins for you and clean their docking station.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to keep your floors clean for weeks or months at a time, thereby saving you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every week or day. This allows you to have more time to do the things you like and decreases the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

During testing, the Q Revo was able to pick up tiny particles such as oatmeal and baking soda and heavier debris like nails and screws made of metal, and mini Robot vacuum fluffy stuff like pet hair. It's not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and object avoidance features of our top picks, however it works well enough for the majority of families.

The best thing about the j7 is its ability to detect and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes and socks as well as pet waste. This means that you don't have to tidy up before using your robot. However, messy rooms could cause your robot to become stuck and do a poor job.