12 Companies Leading The Way In Good Robot Vacuum

What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robot vacuum can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and set virtual boundaries or 'walls' to keep them out of areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac and mop creates a map of your home with its first run, memorizing your home's layout for future tasks. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empties automatically.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum cleaner, pick one that can pick-up large items like lamps and toys and fine dust. This will help ensure they don't become entangled in the roller brush, and aren't left behind on your floors. This feature is particularly important when you have children or pets and need to clean the 360 Robot Vacuum on a regular basis.

It's recommended to select a model that has a powerful motor and plenty of suction power. This will enable it to be more efficient in removing pet hair, dust and lint from carpets and hardwood flooring.

The size of your home is another important consideration. If you have an area that is large it is possible to pick a model that has multiple cleaning zones, so you can clean your entire house in one go. Certain models also include mopping capabilities that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are durable, but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping the sensors clean regularly will keep your robot running smoothly for the years to be. Many of the owners of robot vacuums who we talk to have owned their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries as time went by).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-size vacuum cleaner, but they'll still do a great job at keeping up with dirt and pet hair, and dust. You can use them to sweep your floor several times a day. They do not have as much technology and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums utilize cameras, sensors or lasers to navigate your home and avoid getting stuck or falling on the stairs. They are also able to avoid obstacles such as cords and furniture legs and some models can automatically return to their dock or base when they are running low on power. The ones that are more expensive usually come with mapping capabilities that permit them to remember the design of your home and reduce the amount of time you're bumping into walls.

You don't need to spend lots of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do an excellent job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as wood, tile and low-pile rug. They also can handle larger particles like nails that are rusty, metal screws or discarded toys. Some have a base that automatically empty itself, which is great for those who don't want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features, making the look of a stick vacuum old-fashioned. They include scheduling, zone-targeting and the capability to control them via an app or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones as well as 'virtual walls to block off areas where you do not want the robots to venture.

Some robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over cords or furniture. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance, which uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It is a little bit more expensive than other bots that I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or tripped when working on my floor.

The J7+ from iRobot was a fantastic obstacle avoidance robot however, it didn't always succeed at avoiding dirt or crumbs on my carpets. It also was prone to over-vacuum specific areas, resulting in a lot of dust in the filters and a less tidy house.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuum that mops robot vacuums come with an app that can help you set up cleaning modes set schedules, and view a map of your floor 360 Robot Vacuum area that the machine covers. This is a great feature that some competitors do not have. It allows you to create profiles that will automatically start the robot at specific times and continue to run continuously. For example, it could be cleaning the living area every morning or prior to dinner.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot using voice commands.

Find models with an enormous dust bin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that are self-emptying, which takes some of the work out of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a machine that is more than simply vacuum, you'll need to look into one that can mop your floors. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums and have a water tank in the interior which can store several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and debris before having to be empty.

Robots that are more advanced can develop their own maps and remember the plan of your house from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a huge difference in the speed at which your robot vacuums, since it won't be spending time returning to the beginning of the room when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could sit and watch TV or do other tasks while the robot was cleaning. Some models use laser navigation to create the map of your home. You can program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms when you're at work.

App Control

If you'd like to alter how often the robot cleans your home and select a cleaning mode you should choose one that is compatible with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. In the app, you can check the status of your vacuum as well as its dust bin. Some of the best robot vacuums can even be controlled by voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that has a self-emptying bin and washable filters is simple to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. Another great feature is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding the chair's legs than others, and some also have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the blockage of brushes that could be a problem in other machines.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools to help them understand your home and overcome obstacles. High-end models use sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. Cheaper models may use boundaries to mark areas that you don't wish to see it go. Avoidance of objects is particularly useful for families with children who scatter toys and socks around the house. This helps your robot collect these items instead of scattering.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is great for those with hard floors who need to clean regularly. They have a reservoir of water built into their chassis or as a separate piece you swap in when they're ready to mop. They may require to be filled more frequently than other types of robots, but they're great for homes with floors made of wood that aren't easily cleaned using a vacuum.

We've seen some incredible technology incorporated into these tiny robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you imagine. You can find a quality one for under $200. It does a decent job cleaning on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and area carpets. It is possible to schedule the robot to clean the room on a regular basis, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.