A robot vacuum can do the majority of the cleaning for you. It will remove pet hair, lint, and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they get 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 have the ability to map, allowing them to create an interactive map of your home. This helps them avoid tumbling off ledges and traversing cords that connect devices.
What to Find
Some robots come with advanced features that allow you to control them via apps and voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. These include smart mapping cleaning zones and spots, and object avoidance. These machines might also have larger dust bins and longer-lasting batteries.
Choose a model with a broad brushes that is able to sweep up large pieces of debris and one that is slim enough to fit under furniture. Make sure the robot vacuum is able to clean various types of floors without having to change the suction settings or brushes. This can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its life span.
The best robot vacuums have top-quality filters that catch tiny particles to safeguard the interior of your home and an ample, easy-to-access bin that allows you to empty it often. Some have an extra side brush to clean up pet hair and other debris in difficult-to-access areas under and behind furniture. They also have a door for the dustbin that is clear which allows you to keep an eye on the level of dirt accumulation so you can tell when it's time to empty.
You can also make use of the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms you don't want it to enter. Certain models also recognize the type of floor and adjust their vacuum and brush settings to match.
There are robots that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left when their battery is exhausted. Some robot vacuums have a camera built in which allows you to view the path the robot took and the information it has collected.
Some robots also allow you to control them using your voice, though not all of them do it as easily as others. Make sure the model you select is compatible with your voice assistant of choice, and test the way it responds to various commands during the purchase process. Some robots will even empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations, which can reduce your list of chores a bit. But this feature comes with a premium, as does a larger collection bin and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots can't substitute for a full-on vacuum cleaner or broom, they do offer a reliable and effective alternative to the everyday chore of keeping floors clean. The most effective robotic cleaners remove small particles such as dust, pet hair and crumbs, as well as larger objects like metal shavings and wood shavings. They do this without damaging the flooring or furniture.
They will often register the type of surface that they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush functions in order to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is particularly important if your home has various types of flooring. Many models come with the option to set up virtual boundaries. This allows you to tell your robot to stay out of certain areas of your home. This is helpful for protecting your pets or children from getting into areas they shouldn't, and also helps ensure that your entire house is cleaned at the end of each scheduled session.
You should also think about how much autonomy you're willing to give your robot. Certain models require your presence and attention while others work on their own and can change the cleaning mode and schedule using a mobile application or voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Some models can map and understand your space and allow you to create zones and instruct the robot to clean certain areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.
In our tests, the iRobot j7+ proved to be the most effective robot for "set it and leave it". It was more adept in mapping the virtual boundaries and avoiding obstacles than any of the other robots we test. It can also empty itself so that you aren't required to manually do it. And, the side brushes can help clean debris from edges and corners which a vacuum can't reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor enable it to clean behind and under furniture and behind furniture, which allows it to perform better than other robots. And its advanced navigation system allows it to clean the entire floor of your house on a single battery charge. With its low cost you'll find it hard to beat for daily use.
Battery Life
A high-quality robot vacuum can help keep your floors tidy and feel less like a chore and more like a treat. Promptly nabbing tracked-in dirt, crumbs and shed pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home feels on a daily basis. While a robot of a basic design can handle most cleaning tasks, those seeking a bit more of a hands-free experience should choose a model that doubles as mop.
Ecovacs' Deebot T10 OMNI provides excellent performance in both vacuuming and mopping modes. It is able to handle pet hair, dirt, and even cat litter. Its object avoidance feature is particularly impressive, enabling it to avoid objects and avoid getting stuck on them.
It has a big dustbin and a long-lasting battery, so it can cover a lot of space in a single session. It's also a smart cleaner, which means it can track your home and works with apps such as those offered by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to allow you to control the vacuum using voice commands.
The application that comes with the robot is easy and straightforward to use and allows you to set schedules, define rooms for cleaning, and to pause and resume your sessions. It will notify you when its battery is depleted and then return to the docking station to recharge.
The robot can also differentiate between hard floors and carpets, and adjust its settings according to the type of floor. This will prevent the machine from becoming stuck on a particular type of surface and accidentally tearing your furniture. But, it's not yet able to recognize high pile carpeting or seams in rooms, so you will have to be cautious when picking up large objects.
All robot vacuums require a degree of maintenance, for example getting rid of hair from brushes, emptying (and sometimes rinsing) the dust bin after each cleaning session. Also, wiping down sensors or cameras between use to keep them in good shape. The manufacturer will give specific guidelines for these and other steps to maintain, which may vary depending on the specific model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums may not be inexpensive, but they're much less expensive than a professional carpet cleaning machine or even a stand-up vacuum. They also need less maintenance than a traditional vacuum and most require that you empty (and sometimes rinse) their dust bin after each cleaning session and occasionally wiping down their sensors or cameras.
Many robot vacuums have intelligent features that help them be more effective in your home, for instance mapping technology, which allows you to instruct the vacuum on the layout of your space through an app so it doesn't run into the stairs or under the furniture where there could be the possibility of a mess. Continue can determine the floor type they are working on, so they can alter their suction or brush features to get the best results.
Some models have objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even cameras) to identify objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to walk around them instead of running over them. This can be a huge help when you have children or pets that tend to throw toys around the house.
One other smart feature that might be important to you is voice control, which lets you operate your robot with your voice instead of using the buttons on board. This is useful for children who aren't yet old enough to operate the robot or when it's practical for you.
The frequency at which you should use your robot depends on the amount of dirt and dust is usually found on your floors. The majority of experts recommend using a robotic vacuuming at least once per week to keep your floors looking their best and nabbing pet hair, dust and dirt from the surface before it is able to get crushed or become difficult to remove.
If you have a limited amount of floor space and don't intend to utilize the robot for any other tasks, then an affordable model like our top pick Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's user-friendly cost-effective, and can do the job without causing any noise when you work or watching TV.
