If you're able to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and don't mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose a model that has a clean base and can work with voice assistants.
It is the best robo-vacuum we have tested at getting rid of dirt and pet hair from hardwood floors, tile, and low-pile carpeting. It also maps and set virtual no-go zones for rooms and areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum is able to stay up with the dust, pet hair and dander that accumulates on your floors on a daily basis. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, saving you time and effort. The most effective models have powerful suction that is able to clean up most mess and leave your home cleaner.
You can cover a larger area by using a robot vacuum and mop, which is particularly useful if you have an extensive home. You can find a model with a tank for water either integrated into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be filled and empty, so it's an extra task to complete.
In a perfect world, you'd clean your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from running into things. In most homes, however this isn't possible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models let you use your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot is able to be aware of and avoid. Some models have no-go zones that you can mark areas you don't wish it to be allowed to enter. For example the child's room or a pile cords in a corner.
vacuum and mop combo is a great option for those looking for a basic robot cleaner that does not have all the bells. It's quiet and is able to work on hard floors as well as carpets with low pile and can be programmed via the app to mop and vacuum at your convenience. It's got a long battery life, which can last up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.
2. Easy to Operate
Robot vacuums typically require only minimal effort from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors lasers, cameras and sensors to maneuver around obstacles and suck up dust, food crumbs and pet hair from hard floors, tiles carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. A lot of them have boundary strips that help them stay within a room's walls, while more expensive models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a set time. Certain models come with fall detection technology that helps users avoid falling down the stairs or becoming tangled in cords.
If you'd like to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of a couch, search for models that integrate voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for Wi-Fi-connected models that allow you to start cleaning from any location via an app. Depending on the size of your home is, you might prefer one that has a long battery life and a spacious dust bin that doesn't need to be regularly emptied.
Some robot vacuums can double as mops, utilizing water reservoirs to clean your floor. This is great for mopping, but not for tough messes like pet poop and other wet spills. You can pick hybrids that have an able mopping pad made of microfiber, or a self-emptying version that allows you to stay for up to 60 days before emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Certain robots employ advanced mapping technologies to build a precise map of your floorplan while they clean, making it easier for them to avoid falling into furniture or falling over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is only available on top-of-the-line models however it lets your robot get a complete understanding of the layout of your home and know where to go when the battery is out.
If you don't want your robot navigating into areas of your home you'd prefer it to stay clear from (like your children's toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide some method of creating virtual barriers, either through their apps or physical boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don't wish your robot to go into, so that it can concentrate on rooms that need the most attention.
A lot of robots can also automatically change floors based on the type of floor they are cleaning. This can be done by switching from carpet to hard flooring, or by focusing on certain areas of your home like corners and baseboards. This feature proved to be helpful during our tests and helped improve the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. It is essential to put away any loose cords or furniture prior to using your robot vacuum, to ensure that it doesn't get caught.
4. Remote Control
The majority of robot vacuums are WiFi-connected and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow you to control them via voice commands or via your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and build an outline of your space after each cleaning session, to "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future runs. Some also have built-in obstacle avoidance that stops them from crashing into and damaging furniture or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose or shoe laces, as well as hair from pets.
Most robots have the ability to control them with a remote that you can use to navigate them around your home. However, many can be controlled via an app for mobile devices, which gives you more options. You can usually set up multiple cleaning schedules, create an inventory of your favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas by using directional arrows on the screen.
Some models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers that can be created in the app to stop the robot from accessing certain areas (like kid's toys or dog beds and dishes). Other apps allow you to make an outline of your home and give the robot detailed information about your floors. The app on our top pick one, the Roborock S7+, has a lot of useful options to help you tidy your home, but its interface isn't as polished as the ones from iRobot and Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robotic vacuums that can sweep throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their dust bins save you time and effort. Some work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also draw an outline of the space to allow you to program them for specific rooms or areas and to avoid obstacles.
Most robot vacuums offer some degree of detection of objects, but higher-end models such as the iRobot j7 offer sophisticated features like "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that can really simplify your life (although our test bot did "eat" socks). socks). If you're seeking to improve your home's maintenance, think about an automated mop that comes with an water container that you can fill and empty.
While none of the models that we tested could compete with the dirt-picking power of a standup vacuum, they did an excellent job cleaning hard floors and carpets with a low pile. They excel at sweeping up food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked into. They also can handle screws and nuts made of metal and cats' litter. The best robot vacs can easily work their way around furniture and are great at cleaning corners and edges as well. For a basic model that functions by itself and is comparatively inexpensive look into the Eufy 11S.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
With the right setup and the right setup, a robotic vacuum can assist you in keeping your home looking and feeling cleaner on a regular basis without much work from you. You can schedule cleanings in the app and create no-go zones so that your robot doesn't harm your plants or your favourite chair. Many of our top picks empty their dustbins and clean their docking station.
The top robot vacuums can be programmed to keep your floors clean for months or weeks at a time, saving you the time and effort of manually sweeping or mopping your floors each week or day. This helps you have more time to do the things you love and decreases the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.
During testing, the Q Revo was able to capture small particles such as baking soda and oatmeal as well as heavier debris such metal screws and nails, and fluffy stuff such as hair of pets. It doesn't have the smart mapping and object avoidance features of our top picks, however it works well enough for the majority of families.
The best feature of the j7 is that it uses camera and processor-powered smarts to recognize and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes, socks, and pet waste. This means you don't have to tidy up before running your robot, although messy rooms can mean that your robot could get stuck and not be able to do the job as well.
