What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many work with apps to allow you to schedule cleaning times and set virtual boundaries or 'walls' to keep them from areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vac and mop creates a home map after its first run, storing your space for future use. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empties automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, select one that can pick-up big items such as lamp cords and toys as well as dust particles that are fine. This will ensure that they don't become entangled in the roller brush and aren't left on your floors. This feature is particularly important if you have pets or children, and you may have to clean the robot regularly.

It's also a good idea to choose a model with strong motors and lots of suction power. This will allow it to be more efficient in getting rid of dust, pet hair and lint from carpets as well as hardwood flooring.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your room. If you have a large home, you may choose a model with multiple cleaning zones that can clean the entire house in a single session. Some models also come with mopping functions that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last a long time, but they'll need to be cleaned regularly and properly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your best robot vacuum cleaner for pet hair running smoothly for a long time. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries along with time).

A basic robot is less expensive than a large vacuum cleaner. They will still perform a great job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. You can use them to sweep your floors multiple times per day. However, they don't have as advanced technology, and could be prone to getting stuck or best robot vacuum for Hardwood Floors requiring human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums make use of sensors, lasers or cameras to guide them around your home without falling off or getting stuck on the staircase. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords, and some models can automatically return to their base or dock when they run low on power. The ones that are more expensive usually come with mapping capabilities that permit them to learn the arrangement of your home, and reduce the amount of time you're hitting walls.

You don't need to spend an enormous amount 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 like wood, tile and low-pile rugs. They also can handle larger particles like metal screws, rusty nails or even toys that have been discarded. Some come with a self-emptying base that is handy if you don't want to empty the trash bin after every cleaning run.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features that make the look of a stick vacuum quaint. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the capability to control them using an app or a voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas 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 furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, like the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance technology that makes use of sensors, cameras and smarts to avoid items like lamp cords as well as pet waste. It's more expensive than other bots I've tested but it did an impressive job of avoiding obstacles within my home. It also didn't get stuck or derailment when I was working on my floors.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance robot but it wasn't always able to do an excellent job of avoiding dust and crumbs from my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum certain areas, which resulted in dust accumulating in the filters, and a less tidy home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the best robot vacuum for Hardwood floors robot vacuums come with an app that lets you to customize cleaning settings set schedules, and view the floor area that the machine covers. This is a very useful feature that other models don't have. This lets you create profiles that will automatically start the robot at certain times, and keep it running continuously. For example, cleaning the living area every day or before dinner.

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

Choose models with a large dustbin. This will allow you to perform many cleaning sessions without needing empty it. You can also find models that are self-emptying that take some of the burden of emptying the robot after each vacuuming run.

If you're looking to purchase a robot that is more than a vacuum, think about one that has a mopping function. They're usually bigger than robotic vacuums, and have a water tank that can hold multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before needing to emptied.

The most advanced robots can create their own maps of your home. They can even remember the layout from one cleaning to the next and help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a huge difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to go back to where it started when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our test subjects who tested the robot that has this capability discovered it to be extremely efficient, and they could comfortably watch TV or do other chores while the robot vacuum for hardwood floors cleaned. Some models use laser navigation to create the map of your home. You can then program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or throughout the house while you're working.

App Control

It is recommended to select a robot that has an app for mobile devices in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and select cleaning mode. You can also check the status of the vacuum as well as the state of its dust bin using the app. Some of the most effective robot vacuums are controlled by voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

It is easy to maintain a robot with the ability to wash the filter and a self-emptying container, especially when the filter is easily cleaned and washed. A powerful brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some also have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the clogging of brushes that can happen in other machines.

Some robot vacuums come with navigation tools that assist them in navigating around obstacles and to learn about your home. High-end models have sensors and cameras that detect obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords, whereas cheaper models often use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark areas you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects can be particularly beneficial for families with young children who scatter toys and socks around the home. This allows your robot to gather these items instead of scattering.

Robots are increasingly equipped with mops. This is great for those with hard floors who require to mop frequently. These robots come with water tanks built into the chassis, or a separate piece which you can change out when you're ready to mop. These robots may need to be refilled frequently but they're ideal for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned by vacuums.

We've seen some amazing technology incorporated into these tiny robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you expect. In fact, you can find a good one for under $200 that can do a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, and also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area carpets. You can schedule the robot to sweep a room on a regular basis, and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.