What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum will help keep you on the top of pet hair and lint on a regular basis. Many work with apps to allow you to schedule cleaning times and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them out of areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This mop and vac creates a map of your home with its first run, memorizing your space for future jobs. It has self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, choose one that can pick up big items, such as toys and lamp cords, and also dust particles. This will ensure that they do not get stuck in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This feature is especially crucial if the robot will be regularly cleaned by children or pets.

It's also a good idea to choose a model with an efficient motor and plenty of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, dust and lint from your carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is a different factor to consider. If you have a huge home, you may choose models with multiple cleaning zones that can clean the entire house in one go. Some models also come with mopping capabilities that can be used to keep your floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums can last a long time however, they must be maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will keep your machine working efficiently for many years. Many robot vacuum owners we have spoken to have owned their machines for ten years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along with time).

A basic robot is much less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning surface dirt as well as pet fur and lint. You can use them to sweep your floors several times per day. They do not have as much technology and are more prone to get stuck or require manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The most effective robot vacuums make use of sensors, lasers, or cameras to help them navigate your home without getting stuck or falling down the staircase. Some models will return to their dock or base when their batteries are low. They can also stay clear of obstacles such as furniture legs and cords. Some of the more expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to learn your home's layout and therefore spend less time bouncing against walls.

If you don't want spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you could find one that does a great job of picking up pet hair, dirt, dust and debris from floors that are hard like tile and wood as well as carpets with low pile. They also do a decent job of handling larger debris like metal screws and staples that are rusty or even the remains of toys. Some come with self-emptying bases, which is useful in the event that you don't wish to empty your trash bin after every cleaning run.

Many robotic vacuums also come with advanced features that make your standard stick vacuum seem prehistoric, including schedules, zone targeting and the capability to control them using an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also design cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas that you don't want the robot to enter.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S and my former top pick the Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that stops them from getting sucked into furniture or tangling with cords. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's more expensive than other bots I've tested, however, it did a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles around my home. It was also very rarely stuck or tangled while working on my floors.

While the iRobot's j7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance bot but it wasn't always able to do well in removing dirt and crumbs off my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum specific areas, resulting in a lot of dust in the filters, and a less clean home.

Smart Mapping

Some of the top robot vacuums include an app that lets you modify cleaning modes, make schedules, and look at the floor area covered by the machine. This is an extremely useful feature that many competitors don't have. This allows you to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specified time intervals and run it on regularly, for example, cleaning the living room before dinner or every other day.

A good app will also allow you to control your mini robot vacuum using voice commands. Certain models can be controlled by Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free, so you can say "start cleaning" or "change cleaning mode" without the need for an app.

For a truly hands-free experience, look for an option with a big dust bin that can accommodate many cleaning sessions before needing to be empty. There are models that self-empty, 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 the possibility of a model that can mop floors. These are typically larger than the robotic vacuums and come with an internal water tank which can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and other debris prior to having to be empty.

Robots that are more sophisticated can develop their own maps and good robot Vacuum remember the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum, since it won't have to return to where it started when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch TV or complete other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your home, which means that you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner or every room in the house when you're at work.

App Control

It's best budget robot vacuum for pet hair to choose one that comes with an app that is mobile in case you wish to alter the frequency of cleaning and choose the cleaning mode. You can also view the status of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin using the app. Some of the top robotic vacuums can be controlled with Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep clean, particularly when you are able to easily access the filter and then remove it to rinse it. Another excellent feature is a powerful brush that can be found in corners and along baseboards making it much easier to remove hair and dirt. Certain robots are better at avoiding chair leg than others. Others have sensors that automatically clean brushes to avoid clogging.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools that help them navigate around obstacles and learn your home. High-end models are equipped with sensors and cameras that detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models may use boundary strips you place on the floor to mark areas where you don't want it to leave. Object avoidance can be especially beneficial for families with young children who scatter toys and socks around the home. This helps your robot collect the items instead of scattering.

More robots are equipped with mop heads. This is useful for those with hard floors who need to clean regularly. They come with a water tank built into the chassis, or a separate piece you can swap in when it's time to clean. They may need to be filled more frequently than other kinds of robots, but they're great for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.

We've seen some incredible technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might expect. You can find a quality one for under $200. It can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors and can be scoured around the edges of carpets and rug. You can schedule the robot to sweep a room on a regular basis and can be controlled remotely with the app or by pressing buttons on its side.