What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A robot vacuum will help keep you on top of pet hair and lint on regular basis. Many work with apps to allow you to schedule cleaning times and create virtual boundaries, or 'walls' to keep them from areas you don't want cleaned.
This smart vac and mop creates a home map after its first run, memorizing your space for future jobs. It comes with self-cleaning brush rolls and an large dust bin that is empty automatically.
floor vacuum robot
When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, choose one that can take in large objects, such as lamp cords and toys, as well as fine dirt. This will ensure that they don't get stuck in the roller brushes or end up on your floor. This feature is particularly important if you have children or pets and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.
It's recommended to choose a model with strong motors and plenty of suction power. This will help it be more effective at getting up pet hair, lint, and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.
The size of your home is a different factor to consider. If you live in a large house, you may want to pick a model that has multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire home in one session. Certain models also include 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 maintained and cleaned regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will ensure that your robot is working efficiently for many years. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we speak to have owned their machines for ten years or more (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries along with time).
A basic robot is less expensive than a full size vacuum cleaner. They'll perform a great job of cleaning the surface of dirt, pet fur and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can send out often throughout the week to keep your floor free of dirt. They aren't as technologically advanced 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 guide them around your home without getting stuck or falling down the stairs. Some models will return to their dock or base when the battery is low. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture cords and legs. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to memorize your home's layout and spend less time bouncing against walls.
If you don't want to spend the money on the most sophisticated robotic vacuums, you can locate a model that does an excellent job of picking up pet hair dirt, dust, and dust from floors made of tile and wood as well as carpets with a low pile. They also can handle larger particles like metal screws, rusty nails or even toys that have been discarded. Some have a base that automatically empty itself, which is a great feature when you don't need to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.
Some robotic vacuums have clever features, making the traditional stick vacuum look quaint. They include schedules, zone-targeting, and the capability to control them through an app or a voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also set up 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 choice Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from derailing by running into furniture or getting caught in cords. Other models, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance, which uses a camera and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots that I've tried, however it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and rarely is stuck or derails when I'm working on my floor.
Although the iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle avoidance bot, it didn't always do well in removing dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also was known to over-vacuum specific areas, leading to a lot of dust in the filters and an unclean home.
Smart Mapping
The best robot vacuums come with an app that helps you set up cleaning modes, set schedules and see a map of your floor area that the machine covers. This is an extremely useful feature that many competitors do not have. This makes it easy to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at certain time intervals and run it on a regular basis, like cleaning the living room before dinner or on a regular basis.
A good app will allow you to control your robot with voice commands. Certain models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot through voice commands.
Choose the model with a large dustbin. This will allow you to perform many cleaning sessions without having empty it. You can find models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after each vacuuming session.
If you're looking for a machine that is more than just vacuum, you'll want to look at a model that can mop floors. These are usually larger than robotic vacuums and include a tank of water which can hold several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before needing to emptied.
Robots that are more advanced can develop their own maps and keep track of the plan of your house from one cleaning session to the next, which prevents them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a significant difference in how efficiently your robot vacuums, since it won't need to spend time returning to the beginning of the room whenever it comes into contact with walls or furniture.
Our test subjects found that robots with this feature were extremely efficient. They could sit and watch television or perform other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can then program them to clean your bedroom after dinner, or all rooms while you're working.
App Control
If you want to customize the frequency with which the robot cleans your home and select a cleaning option it is recommended to purchase one that works with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. In the app, you can monitor the condition of your vacuum and its dust bin. Some of the top vacuums that are robotic can be controlled 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 removed and rinsed. A powerful brush is another fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some 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 be a problem in other machines.
Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools to aid them in navigating obstacles and learn your home. High-end models have sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles such as furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models often use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas where you don't want it to leave. Avoidance of objects is particularly important for families with children who throw toys and socks scattered throughout the house, as it assists your robot in capturing these objects instead of scattering them.
We're seeing more robots that have mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and need to mop them regularly. These robots have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate component that you swap in when they're ready to mop. They may require refilling frequently however, they are perfect for homes that have hard floors that can't be cleaned with a vacuum.
We've seen some incredible technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot cheaper than you expect. You can get a good one for less than $200, and it can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors, while also navigating around the edges of carpets and rug. It is possible to schedule the robot to clean rooms every day and can be controlled remotely via the app or by pressing buttons on its side.