The Best Robot Vacuums

A good robot vacuum will do the bulk of the work for you and nabs pet hair, lint and surface dirt before it can stick to furniture or be sucked into carpets. Many robot vacuums are compatible with smart assistants, such as Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free clean experience.

Many models have mapping capabilities, which allow them to draw a map of your home. This helps them to avoid falling off ledges or navigating around clusters if device cords.

What to Do You Look For?

Certain robots come with advanced features, which allow you to control them using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning and object avoidance are some of the features. They may also have longer battery lives and larger dust collection bins.

Choose a model that has a wide brush to remove large particles, and is small enough to be able to fit under furniture. Check if the robot vacuum is able to clean different kinds of floors without having to change brushes or suction settings. This can reduce the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its lifespan.

The best robot vacuums come with top-quality filters that catch fine particles and safeguard your home from damage. They also come with an ample easy-to-access bin for collecting so that you can empty it frequently. Certain robot vacuums come with an additional side brush that can clean pet hair and debris from difficult-to-access places like under and behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can see how much dirt is in the bin, and when to empty it.

You can also use the app to set boundaries around furniture and rooms you do not want it to enter. Some models can also detect the kind of flooring and adjust their vacuum and brush settings accordingly.

There are robots that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left when their battery runs out. Some also have a built-in camera that allows you to track the route of your robot vacuum and see what it has taken in.

Some robots also let you control them with your voice, though not all of them do it as effortlessly as other models. Make sure the model you choose is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice and then test it to see how well the robot responds to various commands before you purchase. Some robots will even empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations, reducing your list of chores a bit more. This feature is expensive as is a larger container for collecting waste and a more rapid charging speeds.

Cleaning Performance

Robots aren't a substitute for a broom or vacuum. However, they can be incredibly efficient and effective in keeping your floors clean. If you're looking to keep track of dirt as well as pet hair and crumbs or get rid of larger debris like metal screws and wood shavings, most top-rated robotic cleaners are adept at picking up various materials in the first pass and doing so without damaging your furniture or floors.

Most of the time, they'll detect what type of surface they're cleaning and adjust their suction or brush features in accordance with the type of surface so that they can more effectively clean your floors. This is particularly important if your home has various types of flooring. Many models also come with an array of options for setting virtual boundaries, allowing you to tell the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This helps to keep your pets and children from getting in areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire house is cleaned at the end of every scheduled session.

You should also think about the amount of autonomy you're willing to give your robot. Certain models require you to be present and attentive, whereas others work on their own. They can change cleaning schedules and cleaning modes using a mobile application or voice commands using an integrated smart assistant. Some models can map and understand your home and allow you to define zones and tell the robot to clean specific areas of your home on a daily check here or weekly basis.

In our tests the iRobot J7+ was the best "set it and forget it" robot. It was the best in mapping, forming virtual boundaries and getting around obstacles better than the other robots we tested. It can also empty itself so you don't need to do it manually. Additionally, the side brushes are used to sweep debris from corners and edges that a vacuum might not reach.

Its slim profile and infrared sensors permit it to go behind and under furniture to provide a deeper clean than most robots, while its advanced navigation system makes it more capable of cleaning the entire level of your home in one charge than other devices we've tried. It's hard to beat, even at a reasonable price.

Battery Life

A high-quality robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less like a chore and more like a luxury. Fastly removing dirt, crumbs and shed pet hair can make all the difference in how clean your home feels on a regular basis. While a simple robot is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those seeking a bit more of a hands-free experience should choose models that double as mop.

Ecovacs Deebot T10 ONI offers excellent performance in both vacuuming and mopping modes. It can handle pet hair, dirt, and even cat litter. The feature to avoid objects is particularly impressive, allowing it to steer clear of objects and not get stuck on them.

It comes with a huge dustbin and a battery that lasts for a long time, so it can cover a large amount of space in one session. It's also a smart cleaner, which means it can track your home and works with apps such as those provided by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to let you control the vacuum with voice commands.

The software that comes with the robot is easy and simple to use, allowing you to set schedules, define rooms for cleaning, or stop and resume sessions. It can even notify you when its battery is running low and return to its docking station to recharge.

Another great feature of this robot is that it can differentiate between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly. This keeps the machine from becoming stuck on one kind of surface or accidently tearing up furniture. It's not able to detect high-pile carpeting or seams in rooms, so it is important to be cautious when picking up large objects.

To keep robot vacuums in top condition they require regular maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair, and emptying the trash bin (and sometimes washing it) after every cleaning session. Cameras and sensors should also be cleaned between uses. The manufacturer will provide specific instructions for these steps and other procedures, which will vary depending on the model.

Cost

The most effective robot vacuums may not be expensive, but they are far cheaper than a professional carpet cleaning machine or even a stand-up one. They also need less maintenance than a traditional vacuum and most require that you empty (and occasionally rinse) their bins of dust after each cleaning session and occasionally cleaning their sensors or cameras.

Many robot vacuums come with smart features which make them more efficient in your home. For example mapping technology allows you to inform the vacuum of where to go using an app, which means it doesn't go through stairs, or under furniture, where there may be a mess. Other robot vacuums can detect the type of flooring they are cleaning so that they can adjust their suction and brush features to get the best results.

Some models have object avoidance, which uses sensors (or even cameras) to identify objects like toys and other things on the floor and coach the robot to move around them, rather than running into them. This is a great benefit when you have children or pets who tend to scatter toys around the home.

One other smart feature that might be important to you is voice control that lets you control your robot with your voice instead of using the on-board buttons. This is a great option if you have little ones who aren't yet old enough to operate the controls or are looking for a hands-free option.

The frequency at which you should utilize your robot is contingent upon how much dirt and debris is usually found on your floors. The majority of experts recommend using a robotic vacuum at least once a week to keep your floors looking their best and to remove pet hair, dust and dirt from the surface before it gets ground in or become more difficult to get rid of.

If you're limited with floor surfaces and don't plan to use your robot for other tasks, a budget model, such as our top choice, the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's inexpensive, simple to set up and use and can complete the task with minimal noise disturbance while you work or watch TV.