How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're able to live without advanced features such as mapping, and don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Look for an option with a clean base and can work with voice assistants.

It is the best vacuum we have tested at cleaning up pet hair from tile floors, hardwood floors and low-pile carpeting. It can also map out and set virtual no-go zones for rooms or specific areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum will stay clean of the pet hair, dust and dander that build up on your floors on a day-to-day basis. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, saving you both time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction, which can clean up most mess with ease and leave your home clean.

You can cover a larger area by using a robot vacuum and mop, which is especially beneficial if you live in a large house. There are models with a water tank either integrated into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will have to be emptied and refilled, so it's an extra task.

In ideal world, you'd clean your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from crashing into objects. In most homes, however this isn't possible or desirable. Thankfully, many models allow you to use a smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot is able to detect and avoid. Some include no-go zones, which you can use to mark areas you don't want it to access, such as children rooms or a pile of cords for your device in the corner.

This model is a good option for those looking for an easy wirecutter robot vacuum cleaner that doesn't have all the bells and whistles. It's quiet, and it works on both hard floors and low-pile rugs. It can be scheduled using the app to vacuum or mop at your convenience. It has a long battery life that can last up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.

2. Easy to operate

In general robot vacuums require little input from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors, lasers and cameras to move around obstacles and suck up dust, food crumbs and pet hair from hard flooring, tile carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. Many models come with boundaries strips that help them remain inside the room. Higher-end models can be programmed to wake up at a specific time and start cleaning. Some models have fall detection technology to help users avoid falling down the stairs or getting caught in cords.

If you're looking to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of your couch, you should look for models that integrate voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also select Wi-Fi models that permit users to start cleaning from anywhere with an app. You may want to select a model that has a long-lasting battery, as well as an enormous dust bin, based on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums can also be mops. They use water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is ideal for best robot vacuum mopping, but not great for tough messes like pet poop or other wet spills. There are hybrids that come with a removable microfiber pad that can be used for mopping, or choose an auto-emptying model that lets you go 30 to 60 days without needing to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots utilize advanced mapping technologies to build a detailed map of your floorplan as they clean the floor, which makes it easier for them to avoid crashing into furniture or tripping over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is typically only available on more expensive models, but it's one of the most effective ways to ensure that your robot has an accurate understanding of the layout of your home and can determine where to go when it's low on battery.

If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your house that you'd prefer to keep it away from (like your children's toys or the tangled mess of gadget cords in the corner), most robots offer some method of creating virtual barriers, either with their app or a set of physical boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don't want your robot to enter in order to concentrate on areas that require the most attention.

Many robots will also automatically change floors based on the kind of flooring they are cleaning. This can be achieved by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by focusing on certain areas of your home like corners and baseboards. In our tests this was a helpful feature that helped improve their performance in picking up carpeting that is low-pile and hardwood. However, it's still important to tuck away furniture and cords before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get stuck or get into something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums are WiFi-enabled and work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which enable you to control them using voice commands or from your smartphone. Many robot vacuums connect to smart home systems and can create a map of the area they clean after each session. This allows them to "learn" how your home is laid out and plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance that stops them from bumping into and damaging furniture or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose shoes, laces for shoes and pet hair.

Most robots are equipped with a remote control that you can use to navigate them around your home. The majority of robots can be controlled by a mobile app which has more options. You can create multiple cleaning schedules, and create a list with your favorite rooms. You can also manually direct the robot using directional Arrows.

Certain models have no-go zones These are virtual barriers you can set up in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dog bowls and beds). Some apps let you create an outline of your home and provide detailed information about the floors. The Roborock S7+ app has several useful features that will help you clean the house. However the interface isn't as sleek as iRobot or shark iq robot vacuum and mop.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacs that can work throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some of them work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also make an outline of your home, allowing you to program them to clean certain areas or rooms, and to beware of obstacles.

Most robot vacuums offer some level of object detection however, 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 once "eat" the socks of a pair). socks). If you want to take your home maintenance to the next level consider a robot mop that comes with an water tank that can be filled and then empty.

While none of the models that we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a stand-up vacuum, they were able to do a fantastic job cleaning hard floors as well as carpets with a low pile. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs and tracked-in dirt. They are also able to tackle scattered cat litter, as well as metal screws and nuts. The most effective robot vacuums are able to easily maneuver around furniture, and they are great at cleaning corners and edges as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the proper setup, a robot vacuum can help you keep your home looking and feeling fresh every day without much work from you. It is possible to schedule cleanings with the app, best robot vacuum and designate no-go areas so that the robot won't get in the way of your plants or sit on your favorite chair. The majority of our top picks also automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations for you.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to keep your floors clean for weeks or months at a time, thereby which saves you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or day. This lets you take more time doing the things you enjoy and reduces the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.

In our tests, the Q Revo was able to pick up tiny particles such as baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like nails and screws made of metal and even fluffy matter such as hair from pets. It isn't equipped with the intelligent mapping and objects-avoiding features of our top picks but is still a great choice for families with children.

The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to spot and avoid obstacles such as power cords as well as socks and shoes and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up before using your robot. However, messy rooms may cause your bot to get stuck and do poorly.