The Best Robot Vacuums

A robot vacuum can do most of the cleaning for you. It will take pet hair, lint, and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they become stuck. Many also work with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to provide a hands-free experience.

Many models have mapping capabilities, which allow them to create maps of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges or navigating through clusters if the cords for your device are.

What to Find

Certain robots come with advanced features, which allow you to control them using voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. These include smart mapping spot and zone cleaning, and the ability to avoid objects. They may also have longer battery lives and larger dust collection bins.

Select a model with a wide brush to clean up large debris and is small enough to fit under furniture. Also check whether the robot vacuum is able to move across different floor types without having to swap out brushes or change suction settings, which could decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its lifespan.

The top robot vacuums come with top-quality filters that catch tiny particles to safeguard the interior of your home and a large, easy-to-access collection bin that lets you clear it frequently. Some robot vacuums come with an additional side brush that can clean pet hair and debris from difficult to reach areas like under and behind furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, which means you can see the amount of dirt in the bin, and when to empty it.

You can also make use of the app to set limits around furniture and rooms you do not want it to enter. Some models also register what kind of floor they're cleaning, and automatically adjust their suction and brush settings to match.

There are robots that can recharge and continue cleaning where they left off when their battery runs out. Some robot vacuum cleaner black friday vacuums come with cameras built-in that allows you to see the path taken by your robot and the information it has collected.

Some robots are controlled via voice commands however, not all. Check that the model you select is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice and then test it to see how the robot responds to various commands before buying. Some robots can even empty their trash bins or clean their docking stations, which will reduce your chore list. But this feature comes with a premium, as does a larger collection bin and a faster charging speed.

Cleaning Performance

Robots are not a replacement for a broom or vacuum. However they can be incredibly efficient and efficient in keeping your floors tidy. The best robotic cleaners can clean up small particles such as pet hair, dust and crumbs, or bigger items such as metal shavings or wood shavings. They can do this without harming furniture or floors.

They often detect the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush functions according to the type of floor you have. This allows them to clean it more thoroughly. This is particularly important when you have various flooring types across your home. There are many models that offer a wide range of options for setting up virtual boundaries that allow you to tell the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This helps to keep your pets and children from entering areas they shouldn't. It also ensures that your entire house is cleaned at the end of each scheduled session.

Think about the amount of autonomy your robot can enjoy. Certain models require you to be active and attentive, while others work on their own. They can alter cleaning modes and schedules via an app on mobile devices or by voice commands via an integrated smart assistant. Some models map and learn your space and allow you to set up zones, and instruct the robot only to clean specific areas of your home on a daily or weekly basis.

In our testing the iRobot J7+ was the most efficient "set it and forget it" robot. It was superior at mapping, creating virtual borders and avoids obstacles than the other robots that we tested. It can also empty itself so you aren't required to manually do it. And, the side brushes are used to sweep debris off edges and corners which a vacuum can't reach.

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

Battery Life

A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel like less of a chore, and more like a treat. Promptly nabbing tracked-in dirt, crumbs and shedding pet hair can make a big difference in how clean your home is every day. While a basic robot can keep up with most cleaning tasks, those seeking a bit more of a hands-free experience should choose models that double as a mop.

The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one of the best models for both, as it delivers excellent performance in both vacuuming and mop modes and can easily handle dirt debris, pet hair and even cat litter. Its object avoidance feature is particularly impressive, allowing it to avoid objects and avoid getting stuck on them.

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

The app that comes with the robot is simple and easy to use, allowing you to set schedules, define rooms for cleaning, or pause and resume sessions. It will notify you when its battery is depleted and return to the docking station to recharge.

This robot can also distinguish between carpets and hard floors, and adjust its settings in accordance with the type of flooring. This prevents the machine from getting stuck on one type of surface and causing damage to furniture. It's not able to detect seams or carpeting with high pile in rooms, therefore it is important to be cautious when picking up large objects.

All robot vacuums require a certain level of maintenance, such as brush hair removal and emptying (and sometimes, rinsing) the trash bin after each cleaning session, and wiping down cameras or sensors between use to keep them in top shape. The manufacturer will offer specific instructions for these and other maintenance steps, which may vary depending on the particular model.

Cost

The top robot vacuums are not cheap, but they're far cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or a full-size stand-up vac. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums, as most only require that you empty and sometimes clean their dust bins after every cleaning session.

A lot of robot vacuums have intelligent features which make them more efficient in your home. For example mapping technology lets you tell the vacuum where to go via an app, ensuring it doesn't go through stairs or under furniture, where there could be an unclean mess. Other robot vacuums are able to detect the type of floor they are cleaning, so that they can adjust their suction and brush features to ensure the best results.

Some models have objects avoidance, which utilizes sensors (or even a camera) to spot toys and other items on the floor. They then instruct the robot to move around them instead of running over them. This is a great solution if your children or pets are known to leave toys around the home.

One other smart feature that could be of interest to you is voice control which allows you to operate the robot using your voice instead of using the buttons on the board. This is a great option when you have children who aren't yet old enough to operate the controls or just want a hands-free option.

The frequency at which you should use your robot depends on how much dirt and debris is typically on your floors. Most experts suggest using a robot vacuum at least once a week to keep your floors looking great and nabbing pet hair dust and dirt from the surface before it gets ground in or become more difficult to remove.

If you have limited flooring and don't intend to use your robot for other purposes, a budget model, such as our top pick the Eufy 11S, is a suitable option. It's inexpensive, simple to set up and use and gets the job done without causing any noise disruption while you watch TV or work.