What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum can keep you on top of pet hair and lint on a daily basis. Many of them use apps to let you schedule cleaning sessions and set virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them from areas you don't want cleaned.

This Mop Vacuum Robot and vac creates a home map after its first trip, and then it will remember your space for future jobs. It has an extra-large dustbin that automatically empties and a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When picking a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that can pick up large items, like toys and lamp cords, and also dust particles. This will ensure that the items don't get stuck in the roller brush or strewn across your floor. This is especially important if your robot will be cleaned frequently by pets or children.

A model with a powerful engine and lots of suction is also a good choice. This will enable it to be more effective in eliminating dust, pet hair, and lint from carpets as well as hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you have a huge home, you may prefer models with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire house in one go. Certain models also include mopping capabilities, which can be used to keep your floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Regularly cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying your dust bin, and wiping your sensors will keep your robot functioning efficiently for many years. Many owners of robot vacuums we chat with have had the same machine for 10 years or more (and changed motors, brushes and batteries along the way).

A basic robot is much less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They will still be able to do a fantastic job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. They're a great maintenance cleaner that you can send out every week to keep your floors clean. They don't have as much technology and are more susceptible to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacuums use cameras, sensors or lasers to guide you around your home and prevent getting stuck or falling on the stairs. Some models can return to their base or dock when their batteries are low. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture legs and cords. The most expensive models usually feature mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the arrangement of your home, and lessen the time you spend hitting walls.

There is no need to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a great job at picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces, such as tile, wood and low-pile rugs. They can also handle larger debris such as nails that are rusty, metal screws or discarded toys. Some come with self-emptying bases which is helpful if you don't want to empty the dustbin after every clean-up.

Some robotic hoovers vacuums have clever features that make the standard stick vacuum look outdated. These include zones-targeting, schedules, and the capability to control them via an app or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also set up cleaning zones and 'virtual walls to block off areas where you do not want the robots to venture.

Certain robotic vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top choice, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to stop them from falling over furniture or cords. Some robot vacuums, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+ have more advanced AI obstacle-avoidance technology which uses a camera, processors and intelligent algorithms to avoid objects like lamp cords and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than the other bots I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles, and never gets stuck or derailed when I'm working on my floor.

The J7+ from iRobot was an excellent obstacle avoidance robot, but it did not always do a great job at avoiding crumbs and dirt on my rugs. It also was known to over-vacuum certain areas, leading to a lot of dust in the filters and a less tidy home.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuum with mop for hardwood floors robot vacuums come with an app that allows you to customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and look at an image of the floor area covered by the machine. This is a great feature that some competitors don't have. It is easy to create profiles that will automatically start your robot at specified times and continue to run on a regular basis, like cleaning the living area prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work entirely hands-free, meaning you can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

To have a hands-free experience, opt for an option with a big dust bin that can hold many cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are models that self-empty, which takes some of the labor out of emptying the robot after each cleaning run.

If you're looking for a machine that can do more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into one that can mop floors. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums and come with an internal water tank that holds many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to needing to be emptied.

The most advanced robots create their own maps of your home and can even remember the layout from one cleaning to the next which can help them avoid getting lost or stuck in corners. This can make a big difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuums, as it won't have to spend time going back to the beginning of the room whenever it comes across walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were very efficient. They could watch television or perform other tasks while the robot cleaned. Some models employ laser navigation to create the map of your home. You can program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or all rooms when you're at work.

App Control

It's best mop robot for hardwood floors to choose one that comes with an app for mobile devices if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose a cleaning mode. You can also check the state of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin in the app. Some of the best vacuums that are robotic can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

It is simple to maintain a robot that has a washable filter and a self-emptying bin, particularly when the filter can be easily cleaned and washed. Another excellent feature is a high-powered brush that gets into corners and along baseboards which makes it easier to remove dirt and hair. Certain robots are better in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some even have an auto-cleaning sensor that helps prevent the obstruction of brushes that may be a problem in other machines.

Certain robo mops-vacs utilize navigation tools that help them learn your home and overcome obstacles. High-end models are equipped with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords, while cheaper models sometimes use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas where you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly useful for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys around the house. This helps your robot collect these items, instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop attachments. This is beneficial for those with floors that are hard and need to mop regularly. They have a water reservoir built into their chassis or as a separate piece that can be swapped in when ready to mop. These robots might need to be refilled frequently however, they are perfect for homes that have hard floors that aren't cleaned with vacuum cleaners.

These robots come with some impressive technology, and cost much less than you'd think. In fact, you can find a decent one for less than $200 that can do a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, while traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. The robot can be programmed to vacuum a particular room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.