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How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you’re willing to live without advanced features such as mapping, and aren’t worried about emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum will probably work for you. Pick a model that has clean and tidy base that is compatible with voice assistants.

It is a pro at picking up dirt, pet hair and cat litter on hardwood floors, tile and low-pile carpeting better than any other vacuum we’ve tried. It can also map and set virtual no-go zones for rooms and areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum is able to stay up with the pet hair, dust and dander that build up on your floors on a daily basis. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, saving your time and effort. The most effective models have powerful suction that can tackle most messes and leave your home sparkling clean.

A robot vacuum that also mop will help you cover more ground with one machine, which could be especially helpful in larger homes. You can find a model with a tank for water either in the chassis itself or as an additional piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be empty and fill it up, however it’s an additional task that will require some extra effort on your part.

In the ideal world, you’d clear your floors before you used your robot vac to keep it from running into things. However, in the majority of homes, this isn’t feasible or desirable. The majority of models let you use an app for your smartphone to build virtual barriers that the robot will detect. Some models include no-go areas that you can mark areas you don’t want the robot to be allowed to enter. For instance an area for children’s play or a pile of cords in an area.

This model is a good option for those looking for an easy robot cleaner that doesn’t have all the bells. It’s quiet and works on both hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be programmed via the app to mop and vacuum at your leisure. It’s got a long battery life, which can last for up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.

2. Easy to Operate

Robot vacuums typically require only minimal effort from you. They use navigation tools like sensors and lasers to move through obstacles and collect dust, food crumbs and pet hair from floors, tiles, hardwood and low-pile carpets. Many have boundary strips to aid in staying within a room’s walls, while pricier models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a scheduled time. Some models have fall detection technology that helps users avoid falling down the stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

If you’d like to control your robot vacuum and mop in one from the comfort of your couch, look for models that integrate voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for models that connect to Wi-Fi and allow you to start cleaning from any location via an app. You may want to select an option with an extremely long-lasting battery as well as an enormous dust bin, based on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums are also mopping. They utilize water reservoirs to clean the Floor Scrubbing Robot. This is ideal for mopping, but not ideal for difficult messes such as pet poop or other wet spills. You can choose hybrids that have an adjustable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying option that allows you to go up to 60 days before emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots employ advanced mapping technology to create an accurate map of your floorplan as they clean the floor, which makes it easier for them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or falling over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is usually only available on more expensive models, but it’s one of the best ways to ensure your robot has a complete understanding of the layout of your house and knows where to go next when it’s low on battery.

If you don’t want your robot to venture into areas of your home you’d rather it stay away from (like your children’s toys or the mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide some way to create virtual barriers, either with their app or physical boundary strips. This allows you to block off zones that you do not want your robot to venture into, so it can focus its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most cleaning.

A lot of robots can also automatically change floors depending on the type of flooring they are cleaning. This can be accomplished by switching from carpet to hard flooring or by paying attention to certain areas of your home, such as corners and baseboards. This feature proved to be effective in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. It’s important to tuck away any loose cords or furniture before using your robot vacuum so it doesn’t get caught.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums come with WiFi capabilities and can be controlled with voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems and can create a map of the space they clean after each cleaning session. This allows them to “learn” how your home is laid out, and floor scrubbing robot then plan more efficient routes for future cleaning sessions. Some have obstacle avoidance built in that prevents them from causing damage to furniture and getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots are equipped with an remote control that you can use to move them around your home. The majority of robots can be controlled by a mobile app which has more options. You can typically set up multiple cleaning schedules, create the list of rooms you like and even manually guide your robot to specific areas by using directional arrows that appear on the screen.

Certain models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers you can create in the app to prevent the robot from entering specific areas (like toys for kids or dishes for dogs and dog beds). Other apps allow you to create an outline of your home and provide the robot with detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features that can aid in cleaning the house. However, its interface isn’t quite as polished as iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacs that can clean a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their bins of dust save you time and effort. Certain robot vacuums can work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also draw a map of the space to allow you to program them for certain rooms or areas and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums come with some level of object detection and object detection, but more expensive models such as the iRobot j7 offer sophisticated features like “home mapping” and advanced obstacle avoidance that can really make your life easier (although our test bot did once “eat” a pair of socks). If you’re seeking to improve your home’s maintenance, think about a robot mop with an water container that can be filled and then empty.

While none of the models we tested could match the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, they all do a great job at cleaning carpets and hard floors. They excel at sweeping up fine dust and food particles, dirt tracked in and pet hair. They are also able to handle metal screws and nuts and cats’ litter. The best combo vacuum and mop robot vacs can easily work their way around furniture and excel at cleaning corners and edges as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively basic and affordable model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum will help keep your home clean and tidy without you having to do many tasks. You can schedule cleanings through the app and set up zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot doesn’t harm your plants or your favourite chair. The majority of our top picks also automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations for you.

The best robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a stretch, freeing you from the tedious chore of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This allows you to have more time to do the things you enjoy and cuts down on the amount of time your floors need to be cleaned manually.

In our tests the Q Revo was able to grab small particles such as baking soda and oatmeal. It also picked up heavier debris like metal screws and nails and fluffy hair. It’s not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, however it works well enough for the majority of families.

The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles like power cords and socks, shoes and pet waste. This means that you don’t need to clean up before you can run your robot, although messy rooms can mean that your robot could get stuck and not perform as well.