7 Small Changes That Will Make A Big Difference With Your Robot Vacuum

How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you can live without smart capabilities like mapping, and aren't worried about emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robotic vacuum could be a good choice for you. Choose one that is clean and can work with voice assistants.

It excels at removing dirt, clumps of cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, Automatic vacuum robot tile and carpeting with less pile than any other vacuum we've tried. It can also map out and set virtual no-go zones for rooms or specific areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot automatic vacuum robot (Recommended Reading) can keep up with the pet hair, dust and dander that accumulates on your floors on a daily basis. It also can reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save you both time and effort. The best robot vacuum for thick carpet models have powerful suction that can tackle most messes with ease and leave your house cleaner.

You can take care of more space by using a robot vacuum and mop, which can be useful if you have a large home. You can find a model with a tank for water either in the chassis itself or as an additional piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It'll need to be filled and empty and refilled, which is an additional task.

In the ideal world, you'd clean your floors before you used your robot vacuum to keep it from running into things. In most homes, however, this is not possible or desirable. Thankfully, most models allow you to use a smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot can detect and avoid. Certain models have no-go zones 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.

If you're looking for a simple robot vacuum without all the bells and whistles, this model made by the networking company TP-Link is a good choice. It's quiet and works well on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be scheduled using the app to vacuum or mop at any time. It has a good battery life, which can last for up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.

2. Simple to operate

Robot vacuums generally need only minimal effort from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors, lasers and cameras to navigate around obstacles and remove food particles, dust and pet hair from floors, tiles carpets, hardwood floors and low-pile carpets. Many models have boundary strips that allow them to stay inside a room. More expensive models can be programmed to get up at a particular time and begin cleaning. Some models have fall detection technology to help users avoid falling down the stairs or getting caught in cords.

Look for models that you can control from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. Also, look for models that connect to Wi-Fi and let you start a cleaning session from anywhere via an app. You may prefer an option with a long-lasting battery, as well as a large dust bin, depending on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, using reservoirs of water to wash your floor. This is helpful for everyday mopping, automatic vacuum robot but will not be effective for messes that are more difficult to clean, like pet poop, or other spills that get wet. There are hybrids that have a removable microfiber pad for mopping, or opt for self-emptying models that let you use the device for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots employ advanced mapping technologies to build a detailed map of your floorplan as they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid falling into furniture or tripping over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is typically only available on higher-end models, but it's certainly one of the best ways to make sure that your robot has an accurate understanding of the layout of your home and is aware of where to go when it's running out of battery.

Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done through an app or physically-based boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don't want your robot to enter to allow it to concentrate on the rooms that need the most attention.

Many robots will also automatically change floors based on the type of flooring they are cleaning. This can be done by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by focusing on specific areas of your house, such as corners and baseboards. This feature proved effective during our tests and helped improve the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. However, it's still important to secure loose cords and furniture before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get stuck or run into something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled with voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many connect to smart home systems and create maps of your home after each cleaning session, so they can "learn" your layout and devise more efficient routes for future runs. There are also built-in obstacles avoidance that prevents them from bumping into furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose or shoe laces, as well as hair from pets.

The majority of robots come with the ability to control them with a remote that can be used to guide them around your house. Most robots can be controlled via a mobile application, which offers more features. You can set up multiple cleaning schedules, and create a list with your favorite rooms. You can also manually direct the robot using direction arrows.

Certain models have no-go zones. These are virtual barriers that can be created in the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dishes and dog beds). Certain apps let you create an outline of your home and provide detailed information about the floors. The app we ranked as our top pick, the Roborock S7+, has a lot of useful options to help you tidy your house, but its interface isn't as polished and elegant as those from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacs that can clean all over your home without stopping to recharge or empty their dust bins make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some robot vacuums are compatible with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also draw a map of the space that allows you to program them for specific areas or rooms, and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuum for hardwood floors vacuums can detect objects, however the iRobot j7 offers advanced features like "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can simplify your life (although one of our test bots did "eat" two socks). If you're looking to push your home cleaning to the next level opt for a robotic mop that has an water tank that you fill and empty yourself.

While none of the models we tested can match the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, the majority of them do an excellent job of cleaning carpets with low pile and hard floors. They excel in sweeping up dust and debris, food crumbs, tracked-in dirt and pet hair. They can also handle metal screws and nuts, as well as stray cat litter. The best robot vacuums can clean corners and edges and can work on furniture. For a basic model that functions on its own and is reasonably priced look into the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the proper setup with the right setup, a robot vacuum will assist you in keeping your home looking and feeling cleaner every day without much work from you. You can schedule your cleanings using 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. A majority of our top picks empty their dustbins and clean their docking station.

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

During tests during testing, Q Revo was able to capture fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also snatched up larger particles like nails and screws made of metal, as well as fluffy stuff like pet hair. It isn't equipped with the intelligent mapping and object-avoiding features found in our top picks, but is still a great option for families with children.

The best thing about the j7 is that it uses camera and processor-powered smarts to recognize and avoid obstacles such as shoes, power cords, socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up before you can run your robot, although clutter in your home can mean the robot may become stuck and not perform as well.