What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum
A quality robot vacuum will assist you in keeping track of pet hair, lint, and dust on a regular basis. Many robot vacuums work with applications that let you schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries, or 'walls,' to ensure that the vacuum is kept away from areas you don't wish to be cleaned.
This smart vac-mop creates a map of your home with its first run. It then stores the space to help you with future cleaning tasks. It has self-cleaning brush rolls as well as an extra-large dust bin that empty automatically.
Object Detection
When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, look for one that can take in large objects, such as lamp cords and toys, as well as dust particles. This will ensure that they don't get stuck in the roller brushes or end up on your floor. This feature is particularly important when you have children or pets and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.
A model with an engine that is powerful and lots of suction is also a good option. This will help it be more effective in removing pet hair, lint, and dust from your hardwood and carpet floors.
The size of your home is a different factor to consider. If you live in a big house, you may want to opt for models with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire home in one go. Certain models have mopping features that can be utilized to keep floors fresh and clean.
Robot vacuums last a long time, but they'll need to be maintained regularly and in a proper manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly and emptying the dust bin, and wiping your sensors will ensure that your robot is working efficiently for many years. Many of the robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes, and batteries along with time).
A basic robot is less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They will still do an excellent job of cleaning dirt from surfaces, pet fur and lint. You can use them to scrub your floors multiple times per day. They aren't as technologically advanced and are more susceptible to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.
Object Avoidance
The best robot vacuums use sensors, cameras or lasers to help you navigate your home, avoiding getting stuck or falling down the stairs. They also can stay clear of obstacles such as cords and furniture legs, and some models will automatically return to their dock or base when they run out of energy. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to memorize your home's layout and therefore spend less time bumping against walls.
If you don't want to splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you can find one that is capable of removing pet hair, dirt, dust and crumbs from hard floors like tiles and wood, as well as carpets with a low pile. They can also take care of larger debris such as metal screws, rusty nails or even toys that have been discarded. Some come with an auto-emptying base, which is useful if you don't want to empty your trash bin after every cleaning run.
Many robotic vacuums also come with innovative features that make a ordinary stick vacuum appear old-fashioned such as scheduling, zone targeting, and the ability to control them via an app or a voice assistant such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and 'virtual walls' to block off areas where you do not want the robot to venture.
Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former favorite, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology that will stop them from falling over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, are more sophisticated. AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes cameras and processor-powered smarts to identify and avoid items like lamp cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than the other bots I've tried, but it does an excellent job of avoiding obstacles, and never gets stuck or derailed when I'm working on my floor.
While the iRobot's j7+ was a great obstacle avoidance tool however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum certain areas resulting in a lot of dust in the filters and an unclean house.
Smart Mapping
Some of the best robots vacuums include an application that lets you customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and view an image of the area covered by the machine. This is a very useful feature that some competitors do not have. It allows you to create profiles that will automatically start the robot at certain times, and keep it running continuously. For example, it could be cleaning the living room every day, or just before dinner.
A good app will also allow you to control your robot using voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot with voice commands.
For a truly hands-free experience, choose an option with a big dust bin that can hold numerous cleaning sessions before needing to be emptied. There are also models that self-empty, which takes some of the burden of emptying the robot after each cleaning run.
If you're looking for a robotic that is more than a vacuum, consider the models that have mopping capabilities. They're usually bigger than robotic vacuums and include a tank of water that can store multiple cleaning sessions worth of dirt and dust before it needs to be empty.
The most advanced robots generate their own maps of your home and can even remember the arrangement from one cleaning to the next which can help them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a big difference in the speed at which your robot vacuums, as it won't be spending time returning to the beginning of the room if it encounters furniture or walls.
Our test subjects who tested robots with this capability discovered it to be extremely efficient. They could watch TV or do other chores while the robot cleaned. robot vacuum for pet hair employ laser navigation, and can create an exact map of your house, which means you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner or each room of the house while you're at work.
App Control
If you want to customize how often the robot cleans your home and choose the cleaning mode, it's best to get one that works with an app that can be downloaded on mobile. You can also see the state of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin using the app. Some of the top robot vacuums are controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.
It is easy to maintain a robot that has a washable filter and a self-emptying container, especially when the filter can be easily removed and rinsed. A high-powered brush is a fantastic feature that allows you to reach into corners and along baseboards to get rid of dirt and hair. Certain robots are better in avoiding chair legs than others. Some have sensors that automatically clean brushes to prevent the clogging.
Certain robo-vacs come with navigational tools to aid them in navigating obstacles and to learn about your home. The top models utilize sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles like stairs, furniture and cords. Cheaper models may utilize boundary strips to mark off areas that you don't wish to see it go. Avoidance of objects is particularly beneficial for families with young kids who scatter socks and toys all over the house. This can help your robot collect the items instead of scattering.
We're seeing more robots that have mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to regularly clean them. They come with water tanks built into the chassis or an additional piece that you can swap in when it's time to mop. They may need to be refilled more often than other types of robots, but they're great for homes with hard floors which aren't easy to clean with a vacuum.
We've seen some incredible technology in these small robots and they're cheaper than you think. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that does a decent job of getting rid of pet hair and crumbs from hard floors, and also navigating the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. It is possible to schedule the robot to sweep rooms regularly and it can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.