The Best Robot Vacuums

A robot vacuum will do most of the cleaning work for you. It can remove pet hair, lint, and dirt from surfaces and furniture before they become stuck. Many also work with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to offer the convenience of hands-free operation.

Many models come with maps that allow them to create an interactive map of your home. This allows them to avoid falling off ledges and traversing cords that connect devices.

What to Do You Look For?

Some robots have advanced features, allowing you to control them using voice assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning and object avoidance are some of the features. They may also have longer battery life and larger dust collection bins.

Select a model with a wide brush to clean up large debris and is thin enough to be able to fit under furniture. Check if the robot vacuum is able to clean various types of floors without changing suction settings or brushes. This could reduce the effectiveness of cleaning and reduce its life span.

The top robot vacuums come with top-quality filters to trap fine particles and protect your home. They also have an ample easy-to-access collection bin so you can empty it frequently. Some have an extra side brush that can be used to sweep up pet hair and other debris in hard-to-reach places behind and under furniture. The dustbins are usually transparent, so you can observe the amount of dirt in the bin and when you should empty it.

You can also make use of the app to set limits around furniture and rooms you don't want it to enter. Some models are also able to detect the kind of floor and adjust their brush and vacuum settings to match.

There are robots that recharge and continue cleaning the area they left when their battery is exhausted. There are some that have an inbuilt camera that allows you to track the route of your robot vacuum and see what it has collecting.

Many robots also let you control them with your voice, but not all of them do it as easily as others. Make sure that the model you choose is compatible with the voice assistant of your choice and test it out to see how the robot responds to commands prior to purchasing. Some robots can even empty their bins and clean their docking stations which will help you reduce your chore list. But this feature comes at a premium, as does an extra bin for collection and faster charging speed.

Cleaning Performance

While robots cannot replace a full-on vacuum or broom, they provide a practical and efficient alternative to the routine of keeping floors clean. The most effective robotic cleaners remove small particles like dust, pet hair, and crumbs, as well as larger objects like metal shavings and wood shavings. They accomplish this without harming the flooring or furniture.

They often detect the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush functions in order to clean your floors more thoroughly. This is especially important if your home has different types of flooring. A lot of models come with many options for setting up virtual boundaries, which allows you to instruct the robot to stay away from certain areas of your home. This is helpful for protecting your pets or children from stepping into areas where they shouldn't be, and it helps to ensure that your entire house gets cleaned in every scheduled session.

You should also think about the level of autonomy you're willing to give your robot. Some models require your attention and presence while others function on their own with the capability to change the cleaning mode and schedule via a mobile app or voice commands through an integrated smart assistant. Some models map and learn your home's layout and allow you to define zones and instruct the robot to clean specific areas within your home on a weekly or daily basis.

In our tests, the iRobot was the best robot vacuum without mop "set it and forget it" robot. It excelled at mapping, creating virtual boundaries and avoiding obstacles better than all the other robots we tried. It can also empty itself so that you aren't required to do it manually. The side brushes help sweep debris from edges and corners that a vacuum might not reach.

Its slim design and infrared sensor allows it to clean behind and under furniture, allowing it to do a better job than the majority of robots. Its advanced navigation system enables it to clean the entire floor of your house using just a single charge of battery. It's hard to beat even at its affordable price.

Battery Life

A robot vacuum can make cleaning your floors feel less of a chore, and more like a treat. The distinction between a clean home and a dirty one can be achieved by getting rid of dirt that has been tracked into the house, as well as crumbs pet hair, and other debris. A basic robot is able to handle most cleaning tasks. However those who prefer a more hands-off experience might want to look for a model that can be used as a mop.

The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one of the top models for both as it is extremely efficient in both vacuuming and mop modes and can easily handle dirt, debris, pet hair and even cat litter. Its object avoidance function is remarkable. It lets it steer away from objects and not get caught on them.

It also has a long battery life and a huge dust bin, making it able to cover a considerable amount of space in one session. It also functions as smart vacuum, meaning it can make maps of your home and work with apps, such as those offered by Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to allow you to control it with voice commands.

The app that comes along with the robot lets you set up schedules, designate specific rooms for cleaning or pause/resume sessions. It will alert you when its battery is low and then return to the docking station to recharge.

Another great feature of this robot is that it can differentiate between hard floors and carpets and adjust its settings accordingly, which keeps the machine from becoming caught up in one type of surface or accidentally tearing up your furniture. However, it is not yet able to discern high pile carpeting or the seams of rooms, so you will still have to be careful when picking up large objects.

All robot vacuums require a level of maintenance, like brush hair removal and emptying (and occasionally rinsing) the dust bin after each cleaning session and cleaning sensors or cameras between uses to keep them in top shape. The manufacturer will give specific guidelines for these and other steps to maintain which can differ based on the model.

Cost

The top robot vacuums are not inexpensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner or an all-in-one stand-up vac. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums as most only require that you empty and rinse their dust bins following each cleaning session.

Many robot vacuums have smart features that help them be more efficient within your home. For example mapping technology lets you instruct the vacuum on where to go through an app, which means it doesn't run into the staircase or under furniture, where there could be an unclean mess. Others can identify what floor type they're working on, allowing them to adjust their suction and brush features to achieve the most effective results.

Some models feature objects avoidance. This uses sensors (or cameras) that can detect toys and other objects lying on the floor. The robot is then instructed to avoid them instead of running into them. This is a great benefit for families with children or pets who tend to throw toys around the home.

One other smart feature that may be important to you is voice control which allows you to operate the robot using your voice instead of using the buttons on board. This is helpful for children who aren't old enough to operate the robot or when it's convenient for you.

How often you need to utilize your robot is contingent upon the amount of dirt and debris is normally found on your floors. The majority of experts suggest using a robot vacuuming at least once per week to keep your floors looking their best and to remove pet hair, dust and dirt from the surface before it is able to get trapped or become difficult to remove.

If you're limited with flooring and don't intend to make use of your robot for other tasks, a low-cost model such as our top pick, the Eufy 11S, is a great option. It's easy to use cost-effective, and can do the job without making any noise when you work or watching television.