The Best Robot Vacuums
A robot vacuum will take care of most of the cleaning for you. It will remove pet hair, lint and surface dirt from carpets and furniture before they can get stuck. Many also work with smart assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to give you an unrestricted experience.
Many models come with maps, which allows them to draw a map of your home. This helps them avoid tumbling off ledges and navigating around cords that connect devices.
What to Look For
Certain robots have advanced features that let you control them using apps and voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. Smart mapping, zone cleaning, and object avoidance are just a few of the features. They might also have longer battery life and bigger dust collection bins.
Choose a model with a a wide brush that can clean up large debris and one that is slim enough to fit under furniture. Also, make sure that the vacuum is able to move across different flooring types without having to change brushes or change suction settings, which can decrease the effectiveness of cleaning and shorten its life.
The top robotic vacuums have high-quality filters that can trap fine particles and protect your home from damage. They also come with an enormous easy-to-access collection bin that allows you to empty it frequently. Some models come with an additional side brush that can be used to sweep up pet hair and debris in difficult-to-access places such as under and behind furniture. The bins are typically transparent, which means you can see how much dirt is in the bin and when to empty it.
In addition to scheduling your robot vacuum for times when you're most likely to be at home, you can also use the app to draw an area around your furniture and areas you'd like it to avoid. Certain models can also detect the kind of floor they're cleaning and automatically adjust their brush and suction settings to match.
There are also robots that can recharge and resume cleaning right where they left off when their batteries are running low. There are some that have an inbuilt camera that allows you to see your robot vacuum's route and view what it's collected.
A lot of robots allow you to control them with your voice, however not all do so as easily as others. Be sure that the robot you choose is compatible with your voice assistant of preference, and then test how well it responds to different commands during the purchasing process. Some robots can even empty their bins and clean their docking stations which will reduce your chore list. But this feature comes at cost, as do a larger collection bin and faster charging speed.
Cleaning Performance
While robots aren't able to replace a traditional vacuum or broom, they can provide an effective and efficient alternative to the daily chore of keeping floors clean. The best robotic cleaners can clean up small particles like pet hair, dust and crumbs, as well as larger items like metal shavings and wood shavings. They can do this without harming the flooring or furniture.
They often detect the type of surface they are cleaning and adjust their suction/brush features according to the type of floor you have. This allows them to clean it more thoroughly. This is particularly important when you have different flooring types in your home. A lot of models come with many options for setting up virtual boundaries that allow you to instruct the robot to stay clear from certain areas of your home. This will to keep your pets and children from getting into areas they shouldn't. It will also ensure that your house is cleaned during every scheduled session.
Think about the amount of autonomy your robot will have. Certain models require you to be present and attentive, while others operate independently. They can change cleaning modes and schedules via an app on mobile devices or by voice commands with an integrated smart assistant. Some will map and learn your space and allow you to define zones and instruct the robot to only clean specific areas of your home on a weekly or daily basis.
In our tests, the iRobot j7+ proved to be the most effective robot to "set it and forget it". It was more adept at mapping, creating virtual borders and eliminating obstacles than any of the other robots that we tested. It can also completely empty itself so that you don't need to do it manually. It also has side brushes that help to sweep debris out of corners and edges where the vacuum isn't able to reach.
Its slim design and infrared sensor enable it to clean behind and under furniture and behind furniture, which allows it to do a better job than the majority of robots. Its advanced navigation system lets it to sweep the entire floor of your house using just a single charge of battery. It's difficult to beat, especially at its price.
Battery Life
A quality robot vacuum will make cleaning your floors seem less like a chore, and more like a luxury. The distinction between a clean home and one that is filthy is made by getting rid of tracked-in dirt as well as crumbs, pet hair, and other particles. While a robot of a basic design is able to handle the majority of cleaning tasks, those who want a bit more of a hands-free experience should consider models that double as a mop.
The Ecovacs Deebot T10 OMNI is one the best models for both as it offers great performance in both its mop and vacuuming modes, and is able to handle dirt debris, pet hair and even cat litter. Its feature for avoiding objects is particularly impressive, allowing it to steer clear of objects and not become stuck on them.
It has a large dustbin and an extremely long-lasting battery, which means it can cover a large amount of space in one session. It's also a smart cleaner, which means it can be able to map your home, and it works with apps such as those provided by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to let you control the vacuum using voice commands.
The app that comes with the robot allows you to create schedules, assign rooms to be cleaned or suspend or resume sessions. It can even warn you the moment that its battery is low and then return to its docking station to recharge.
Another good thing about this robot is the ability to distinguish between carpets and hard floors and adjust its settings accordingly. This keeps the machine from being stuck on one kind of surface or damaging furniture. However, it isn't yet able to detect high pile carpeting or the seams between rooms, so you'll still have to be careful about picking up large objects.
To ensure that robot vacuums are in good condition, they require maintenance. This includes cleaning brushes of hair, and emptying the dust bin (and sometimes washing it) after each cleaning session. Cameras and sensors should be cleaned after each use. The manufacturer will offer specific recommendations for these and other maintenance steps which can differ based on the specific model.
Cost
The top robot vacuums are not inexpensive, but they're cheaper than a professional carpet cleaner, or even an entire stand-up vacuum. They require less maintenance than traditional vacuums as they only require you to empty and occasionally clean their dust bins after every cleaning session.
Many robot vacuums come with smart features that can make them more effective for your home, such as mapping technology, which allows you to instruct the vacuum to follow the layout of your room through an app so it is aware not to go into the stairs or under the furniture, where there might be a mess. Others can tell what floor type they are working on, so they can alter their suction and brush features to achieve the best results.
Certain models have objects avoidance. The system uses sensors (or a camera) that detect toys and other items lying on the floor. The robot is directed to stay clear of them instead of running into them. This can be a huge help when you have children or pets who tend to throw toys around the home.
Voice control is a different feature you may consider useful. It allows you to control your robot with your voice, instead of the on-board buttons. This is a great option for children who aren't old enough to operate the robot or if it's just convenient for you.
How often you have to use your robot depends on the amount of dirt and debris is normally found on your floors. best cheap robot vacuum suggest using your robot vacuum at least every week to keep your floors spotless and to get rid of pet hair, lint, and dirt on the surface.
If you only have only a small amount of floor space and don't intend to make use of the robot for other tasks, then an affordable model like our top choice Eufy 11S is a great choice. It's affordable, easy to set up and use, and gets the job done without causing any noise disruption while you watch TV or work.