Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner
While robot vacuums are fantastic in keeping your floors clean but they aren't able to substitute for a larger vacuum. Even the best robots can struggle to get deep into carpets or rugs, and can often get caught in cords and socks.
Staying on top of routine maintenance (replacing filters, cutting tangled hair from brushes and emptying the dust bin) will help your robot last longer.
Battery Life
The majority of robot vacuums can manage a few cleaning sessions before needing a charge. The runner-up in our overall selections is the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo comes with a battery capable of lasting up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on one charge. This will be more than enough for most small homes with a mixture of hard floors and carpets with low pile or larger homes where the rooms are about the same size.
A longer battery life means the robot will be able to spend less time charging and can spend more time cleaning. It is recommended to choose one with an automatic emptying bin. These models are more efficient at picking up debris and returning back to the dock to recharge. It's important to clean or replace the filters and clean the sensors and camera regularly so they can be seen clearly.
Smart mapping technology is a beneficial feature, as you can program your robot to ensure it only cleans specific rooms or avoids areas where it is likely to bump into furniture or other obstacles. It's also useful for ensuring that your robot is able to go under and around beds, sofas and other furniture that is tall. Some cheap robovacs come with boundary strips you can use to block off specific areas. Other high-end models rely on cameras and sensors.
Even the best robot vacuums aren't able to replace a traditional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty large-pile dirt and debris. It's best to keep a power vacuum on hand for these tasks and schedule robot vacs for light cleanings throughout the week.
Navigation
A robot should be able to navigate around your home without getting stuck or crashing into objects like screws made of metal or pet hair that is loose, or sand. In our tests the tracking device is used to follow the robot around an entire lab. It then maps its surroundings. We also check how well the robot can avoid obstacles like power cords, furniture legs, and pet waste.
The most advanced robots can create different floors and identify landmarks, such as doors and windows. The most advanced models such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, have a dual-sensor navigation system that uses an LIDAR sensor to map out the room, and a light camera on the front of the robot to detect objects in real-time. This lets the S8 to stay clear of common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords and can store up to four floor maps in its internal memory.
Most affordable models depend on bump sensors that aren't as precise. In my tests they were able to rip through cords, dog poop, and even shoes that were placed in the middle of the room. The most affordable choice, the Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It is a great carpet and hard floor pickup, good tangle and hair pickup, and an almost perfect auto empty score.
A large onboard dustbin, which doesn't have to be manually empty, is also a feature that is essential. For models that sweep the floor, this water tank can hold enough water for several weeks of cleaning. The Karcher RCV 5 has this feature and has a large enough footprint that it can go under furniture but not so big that it can't fit into the nook between your bathtub and toilet.
Apps
Robot vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require lots of technology to keep them up-to-date. The result is a mature market full of options. But even the top models still require some interaction with their users - especially when cleaning schedules are being planned as well as establishing a home floor plan and setting up virtual barriers.
To lessen the chance of the impact of this interaction, you should look for a model that has its own app to recognize the location of your home, and save those settings for the future. This will let the vacuum start where it left off on subsequent runs, instead of having to restart the mapping process each time.
It's worth looking out for a model that has spot or zone cleaning modes. They allow you to instruct the robot vacuum to focus on a specific spot like under the dining table following a big family meal. You can typically do this via the app or voice commands.
Object avoidance is another option that is available on numerous models. It permits the robot, when it sees objects in its path such as a box shoes or a crate containing dog toys, to instruct itself around. This will stop it from hitting objects that could damage its sensors or cause jams.
This feature is available on a few of the more expensive models we tested. They rely on bump sensor technology for this however they did not always avoid things in my test home.
Pet Hair
When it comes to removing pet hair, look for one that is specifically designed to handle this type of debris. The most effective models come with high suction power and a brush that is free of the tangling and an emptying mechanism that will automatically empty hair into the trash bin when necessary. Some can also detect dirt levels and adjust cleaning intensity in line with the level of dirt. They are also able to detect items that aren't a part of your flooring at home, such as furniture, toys, and food bowls.
Some robot vacuums come with additional features that are pet-friendly. These include the water dispenser that can be used to clean floors, and a HEPA filtration system that reduces allergens like pet dander. They might also have an operation that is quieter to minimize the amount of noise that is generated during cleaning.
Robot vacuums with maps are an excellent option for pet owners. They're designed to assess your home, and create an attack plan based upon the layout of each room and obstacles. For example the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Vacuum is a smart vacuum that has the impressive ability to map the room and navigate around furniture and other obstructions using gyroscope and accelerometer smart sensors that work together to learn the layout of your space.
Apps let you establish no-go zones. These are areas that the robot shouldn't be allowed, for instance, areas with delicate items or pet feeding areas. This feature can be especially beneficial for families with a lot of activity, as it allows you to schedule cleaning sessions and adjust settings without having to be in the same room as the vacuum. Another feature that is extremely useful is spot cleaning which lets you control the vacuum to clean a specific area that may be particularly dirty or full of pet hair.
Dust Bin
If you don't want anything small, go for a model with a big bin or even a self-emptying bin. We suggest choosing one with an enormous bin, or even a dustbin that automatically emptys. The former will allow you to keep up with emptying your bin frequently enough to ensure its efficiency. The latter will help you save time and effort by automatically dumping the contents into an inside container after every cleaning.
robot vacuum deals of your home Most robots are able to get up to and around furniture, and they can recognize and navigate around household obstacles like shoes, cords that are loose and dog puke. Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities. This allows them to "learn the structure of your home and plan an efficient route.
Some models also offer spot cleaning, which allows you to manually target an area of your house for intensive cleaning. In our tests, we found that the top models are able to remove fine particles such as sand, baking soda, orzo, screws made of metal and pet hair, in addition to heavier debris like oatmeal, orzo, and screws made of metal.
Based on the manufacturer, most robots can last for years and will continue to perform well so long as you are on top of maintenance tasks, such as cleaning tangled hair from brushes and emptying the dust bin after every use and wiping down sensors and cameras whenever needed. The best robots are also more modular. This allows you to replace or repair components like batteries and wheels, when they get worn out.