The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Robot Vacuum

How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you’re willing to live without advanced features such as mapping, and you don’t mind cleaning the trash bin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum will probably work for you. Choose a model with clean and robotvacuummops tidy base that is compatible with voice assistants.

It is a pro at picking up dirt, cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile and carpeting that is lower-pile better than any other robo vacuum we’ve tried. It also maps and create virtual no-go zones in rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum can keep up with the pet hair, dust and dander that collects on your floors on a daily basis. It can also reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, saving you time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction, which can clean up most mess with ease and leave your home cleaner.

You can cover more area by using a robot vacuum as well as a mop, which can be beneficial if you live in a large home. Look for a model that has an water reservoir built into its chassis or as a separate item that you put in after the vacuuming is finished. You’ll have to empty it and refill it, though, so this is an additional task that will require a little extra work on your part.

In a perfect world, you’d clear your floors prior to using your robot vacuum to keep it from crashing into objects. However, in the majority of homes, this isn’t possible or desirable. Thankfully, many models let you use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot will detect and avoid. Some have no-go zones which you can use to mark areas you don’t want it to enter, such as kids’ rooms or a pile of device cords in the corner.

If you’re looking for a basic robot vacuum that doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, this model from the company that makes networking TP-Link is a good choice. It’s quiet and can be used on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be programmed via the app to mop and vacuum at your own convenience. It has a long battery life of around 180 minutes.

2. Easy to Operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors, lasers and cameras to maneuver around obstacles and suck up food particles, dust and pet hair from flooring, tile, hardwood and low-pile carpets. A lot of them have boundary strips that help them stay within a room’s walls, while more expensive models can be set to automatically wake up and begin cleaning at a predetermined time. Some models even have fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down the stairs or getting tangled in electrical cords.

If you want to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of your couch, look for models that integrate voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for Wi-Fi-connected models that let you start cleaning sessions from anywhere using an app. Depending on how large your home is, you may want one with a long battery life and a large dust bin that doesn’t require being regularly emptied.

Some robot vacuums double as mops and use reservoirs of water to clean your floor. This is ideal for mopping, but not for difficult messes such as pet poop or other wet spills. There are hybrids that come with an ejectable microfiber pad for mopping, or opt for self-emptying models that let you go for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots utilize advanced mapping technologies to build a detailed map of your floorplan as they clean, making it easier for them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or tripping over things such as cords or chairs. This feature is usually only available on more expensive models, but it’s one of the most effective ways to ensure your robot has a full understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go next when it’s low on battery.

Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done using an app or physical boundary strips. This lets you create zones that you do not want your robot to enter, so that it can focus its attention on areas that require the most cleaning.

Many robots will also automatically change floors depending on the kind of flooring they are cleaning. This can be achieved by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by paying attention to particular areas of your home like corners and baseboards. This feature proved useful in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpet flooring with low pile. However, it’s still important to tuck away furniture and cords before using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn’t get caught or come into contact with something it shouldn’t.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems and create a map of the space they clean after each session. This allows them to “learn” how your home is laid out and plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance that stops them from crashing into and damaging furniture or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables shoes, laces for shoes and pet hair.

Most robots have an remote control that you can use to navigate them around your home. However, many can be controlled with a mobile app that offers more options. It is possible to set up multiple cleaning schedules, create a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas using directional arrows on the screen.

Certain models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers that you can set up within the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like kid’s toys or dishes for dogs and dog beds). Some apps let you draw a map of your house and provide detailed information about the floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features that can aid in cleaning the house. However the interface isn’t as polished as iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robotic vacs that can clean throughout the house without stopping to recharge or empty their trash bins make it easier for you to save time and effort. Some work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also make an image of your home and allow you to program them to clean certain areas or rooms and avoid obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, however the iRobot j7 offers advanced features like “home mapping” and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life much easier (although one of our test robots did “eat” a couple of socks). If you’re looking to push your home maintenance to the next level, look for a robotic mop that has a water tank that you fill and empty yourself.

While none of the models we tested compete with the power of a stand-up vacuum, they all do a great job of cleaning carpets with low pile and hard floors. They are great in sweeping up dust and food crumbs, tracked-in dirt and pet hair. They can also tackle scattered cat litter, as well as metal screws and nuts. The top robot vacuums can easily work their way around furniture, and they excel at cleaning edges and corners as well. For a basic model that works on its own and is reasonably priced look into the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can keep your home tidy and clean without having to do much work. You can schedule cleanings through the app, and you can create no-go zones so that your robot doesn’t step on your plants or sit on your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks will also empty their dustbins and clean their docking station.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for months or even weeks at a time, removing you from the arduous task of manually cleaning your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This helps you spend more time doing things you enjoy and cuts down on the amount of time that your floors require to be cleaned manually.

In our tests, the Q Revo was able to capture fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal as well as heavier debris such metal screws and nails and even fluffy matter like hair from pets. It does not have the advanced mapping and object-avoiding features of our top picks, but it is still a great option for most families.

The j7’s best feature is its ability to detect and avoid obstacles like power cords as well as socks and shoes and pet waste. This means that you don’t need to tidy the room prior to running your robot, but messy rooms can mean that the robot may become stuck and not be able to do as well.