How To Outsmart Your Boss Robot Vacuum

How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're able to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and aren't worried about emptying the dustbin every 60 days or so, a basic robotic vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose a model with an uncluttered base that can work with voice assistants.

It excels at picking up dirt, cat litter and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpeting that is lower-pile better than any other vacuum we've tested. It also maps and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A Homekit Robot Vacuum vacuum can keep up with the pet hair, dust and dander that collects on your floors on a day-to-day basis. It also can reduce how often you need to clean your floors, saving your time and effort. The best models come with powerful suction, which can take on the majority of messes and leave your house cleaner.

You can take care of more space by using a robot vacuum and mop, which is especially beneficial if you live in an extensive home. There are models with a tank for water either integrated into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can remove after vacuuming. It'll need to be filled and empty in order to complete the task.

In a perfect world, you'd clean your floors prior to using your robot vacuum to keep it from running into things. However, in the majority of homes, this isn't feasible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot can be aware of and avoid. Some models have no-go zones which can be used to mark areas you don't want the robot to enter, such as kids rooms or a stack of device cords in the corner.

This model is a good choice if you want an easy robot cleaner that doesn't have all the bells. It's quiet, it is able to work on hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed through the app to vacuum and mop at your convenience. It has a good battery life that can last up to 180 minutes before needing to recharge.

2. Easy to operate

Robot vacuums generally need very little effort from you. They utilize sensors cameras, lasers, and sensors to move around and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs from hard floors, tile and hardwood. Many have boundary strips that help them stay within the walls of a room while higher-end models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a scheduled time. Some even have fall-detection technology that prevents tumbling down stairs or getting tangled in electrical cords.

Find models that can be controlled from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also select Wi-Fi models that allow users to start cleaning from anywhere with an app. You might want to choose a model that has a long-lasting battery and a large dust bin, depending on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums double as mops and use reservoirs of water to wash your floor. This is ideal for mopping, but not ideal for tough messes like pet poop and other spills. You can select hybrids with a removable microfiber mopping pad, or a self-emptying version that allows you to stay up to 60 days before emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots utilize advanced mapping technology to create a detailed map as they clean. This makes it easier to avoid bumping into furniture and tripping on cords or legs of chairs. This feature is typically only available on higher-end models, but it's certainly one of the best robot vacuum cleaner ways to ensure that your robot has an accurate understanding of the layout of your house and knows where to go next when it's running out of battery.

If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your home that you'd prefer to keep it away from (like your children's toys or the tangled mess of device cords in the corner) Most robots provide some method of creating virtual barriers, either via their apps or a set of physical boundary strips. This lets you create zones that you do not want your bagless robot vacuum to enter, so that it can focus its attention on the areas that require the most attention.

Many robots also automatically change floors depending on the type of flooring they are cleaning. This can be done by switching from carpet to hard flooring or by focussing on certain areas of your home like corners and baseboards. In our tests, this was a useful feature that helped improve their performance in picking up carpeting that is low-pile and hardwood. But, it's still essential to put away furniture and cords before running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get caught or come into contact with something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums come with 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 can create an outline of the area they clean after each session. This lets them "learn" how your home is laid out, and then plan more efficient routes during future cleaning sessions. Some have obstacles avoidance built-in that prevents them from causing damage to furniture or getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots are equipped with the ability to control them with a remote that you can use to navigate them around your house. Most robots can be operated by mobile applications which has more options. It is possible to set up multiple cleaning schedules, build a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas using directional arrows on the screen.

Some models provide no-go zones These are virtual barriers that you can configure in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for children or dog beds and bowls). Other apps let you create an outline of your home and provide the robot with detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has several useful features to assist you in cleaning your home. However the interface isn't as sleek as iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that can clean your entire house without stopping for a recharge or emptying their trash bins save time and effort. Some are compatible with smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also draw a map of the space that allows you to program them for specific areas or rooms and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, homekit Robot vacuum however the iRobot j7 comes with advanced features such as "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 want to take your home cleaning to the next level, look for a robotic mop that comes with an water tank that you fill and empty yourself.

While no of the models we tested could compete with the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum they did a great job cleaning hard floors and low pile carpets. They excel at sweeping up fine dirt, food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked in. They can also tackle pet litter that is stray and metal screws and nuts. The best robot vacs can effortlessly work around furniture, and they excel at cleaning corners and edges as well. For an affordable model that can work on its own and is relatively inexpensive, check out the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can help keep your home clean and tidy without having to do much work. You can schedule your cleanings using the app and set up no-go zones so that your robot won't trample your plants or your favourite chair. A majority of our top picks empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to keep your floors clean for weeks or even months at a stretch, saving you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every week or every day. This helps you have more time to do the things you love and cuts down on the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

In our tests, the Q Revo was able to grab tiny particles such as oatmeal and baking soda as well as heavier debris such nails and screws made of steel and even fluffy matter like pet hair. It doesn't have the smart mapping and object avoidance features of our top picks, but it's sufficient for most families.

The j7's best feature is its ability to detect and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes and socks as well as pet waste. This means you don't have to clean the room prior to running your robot, however messy rooms can mean that your robot could get stuck and not perform the job as well.