Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner
While robot vacuums are great in keeping your floors clean but they aren't able to substitute for a larger vacuum. Even the best vacuums struggle to get deep into carpets or rugs, and can often get tangled in socks and cords.
Being on top of routine maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair that is tangled from brushes, and emptying the dust bin) will make your robot last longer.
Battery Life
Most robot vacuums are capable of handling a few cleaning sessions before needing a charge. The second-placed model in our top picks is the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is rated to last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on one charge. This is more than enough time to clean the majority of smaller homes that have a mix of hard floors and low-pile carpets or a larger house where the rooms are roughly the same size.
A longer battery life means the robot can spend more time cleaning and less time charging on its dock. It's worth opting for models that have a self-emptying dust bin because those models are more efficient when it comes to collecting debris and returning to the dock for charging. It is essential to clean or replace filters and clean the sensors and cameras regularly so that they can see clearly.
Smart mapping technology can be a valuable feature, as you can program your robot to ensure it only cleans certain rooms or areas it is likely to bump into furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also useful for ensuring that your robot is able to get under and around furniture, such as sofas, beds and other large objects. A few robovacs that are cheap come with boundary strips that you can use to block off certain areas. Other models of higher quality rely on sensors and cameras.
Even the best robot vacuums aren't able to substitute a traditional vac when it comes to heavy-duty dirt and debris. It's recommended to have an electric vacuum in your home for these chores and plan robot vacs to do light cleaning throughout the week.
Navigation
A robot must be able to moving around your home without being caught or running into objects like metal screws pet hair, sand or. In our tests we used a tracking device used to track the robot through an entire lab. It then tracks its surroundings. We also check how well the robot is able to avoid obstacles like power cords, furniture legs and pet waste.
The top robots are able to map out multiple floors, and recognize landmarks like doors and Windows. The most advanced models, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, have a dual-sensor navigation system that utilizes a LIDAR sensor to map the room, and a lighting camera in front of the robot to identify objects in real-time. This allows the S8 to stay clear of common obstacles, such as furniture legs and power cords and can store up to four different floor maps in its internal memory.
Most affordable models use bump sensors, which aren't as accurate. In my tests they cut right through cords, dog poop, and even a pair of shoes placed in the middle of the room. The Dreametech D10+ is the best value choice. It is a great carpet and hard floor pickup, great tangle and hair pickup, and an almost perfect auto empty score.
Another feature that is important is a large dust bin that doesn't need to be manually empty, and for models that mop, a tank of water which can store weeks of mopping. The Karcher RCV 5 has this, and a large enough footprint that it can be placed under furniture, but not so large that it doesn't fit into the space between your bathtub and toilet.
Apps
Robot vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require a lot of technology to keep them up-to-date. There are a lot of options in a market that is maturing. Even the best models require input from their users particularly when it comes to plan cleaning schedules, design a floor plan for your home and set up virtual barriers.
Think about a model that has its own app that can identify the layout of your house and save these settings for future use. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it began when it runs again, instead of having the mapping process restarted each time.
You should also consider models that offer zone or spot cleaning. They let you tell the robot vacuum to focus on a specific spot, such as under the dining table after an enormous family meal. You can usually choose to do this using the app or by voice commands.
The ability to avoid objects is another option that is available on many models. It allows the robot when it comes across something that is in its path such as a box shoes or a crate filled with dog toys, to instruct itself around. This will stop it from crashing into objects which could harm its sensors or cause jams.
This feature is available on some of the more expensive models we tested. They rely on bump sensor technology for this however they did not always stay clear of things I tested at home.
Pet Hair
Find an upright vacuum cleaner specifically designed to collect pet hair. The most effective models come with high suction power, a brush that avoids getting caught in a knot, and an emptying mechanism that will automatically dump hair into the trash bin when it is needed. Some models can also determine dirt levels and adjust the intensity of cleaning accordingly. They can also detect objects that aren't part of your flooring at home, such as furniture, toys and food bowls.
Some robot vacuums include pet-friendly features, like a small water dispenser that can be used for mopping floors and a HEPA filter that can reduce allergens, such as pet dander. They could also provide an operation that is quieter, which can reduce the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.
Robot vacuums that have mapping capabilities are an excellent option for pet owners, since they are designed to analyze your home and create plans of attack according to the layout and obstructions in every room. For instance, the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum is a smart vacuum that has the impressive capability to map a room and navigate around furniture and other obstacles using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors which work in tandem to understand the layout of your home.
Apps let you establish zones that are not allowed. These are areas where the robot is not allowed, such as delicate objects or pet feeding areas. This feature is especially beneficial for families with busy schedules, since you can schedule cleaning times without having to be in the room where the vacuum is. Spot cleaning is an additional great feature. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to clean an area that is particularly dirty or filled with pet hair.
Dust Bin
If you don't need something small, go for a model with a large bin, or even a self-emptying bin. We recommend picking the one with an enormous bin or a bin that self-empties. The former will enable you to keep up with cleaning the bin regularly enough to stay on top of its performance while the latter will save you time and effort by automatically emptying its contents into an internal container every few cleans.
Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities, which allow them to "learn" the layout of your house and plan more efficient routes. They can also sense and avoid objects that may hinder their travel (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Look for models with smart mapping capabilities that enable them to "learn" the structure of your home and devise more efficient routes, and models that detect and avoid objects that could hinder their routes (like shoelaces or the tangled charging cables).
Certain models also offer spot cleaning, which allows users to select an area of your home for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we found that the top models can remove fine particles such as baking soda, sand, orzo, metal screws and pet hair, in addition to heavier debris like oatmeal orzo, and screws made of metal.
According to the company, robots can last years and perform well as long as they're maintained. For example cleaning hair tangled of brushes and emptying dust bins after each use, and wiping sensors and cameras down when needed. The most efficient robots tend to be more modular and therefore easier and less expensive to repair or replace parts such as batteries and wheels as they wear out.