Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Robot vacuums can be great for keeping your floors clean however they aren't a replacement for a traditional vacuum. Even the most powerful robots have difficulty getting deep into rugs and carpets, and they can get tangled in cords and socks.
Being on top of routine maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair tangled from brushes, and emptying the dust bin) will help your robot last longer.
Battery Life
Most robot vacuums are equipped to handle a couple of cleaning sessions without needing to be charged. The second-placed model in our top picks 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 a single charge. vacuum robot of runtime will be more than enough for the majority of small homes with the combination of hard floors and carpets with low pile or larger homes with rooms that are about the same size.
A longer battery life means the robot will be able to spend less time charging and more time cleaning. You should select one with a self-emptying bin. These models are more efficient in cleaning up debris and bringing it back to the dock to recharge. It's also important to empty or replace the filter and wipe down cameras and sensors regularly so that they can clearly see your home.
Smart mapping technology is a useful feature to look out for because it allows you to program your robot to clean certain rooms or avoid areas that it's likely to hit furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also beneficial to ensure that your robot is able to reach under and around furniture such as beds, sofas and other large objects. Some robovacs are inexpensive and have boundary strips that you can use to block certain areas. Other high-end models rely on cameras and sensors.
Even the most powerful robot vacuums can't replace a traditional vacuum when it comes heavy-duty dirt and debris. It's best to keep an electric vacuum in your home to tackle these tasks, and also schedule robot vacs for light cleanings throughout the week.
Navigation
A robot should be capable of moving around your home without getting caught or running into things such as metal screws or pet hair, or sand. In our tests, a tracking device is used to follow the robot around an entire lab. It then maps its surroundings. We also test how the robot is able to avoid obstacles like power cords, furniture legs, and pet waste.
The most advanced robots are able to map out multiple floors, and recognize landmarks like doors and windows. The most advanced ones, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, feature a dual-sensor navigation system that utilizes the LIDAR sensor to map out the space and a structured light camera on the front of the bot to detect objects in real time. This allows the S8 to avoid common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords, and it can store up to four floor maps in its internal memory.
Cheaper models don't come with this type of object detection and rely on bump sensors which aren't as precise. In my tests, they were able to detect dog poop and cords, as well as a pair of shoes placed in the middle. The Dreametech D10+ is the most value-for-money option. It has excellent carpet and hard floor pickup, good hair and tangle pickup and a near perfect auto empty score.
Another important feature is a huge onboard dustbin that doesn't require manually empty, and for models that mop, a water tank which can store weeks of cleaning sessions. The Karcher RCV 5 comes with this, and a large enough footprint that it can be placed under furniture but not so big that it doesn't fit into the space between your toilet and bathtub.
Apps
Robot vacuums are a lot similar to upright models and require lots of technology to get them up to speed. The result is a pretty mature market full of options. But even the best models require some interaction with their users, particularly when cleaning schedules are being planned as well as establishing a home floor plan and establishing virtual barriers.
To lessen the chance of the impact of this interaction, you should look for a model with its own app to identify the design of your home and save those settings for the future. This will let the robot vacuum start where it left off on subsequent runs, rather than having to restart the mapping process each time.
It's also worth keeping an eye out for a vacuum that comes with zones or spot cleaning options. You can instruct the robot vacuum cleaner to focus on a specific area, such as under the table after a big family meal. You can use the app or voice commands.
The ability to avoid objects is another option that is available on several models. It allows the robot when it comes across something in its way, like a box of shoes or a crate containing dog toys, to coach itself around. This will keep it from crashing into things that could damage its sensors or cause jams.
Some of the more expensive models we tested come with this feature. They rely on bump sensor technology to do this however they weren't always able to stay clear of things I tested at home.
Pet Hair
Look for a vacuum cleaner that is designed to pick up pet hair. The top models feature powerful suction capabilities and a brush that is free of getting caught in a knot, and an emptying mechanism that can automatically empty hair into the bin when needed. Some models can detect dirt levels to adjust the intensity of cleaning. They can even spot objects that aren't a part of the flooring in your home like furniture, toys, food bowls cords, and much more.
Some robot vacuums come with additional features that are pet-friendly. They include the water dispenser that can be used to mop floors, and a HEPA filtration system that reduces allergens like pet dust. They may also offer a quieter operation that can reduce the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.
Robot vacuums with maps are a great option for pet owners, as they are designed to analyze your home and develop a plan of attack according to the layout and the obstacles in each room. For example the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum is a smart vacuum with an impressive ability to map rooms and navigate around furniture and other obstructions using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors that work in conjunction to learn the layout of your space.
Other models that are more advanced let you create no-go zones, which are areas that the robot is expected to stay clear of, such as fragile items or pet feeding spots--by adjusting settings through an app. This feature is especially beneficial for families with a lot of activity as it permits you to schedule cleaning time and make adjustments without having be in the same room as the vacuum. Another great feature is spot cleaning which lets you use the vacuum to clean an area that is particularly dirty or full of pet hair.
Dust Bin
Unless you're looking for a small size it is recommended to select one that can hold at least a complete bag of garbage from a single cleaning session. This is why we suggest opting for a model that has a large bin, or perhaps self-emptying garbage bin. The first will let you keep up with the process of emptying your bin regularly enough to ensure its efficiency. The latter will save time and effort by automatically dropping the contents into an inside container each time you clean it.
Regardless of the size of your home the majority of robots are able to climb up and around furniture, and most can recognize and navigate around household obstacles such as shoes, cords that are loose, and dog urine. Consider models that have smart mapping capabilities, which allow them to "learn" the patterns of your house and devise more efficient routes, and models that detect and avoid objects that may hinder their path (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables).
Some models also provide spot cleaning, which lets you to choose a particular area of your home for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the best 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 metal screws.
Depending on the brand, most robots can last for years and will continue to perform well as long as you keep up with maintenance tasks, such as cleaning tangled hair from brushes and dust bins, emptying them after every use, and wiping down cameras and sensors when required. The most efficient robots tend to be more modular and therefore easier and less expensive to replace or repair parts like batteries and wheels when they wear out.