Aja Angwin

Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are excellent at keeping your floors clean but they aren't able to substitute for a larger vacuum. Even the best robots can struggle to penetrate carpets or rugs and often get tangled in cords and socks.

Your robot will last longer if it is maintained with regular maintenance. This includes replacing filters, removing hairs that have become tangled off brushes and emptying the dust bin.

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums are able to handle a couple of cleaning sessions without having to be charged. The Ecovacs Q30S Combo is the second-best robovac of our top choices. It comes with a battery that can last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square foot) on one charge. That amount of runtime is more than enough to clean most smaller homes with a mix of hard floors and carpets with low pile or a bigger home in which 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's recommended to select models that have a self-emptying dust bin because they are more efficient in picking up debris and returning to the dock to recharge. It is essential to clean or replace filters and wipe down sensors and the camera regularly so they can be seen clearly.

Smart mapping technology is a beneficial feature, as you can program your robot to ensure that it only cleans specific rooms or avoids areas where it's likely to crash into furniture and 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 high-height items. Some cheap robovacs offer boundaries that you can put on the floor to block off areas while other high-end models use cameras and sensors for this purpose.

Even the best rated robot vacuum robot vacuums can't replace a conventional vac when it comes to heavy-duty dirt and debris. It is recommended to keep a standard power vac on standby to handle these chores and to schedule robot vacs regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot must be able to navigate around your home without getting stuck or crashing into objects such as metal screws or loose pet hair or sand. In our tests we used a tracking device used to follow the robot around a multi-room lab. It then maps its surroundings. We also examine how 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 robots, such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra have a dual sensor navigation system, that uses an LIDAR to draw a room's layout and a structured-light camera mounted on the front to detect objects in real-time. The S8 is able to avoid obstacles like power cords as well as legs of furniture. It also has the capability to store up to four floor maps.

The more affordable models don't have this kind of detection and rely on bump sensors, which aren't as precise. In my tests they were able see through dog poop and cords, as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The Dreametech D10+ is the best value pick. It has excellent carpet and hard floor pickup, good hair and tangle pickup and an almost perfect auto empty score.

Another important feature is a huge onboard dustbin that doesn't require manually empty, and for those models that mop, a water tank which can store weeks of cleaning sessions. Karcher's RCV 5 is a good example of this. It has a large enough footprint to fit under furniture, but not so large that it can't fit into the nook between your toilet and tub.

Apps

Robot vacuums are a lot like upright vacuums and require an enormous amount of technology to get them up and running at speed. The result is a pretty mature market that is brimming with options. But even the top models require interaction with their users, particularly when cleaning schedules are being planned as well as establishing a home floor plan and setting up virtual barriers.

To help reduce the impact of this interaction, you should look for a model that uses its own app to identify 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, rather than having to start the mapping process each time.

Also, look for models that offer zone or spot cleaning. They allow you to instruct the robot vacuum to focus on a particular area, such as under the dining table after the family's big meal. You can use the app or voice commands.

The ability to avoid objects is another option that is available on many models. It allows the robot to detect objects in its path, such as a box of shoes or a crate filled with dog toys, and guide itself around it. This will keep it from crashing into objects that could harm its sensors or cause a jam.

Some of the more expensive models we've tested come with this feature. They depend on bump sensor technology for this however they weren't always able to avoid things in my test home.

Pet Hair

When it comes to picking up pet hair, look for a model that's designed specifically to handle this kind of debris. The most effective models will feature a high suction, a brush which prevents tangling and an automatic emptying mechanism. Some models can detect dirt levels to alter the level of cleaning. They also can detect objects that aren't part of your flooring at home, such as furniture, toys and food bowls.

Certain robot vacuums come with pet-friendly features, such as a water dispenser that can be used for mopping floors, and a HEPA filter that helps reduce allergens like pet dander. They may also have an operation that is quieter to minimize the amount of noise produced during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that have maps are an excellent option for pet owners. They're designed to evaluate your home, and create an attack plan based upon the arrangement of each room and obstacles. Shark Matrix Plus is a dual-purpose robot vacuum that can map a room, navigate through furniture, and over other obstacles using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors.

Other models that are more advanced allow you to define no-go zones that are areas that the robot vacuum cleaner quiet is expected to avoid, such as items that are fragile or pet feeding spots--by adjusting settings using an app. This feature is especially beneficial for families with busy schedules, since you can schedule cleaning times without needing to be in the space where the robotic vacuum cleaner sale is. Another excellent feature is spot cleaning which lets you use the vacuum to clean an area that may be particularly dirty or brimming with pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't want anything small, go for a model with a large bin, or even a self-emptying bin. This is why we suggest opting for a model with a large bin or even a self-emptying dustbin. The former will allow you to keep up with emptying your bin often enough to keep it functioning. The second will save you time and effort by automatically dropping the contents into an internal container after every cleaning.

Find models that have smart mapping capabilities that allow them to "learn" the layout of your home and devise more efficient routes. They also can detect and avoid objects that could block their paths (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Look for models with intelligent mapping capabilities, which allow them to "learn" the layout of your home and devise more efficient routes, as well as models that detect and avoid objects that may hinder their path (like shoelaces or the tangled charging cables).

Some models provide spot cleaning. This allows you to select an area of your home to be targeted for thorough cleaning. We've found that most of the top performers in our tests are able to remove fine particles such as baking soda and sand along with heavier debris like oatmeal, orzo pasta, metal screws, and pet hair.

According to the company the company, robots can last for years and continue to perform as well, so long as they are properly maintained. For example, cleaning tangled hair out of brushes, emptying dust bins after each use and wiping sensors and cameras down as needed. The most efficient robots tend to be more modular which makes them simpler and cheaper to repair or replace components such as wheels and batteries when they wear out.