Michel Gritton

How to Keep a Robot Vacuum Clean

Robot vacuums can help keep your floors clean. Based on the model, they can also sweep or mop stairs.

Look for models that have smart features, such as remote access and app control. Apps can be used to schedule cleaning sessions or monitor progress. Some apps can even suspend and recharge, and then pick up where they left off.

1. Battery Life

With self-driving cars drones that fly through the skies and robot vacuums that can maneuver around furniture, it's safe say that the future of cleaning is now here. But as with any technology, it requires some maintenance to ensure it's running smoothly.

The most crucial factor in the life of your robot is the battery's charge and discharge cycles. Keeping the dust bin full and empty, examining for tangled hairs regularly, and making sure that the brushes are not blocked will aid in running your Robot vacuum Best more effectively.

Another factor is the environment in which your robot is kept, as extreme cold and heat can affect battery performance. You can prolong the battery's life by ensuring that it is fully charged prior to storage, keeping it in a cool place, and disconnecting it from sources of power when it is not in use. Most smart devices also have periodic firmware updates that can improve performance and optimize battery. Check the app to check if there are any updates.

A robot vacuum is an excellent alternative for those with lots of hard flooring. It can take away dirt and debris quickly and efficiently and leave your floors sparkling. However, if you're looking to do more than just a quick cleaning, you'll need to choose a model that has superior navigation and obstacle avoidance.

Our top-rated robot is the Ecovacs Deebot T20, combines advanced navigation and an impressive suction system and a variety of mopping features to offer a thorough, deep clean of your hard floors. It uses cameras and LiDAR sensors to create precise maps of your home, which helps it stay on track and avoid getting stuck on furniture legs or power cords. It can also detect items like shoes and clutter, and clean around them automatically. It's also self-emptying, which means that you don't have to return the vacuum to its base station to empty its bin every cleaning session.

2. Dust Bin

Robots are ideal for quick midweek cleaning, however, they lack the suction to replace a plug-in vacuum cleaner for a thorough clean. Even the best robot vacuum and mop robotic vacuums can be prone to getting caught in cords and toys. They also can overlook dirt piles near baseboards and struggle to get rid of crumbs from under furniture. Their dustbins onboard fill up so fast that they have to return to their charging stations to empty themselves. This could take as long as 30 minutes for certain models.

It's therefore important to select a vacuum with a large dust bin that can be emptied into its dock without having to return to finish the job. You'll need to determine if you prefer bagged models or a model that is bagless. If you decide to go with the bagless version you'll need to determine the amount of dust it can hold before you empty it.

In our tests, we apply 100 grams of sand onto an area of medium-pile carpet and employ a robot vacuum to vacuum it over the surface. Weighing the amount of sand in the bin of dust onboard allows us to measure the amount of dirt that has been accumulated. A high amount indicates that the bin could get fuller and force your robot to stop cleaning.

The good news is that a lot of high-end robot vacuums have a large dustbin which is easily empty and you can even schedule them to empty into their bases at least once a day or more. Keep a container filled with compressed air on hand to blow away hairs that have become tangled in the rotating brush, and to clean any filters according to the manufacturer's instructions.

3. Wi-Fi Connectivity

The best robot hoover robot vacuums offer many connectivity options to connect to the Wi-Fi network in your home. This allows the robot to update its software and provides you with the option of monitoring your bot through an app or voice commands. This isn't a necessity, but it offers convenience and customization options that can enhance the overall robot vacuuming experience.

To ensure they are operating at their best they require a certain amount of maintenance. For example, emptying the dustbin and cleaning the brushroll. Regularly cleaning, detaching and examining consumable parts can also prolong their lifespan. Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin at University automatic vacuum cleaner & Sewing states that three to five years is the standard life expectancy for a robot vacuum, though this can vary significantly depending on the frequency you use it and if you take care of it properly.

To function a robot vacuum, it has to be able to map your floors and navigate around obstacles. Advanced navigation systems usually include cliff sensors that alert the robot to steep slopes, as well as optical and laser sensors that help it "see" the layout of a room. Certain robots have mopping capabilities that can be used to maintain floors between deep cleanings using the use of a vacuum.

The most effective 2-in-1 vacuums also mop. This means you don't need to switch between the robot vacuum and an manual one. A prime example is the iRobot Roomba 690, which is a powerful and highly efficient robot vacuum that can also clean up surfaces using its water tank and wash the mop pad in a way that is automatic hoover. Its mapping and obstacle avoidance skills were so good that it was awarded the CR's Best Robot vacuum Award, as well an AVTech Editors' Choice Award.

4. Cleaning Patterns

The top robot vacuums in our tests have excellent pickup scores for carpets with low pile and hard floors and remove dust, dirt, and pet hair. They also take out particles and crumbs along the baseboards and at the edges of rooms. They cannot remove deep-seated dirt or tangles of plush shag fibers like an upright or canister. They aren't able to pick up spilled liquids and food items, or heavy metal screws. They may also overlook certain areas (including under furniture).

Many models come with clever features that make them more user-friendly. They usually have an app allowing you to plan cleaning times and operate the robot remotely. They can also be integrated with your smart-home system which means you can control them with voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Some models have multiple modes, which allow you to select between mopping and sweeping or vacuuming. They can recharge their docks and continue cleaning where they left.

The technology to avoid obstacles has improved over years, but it's still necessary to remove cords, toys and pet mess before you run the robot. You'll also want to cover any mirrors that are floor-to-ceiling with cardboard before mapping out the space for the first time as the laser used by some models can bounce off reflective surfaces and cause the robot to bump into the floor or wall.

Certain models that are top of the line use lidar to create 3D maps of your surroundings. This allows the robot to remember obstacles and plan an efficient path around them. Some models also let you create no-go zones so that the robot will not be able to enter certain areas, such as your pet's food bowls, or a rug that is expensive.

5. App Control

You can set up an agenda for cleaning and control the robots using an app. This lets you clean your home while you are at work or away on vacation. Certain robots that vacuum and mop are also able to self-empty to a larger bin at the base of their machine which helps reduce dust re-release and is an excellent option for those suffering from allergies.

Some robots, like the more expensive Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, can even spot objects on the floor and use a camera to coach them to avoid obstacles like power cords, furniture legs or pet toys. This feature is available on even smaller models. It's important that you regularly empty the robot's dustbin, and that you check for tangled fur as it gets accumulated.

Certain models can also create 3D representations. This is helpful in the event that you have multiple floors. You can then pick specific rooms and set up digital keep-out zones to ensure your robot focuses on what you want it to focus on, instead of wandering around in areas that you don't need to clean.

Robots are great for routine midweek cleaning, but they can't substitute for a large-sized vacuum, especially on rugs. They are better at removing dirt from carpets than bare flooring, but they can miss piles near baseboards and thresholds, as well as knotted cords and socks. Find a robot that has spots and zones cleaning modes. This allows you to focus on specific areas without having to spend time. You can also find models that charge and then resume the same place they stopped. This is great for houses with large spaces.