While robot vacuums are great at keeping your floors clean, they can't replace a large-sized vacuum. Even the best robots have difficulty getting deep into carpets and rugs, and they can get tangled with cords and socks.
Your robot will last longer if you perform routine maintenance. This includes replacing filters, removing hairs that have become tangled off brushes and emptying the dustbin.
Battery Life
Most robot vacuums can handle a few cleaning sessions before needing to recharge. The Ecovacs Q30S Combo is the runner-up of our top choices. It comes with a battery that can last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square foot) on a single charge. This should suffice for homes that have the combination of hard floors and low pile carpets or larger homes where the rooms are roughly the same size.
A longer battery life also means that the robot will spend more time cleaning and less time charging its dock. It is recommended to choose the model with an auto-emptying bin. These models are more efficient at picking up debris and returning to docks to recharge. It is also essential 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 for because it allows you to program your robot to only clear certain rooms or areas where it's likely to crash into furniture or other obstacles. It's also beneficial for ensuring your robot is able to get under and around beds, sofas and other tall furniture. A few robovacs are cheap and have boundaries that you can put on the floor to block off areas, and other models with higher-end features utilize sensors and cameras to accomplish this.
Even the best robot vacs aren't able to replace a traditional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty large-pile dirt and other debris. It's advisable to keep a traditional power vac in reserve for those tasks, and to schedule robot vacs regularly for light cleaning throughout the week.
Navigation
A robot should be able to navigate around your home without getting stuck or crashing into things such as metal screws, loose pet hair, or sand. In our tests the tracking device is used to track the robot through a multi-room lab. It then maps its surroundings. We also test how the robot can avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg and pet waste.
The best robots are able to identify multiple floors and identify landmarks, like doors and windows. The most advanced models, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, come with a dual-sensor navigation device which uses a LIDAR sensor to map the space and a structured light camera on the front of the robot to detect objects in real-time. The S8 can evade obstacles like cables for power and furniture legs. It also has the capability to store up to four floor maps.
Cheaper models don't come with this kind of object detection and rely on bump sensors which aren't as accurate. In my testing, they plowed right through cords, dog poop, and even a pair of shoes placed in the middle of the room. The best value pick, the Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It has excellent carpet and robotvacuummops hard floor, tangle, and hair pickup. It also has an auto empty score that is close to perfect.
A large onboard dustbin, that doesn't need to be empty manually is another feature that is essential. For models that sweep the floor, this tank can hold enough water for several weeks of cleaning. The Karcher RCV 5 comes with this and a big enough footprint to go under furniture, but not so large that it won't fit in the space between your toilet and bathtub.
Apps
Robot vacuums are similar to upright models, and it takes a lot of tech to bring them up to speed. There are many options in a market that is a mature. However, even the most advanced models require interaction with their users, particularly when it comes to scheduling cleanings and establishing a floor plan and setting up virtual barriers.
Consider a model with its own app that can identify the layout of your house and save the settings for future use. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it left off in subsequent runs, rather than having the mapping process restarted each time.
It's also worth keeping an eye out for a model that offers spot or zone cleaning modes. They allow you to instruct the robot vacuum to focus on a specific area for example, like under the dining room table after an enormous family meal. It is possible to do this using the app or by voice commands.
Many models also provide objects-avoidance. It allows the robot, when it spots something in its way, like a box of shoes or a crate containing dog toys, to coach itself around. This prevents it from crashing into things that could damage its sensors or cause a jam.
This feature is available on a few of the more expensive models we tested. They rely on bump sensor technology to do this however they did not always stay clear of things I tested at home.Pet Hair
Find a vacuum cleaner that is specifically designed to remove pet hair. The best models will have a high suction, a brush that stops tangling, and an automatic emptying mechanism. Some models can detect dirt levels to alter the level of cleaning. They can also detect objects that aren't a part of the flooring in your home like furniture and toys, food bowls cords, and much more.
Certain robot vacuums come with pet-friendly features, like a water dispenser that can be used to mop floors and a HEPA filter that can reduce allergens such as pet dust. They might also offer a quieter operation that can reduce the amount of sound generated during cleaning.
Robot vacuums that include the ability to map are a great option for pet owners since they are designed to analyze your home and create an action plan according to the layout and obstacles in every room. For instance the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Vacuum is a smart vacuum that has the amazing ability to map rooms and navigate around furniture and other obstructions using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors which work in tandem to understand the layout of your room.
Apps let you establish zones that are not allowed. These are areas where the robot should not be permitted, such as areas that contain delicate items or pet feeding areas. This feature is especially useful for busy households, as you can schedule cleaning times without having to be in the room where the vacuum is. Spot cleaning is a fantastic feature. You can direct the vacuum cleaner to clean a spot that is particularly dirty or filled with pet hair.
Dust Bin
If you don't need something small, consider a robot with a large bin or even a self-emptying trash bin. We recommend picking the one with an enormous bin or a trash bin that automatically emptys. The former will help you keep up with emptying the bin frequently enough to keep track of its performance while the latter will help you save time and effort by automatically dumping its contents into an internal container every few cleans.
Whatever the size of your house Most robots are able to climb up and around furniture, and most can detect and navigate around household obstacles such as loose cords, shoes and dog poop. Look for models that have intelligent mapping capabilities. This lets them "learn the layout of your house and plan more efficient route.
Some models also offer spot cleaning. This lets you manually target an area of your home for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we found 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 screws made of metal.
According to the company, robots can last years and continue to perform well as long as they're maintained. For instance cleaning hair that is tangled out 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, which makes them easier and cheaper to replace or repair parts like batteries and wheels when they get worn out.
