Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Robot vacuums can be great for keeping your floors clean however they aren't a replacement for a regular vacuum. Even the best robots have trouble getting deep into carpets and rugs and they may get caught in cords and socks.
Your robot will last longer if it is maintained with regular maintenance. This includes replacing filters, removing hairs that are tangled from brushes, and emptying the dustbin.
Battery Life
Most robot vacuums are capable of handling a few cleaning sessions before needing to recharge. The runner-up in our overall picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo, has a battery capable of lasting up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on one charge. This is enough to clean the majority of smaller homes that have carpets that are hard and carpets with low pile or a larger house with rooms that are roughly the same size.
A longer battery life means that the robot is able to 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 in collecting debris and then returning back to the dock to recharge. It's also important to clean or replace the filter and clean cameras and sensors on a regular basis so they are able to see your home clearly.
Smart mapping technology can be a valuable feature, since you can program your robot to ensure that it only cleans specific rooms or stays clear of areas where it's likely to crash into furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also useful for ensuring that your robot is able to get under and around furniture like beds, sofas and other high-height items. Some robovacs are inexpensive and come with boundary strips you can use to block certain areas. Other models of higher quality rely on sensors and cameras.
Even the best robot vacs cannot replace a traditional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty, large-pile dirt and debris. It's wise to keep a traditional 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 your home without getting stuck or crashing into things like metal screws or loose pet hair or sand. In our tests we used a tracking device used to track the robot's movements through a multi-room lab. It then tracks its surroundings. We also check the way it manages to avoid obstacles, including furniture legs, power cords and pet waste.
The best robots are able to identify multiple floors and recognize landmarks, like windows and doors. The most advanced robots, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra have a dual sensor navigation system that uses the LIDAR to create a floor plan and a structured-light camera on the front to detect objects in real-time. The S8 can avoid obstacles like power cords and legs of furniture. It can also 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 precise. In my tests they were able to rip through cords, dog poop and even a pair of shoes placed in the middle of the room. The most affordable choice Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It has excellent carpet and hard floor pickup, excellent hair and tangle pickup and an almost perfect auto empty score.
Another feature worth mentioning is a large onboard dustbin that doesn't require manually empty, and for the models that mop, a water tank which can store weeks of cleaning sessions. The Karcher RCV 5 has this feature and has a large enough footprint that it can go under furniture, but not so large that it can't fit into the space between your toilet and bathtub.
Apps
Robot vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require a lot of technology to keep them current. There are many choices available in a market that is mature. Even the most advanced models require input from their users, especially when it comes time to schedule cleanings, create an outline of your home, and set up virtual barriers.
You might consider a model with its own app that can recognize the layout of your house and save the settings for future use. This will let the vacuum begin where it left off on subsequent runs, instead of having to restart the mapping process every time.
You should also look for models that provide zones or spot cleaning. You can instruct the robot vacuum cleaner to concentrate on an area, like under the table after a large 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 spots objects in its path such as a box of shoe or a crate with dog toys, to coach itself around. This will prevent it from hitting objects that could damage its sensors or cause jams.
This feature is available on a few of the more expensive models we tested. They depend on bump sensor technology to do this however they did not always stay clear of things I tested at home.
Pet Hair
Look for an upright vacuum cleaner designed to pick up pet hair. The most effective models will have the highest suction, a brush that stops tangling, and an automatic emptying mechanism. Some models are able to detect dirt levels to adjust cleaning intensity. They can even spot objects that aren't part of your home's flooring like furniture toys, food bowls, toys cords, and much more.
Some robot vacuums include additional pet-friendly features. These include a water dispenser which is used to mop floors and an HEPA filtration system that reduces allergens, such as pet dander. They could also feature a quieter mode of operation to cut down on the amount of noise that is generated during cleaning.
Robot vacuums that have mapping capabilities are an excellent option for pet owners, as they are designed to analyze your home and create an action plan in accordance with the layout and obstructions in each room. Shark Matrix Plus is a two-in-one robot vacuum that can create a map of a room, and navigate around furniture, and other obstacles using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors.
Other advanced models allow you to define no-go zones that are areas that the robot is meant to avoid, such as items that are fragile or pet feeding spots--by adjusting settings through an app. This feature is especially useful for families with busy schedules, since you can schedule cleaning sessions without needing to be in the room where the vacuum is. Spot cleaning is an additional excellent feature. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to clean an area that is especially dirty or stuffed with pet hair.
Dust Bin
If you're not searching for something small it is recommended to select a robot capable of holding at least a large bag of garbage from a single cleaning session. We suggest choosing the one with an enormous bin or a trash bin that automatically emptys. The former will allow you to keep up with emptying your bin frequently enough to maintain its performance. The latter will save time and effort by automatically emptying the contents into an inner container each time you clean it.
Regardless of the size of your house Most robots are able to move around and up to furniture, and most can recognize and navigate around household obstacles like shoes, loose cords, and dog puke. Look for models that have intelligent mapping capabilities. This lets them "learn the structure of your home and plan an efficient route.
Some models provide spot cleaning. This allows you to choose a specific area of your house for thorough cleaning. We've observed that the majority of the top performers in our tests can pick up fine particles like baking soda and sand together with larger particles like oatmeal, orzo pasta, metal screws and pet hair.
The brand you choose will determine the longevity of the robot. most robots will last for a long time and continue to perform in the event that you are on top of maintenance tasks, such as cleaning hair that has become tangled from brushes, emptying the dust bin after each use and cleaning cameras and sensors as required. The most efficient robots tend to be more modular which makes them simpler and less costly to repair or replace parts such as batteries and wheels when they wear out.