13 Things You Should Know About Good Robot Vacuum That You Might Not Have Known

What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint and dust on a regular basis. Many use apps that allow you to schedule cleaning sessions and create virtual boundaries, or "walls" to keep them out of areas that you don't want to be cleaned.

This smart vacuum and mop creates a home map with its first run, storing your home's layout for future tasks. It has self-cleaning brush rolls and an large dust bin that is empty automatically.

Object Detection

When you are choosing a robotic vacuum, look for one that is able to pick up large objects, such as lamp cords and toys, and also fine dirt. This will help ensure they don't get snarled by the roller brush and aren't left behind on your floors. This is particularly important if your robot will be cleaned regularly by children or pets.

It's also a good idea to choose a model with an efficient motor and lots of suction power. This will make it more efficient at getting up pet hair, lint, and dust from your carpets and hardwood floors.

Another crucial aspect to consider is the size of your home. If you live in a large house, you may want to pick one that has multiple cleaning zones so you can clean your entire house in a single session. Some models come with mopping capabilities that can be utilized to keep floors fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are durable but they need to be maintained in a timely and efficient manner. Cleaning the rotating brushes regularly, emptying your dust bin, and wiping the sensors will ensure that your robot is running smoothly for a long time. Many of the owners of robot vacuums we have spoken to have owned their machines for ten years or longer (and have replaced brushes, motors, and batteries along with time).

A basic robot will cost you less than a large-sized vacuum mop robot cleaner, however they'll still do a great job of keeping up with dirt on the surface, pet hair, and lint. They're an excellent maintenance cleaner that you can distribute several times a week to keep your floors tidy. They don't have as much technology and are more susceptible to becoming jammed or requiring manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacs use sensors, lasers, or cameras to help them navigate your home without falling off or getting stuck on the staircase. Certain models are able to return to their base or dock when their battery is depleted. They can also stay clear of obstacles like furniture cords and legs. Some of the most expensive models come with mapping capabilities, which allow them to learn your home's layout and spend less time bumping against walls.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. There are models that do a fantastic job of picking up pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces, such as wood, tile, and low-pile rugs. They can also handle bigger debris like metal screws, rusty nails or discarded toys. Some have a base that automatically empty itself, which is great if you do not want to empty it at the end of each cleaning session.

Certain robotic vacuums come with smart features, making the look of a stick vacuum quaint. They include schedules, zone-targeting, and the capability to control them via an app or a voice assistant, such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't wish robots to access.

Certain robotic vacuums such as the Eufy 11S and my former top choice Roborock S8 Roborock S8, have obstacle avoidance technology that keeps them from crashing into furniture or tangling cords. Others, like the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance, which uses cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots that I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles and never is stuck or derails when I'm working on my floor.

While the irobot roomba vacuum mop; via Thesocialroi, j7+ was a great obstacle avoidance bot but it wasn't always able to do well in removing dust and crumbs from my rugs. It also tended to over-vacuum certain areas, resulting in a lot of extra dust in the filter, and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums have an application that lets you customize cleaning modes, create schedules, and see an image of the area covered by the machine. This is a useful feature that many competitors don't have. It allows you to create profiles that automatically start the robot at certain times and run it regularly. For instance, you could clean the living room each day or before dinner.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Certain models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to control your robot through voice commands.

Choose models with a large dust bin. This will allow you to do numerous cleaning sessions without having to empty it. There are models that self-empty, which eliminates the requirement to empty the machine after each vacuuming session.

If you're looking to purchase a robot that can do more than vacuum, you should consider the models that have a mopping function. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums, and have a water tank in the interior which can store many cleaning sessions of dirt and other debris prior to needing to be emptied.

Robots that are more advanced can make their own maps and remember the layout of your home from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a huge difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum, because it won't need to go back to the beginning when it encounters furniture or walls.

Our testers found that robots with this feature were very efficient. They could watch TV or do other things while the robot cleaned. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can then program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or all rooms when you're at work.

App Control

It is recommended to select a robot that has an app for mobile devices if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose the cleaning mode. You can also see the status of the vacuum as well as the state of its dust bin in the app. Some of the top robot vacuums can be controlled by voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot with a self-emptying bin and washable filters makes it easy to keep clean, especially if you can easily access the filter and take it off it to rinse it. Another feature that is great is a powerful brush that gets into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to clean up dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chairs' legs than others, and some have self-cleaning sensors that can prevent the blockage of brushes that could be a problem in other machines.

Some robo-vacs have navigation tools to aid them in navigating obstacles and help you understand your home. The most expensive models employ sensors and cameras to recognize obstacles such as stairs, furniture, and cords. Less expensive models might utilize boundaries to mark areas where you don't want to see it go. Object avoidance can be especially useful for families with young kids who throw socks and toys all over the home. This helps your robot to gather these items, instead of scattering them.

More robots are coming with mop heads. This is great for those with hard floors who require to clean regularly. They come with a water tank built into the chassis or an extra piece you can swap in when it's time to mop. They may require refilling frequently, but are ideal for homes that have hard floors that can't be easily cleaned by vacuum cleaners.

We've seen some incredible technology incorporated into these tiny robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might think. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that can do a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs from hard floors while also traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area carpets. It is possible to schedule the robot to sweep rooms every day and can be controlled remotely using the app or by pressing buttons on its side.