5 Best Rated Robot Vacuum Lessons From Professionals

Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Robot vacuums are great for keeping your floors tidy however they aren't a replacement for a traditional vacuum. Even the best vacuums struggle to get into carpets or rugs, and can often get caught in cords and socks.

Maintaining a regular schedule of maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair tangled from brushes and emptying the dust bin) will make your robot last longer.

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums are able to handle a couple of cleaning sessions without having to be charged. The runner-up in our overall picks is the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo comes with a battery that is designed to last for up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on a single charge. This is more than enough time to clean smaller homes with a mix of hard floors and low-pile carpets or a larger house in which the rooms are about the same size.

A longer battery lifespan also means that the robot is able to spend more time cleaning and less charging its dock. It is recommended to choose the model with an automatic floor cleaner emptying bin. These models are more efficient in cleaning up debris and bringing it back to the dock to recharge. It is important to clean or replace filters and wipe down the sensors and the camera regularly so that they can be seen clearly.

Smart mapping technology is an important feature to be looking for because it allows you to program your robot to only clear certain rooms or areas that it's likely to hit furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also useful to ensure that your robot is able to get under and around furniture like sofas, beds and other large objects. Some cheap robovacs have boundary strips that you can use to block off certain areas. Other high-end models rely on cameras and sensors.

Even the best smart vacuum robot vacuums can't replace a conventional vacuum for heavy-duty large-pile dirt and debris. It is recommended to keep a standard power vac in reserve for these tasks, and to schedule robot vacs regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot must be able to moving around your home without getting caught or running into objects like metal screws or pet hair, or sand. In our tests, we employ a tracking device to follow the robot as it travels through a multiroom lab and determine its surroundings. We also examine how the robot is able to avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture legs and pet waste.

The most advanced robots can map out multiple floors, and recognize landmarks such as doors and Windows. The most advanced robots such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra have a dual sensor navigation system, which utilizes a LIDAR to map out a room and a structured-light camera at the front to spot objects in real-time. The S8 can avoid obstacles like power cords and legs of furniture. It also has the ability to store up to four floor maps.

The majority of the models that are affordable rely on bump sensors which aren't as precise. In my tests they were able detect dog poop through cords as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The most cost-effective choice the Dreametech D10+, is one exception to this. It is a great carpet and hard floor, tangle and hair pickup. It also has an auto vacuum cleaner empty score that is near-perfect.

Another feature that is important is a huge onboard dustbin that doesn't require manually empty, and for the models that mop, a water tank that can hold weeks worth of mopping. Karcher's RCV 5 is an excellent example of this. It has a big enough footprint to fit under furniture but not so large that it is unable to fit into the space between your toilet and tub.

Apps

Robot vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require an array of technologies to keep them up-to-date. The result is a mature market that is brimming with options. Even the best models require interaction from their customers particularly when it comes time to schedule cleanings, create an outline of your home and install virtual barriers.

You might consider a model with its own app that can identify the layout of your house and save these settings for later use. This will let the vacuum begin where it left off in subsequent runs, rather than having to restart the mapping process every time.

You should also look for models that provide zones or spot cleaning. These allow you to tell the robot vacuum to focus on a specific area for example, like under the dining room table after a big family meal. You can do this by using the app or by voice commands.

Many models also provide objects avoidance. It allows the robot, when it sees something that is in its path such as a box of shoes or a crate containing dog toys, to instruct itself around. This will prevent it from running into objects which could harm its sensors or cause jams.

Some of the most expensive models in our tests include this feature. They rely on the technology of bump sensors for this however they weren't always able to keep things out of my test home.

Pet Hair

Find the best vacuum cleaner specifically designed to collect pet hair. The top models feature powerful suction and a brush that prevents getting caught in a knot, and an emptying mechanism that will automatically dump hair into the trash bin when necessary. Certain models can detect levels of dirt and adjust cleaning intensity. They can also detect objects that aren't part your flooring in your home, such as furniture, toys and food bowls.

Some robot vacuums include features that are pet-friendly, such as small water dispensers that can be used for mopping floors, and an HEPA filter that can reduce allergens like pet dander. They might also offer an operation that is quieter, which can reduce the amount of sound that's produced during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums with mapping capabilities are an excellent option for pet owners, as they're designed to evaluate your home and develop a plan of attack based on the layout and the obstacles in every room. For instance the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum is a smart vacuum that has an impressive capability to map the room and navigate around furniture and other obstacles using gyroscope and accelerometer smart sensors that work in conjunction to learn the layout of your room.

Apps allow you to create zones that are not allowed. These are areas that the robot shouldn't be allowed, such as delicate items or pet feeding areas. This feature can be especially beneficial for families with a lot of activity as it permits you to schedule cleaning sessions and make adjustments without having to be in the same room with the vacuum. Spot cleaning is another great feature. You can direct the vacuum cleaner to clean a space that is particularly filthy or stuffed with pet hair.

Dust Bin

Unless you're looking for a small size, you'll want to choose an item capable of holding at least a complete bag of garbage from a single cleaning session. We recommend picking the one with a large bin or a bin that automatically emptys. The first will let you keep up with emptying your bin frequently enough to ensure its efficiency. The second will save you time and effort by automatically emptying the contents into an inner container every few cleanings.

Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities that allow them to "learn" the layout of your house and plan more efficient routes. They also can detect and avoid objects that may block their paths (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Make sure you choose models with smart mapping capabilities. This lets them "learn the structure of your home and design a more efficient routes.

Some models provide spot cleaning. This lets you select an area of your home to be targeted for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the best models can remove fine particles such as baking soda, sand orzo, metal screws, and pet hair, as well as heavier debris like oatmeal orzo, and metal screws.

According to the manufacturer the company, robots can last for years and still perform well as long as they're maintained. For example cleaning hair tangled of brushes and emptying dust bins after each use, and wiping cameras and sensors down when needed. The top robots are more flexible. This allows you to replace or repair components like batteries and wheels, as they wear out.