10 Quick Tips About Robot Vacuum

How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you're willing to live without the benefits of smart features like mapping, and don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Select a model with clean and tidy base that is compatible with voice assistants.

It excels at removing dirt, cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile and carpeting with less pile than any other robo vacuum we've tested. It also maps and set virtual no-go zones in rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum will stay on top of the dust, pet hair and dander that accumulates on your floors on a daily basis. It can also decrease the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save you time and effort. The best model has powerful suction that is able to tackle most messes and leave your home sparkling clean.

A robot vacuum that can also mop can help you cover more ground by using just one machine. This can be particularly beneficial in a larger home. Look for one that has water reservoirs either integrated into the chassis or as a separate item that you put in after the vacuuming is done. It will need to be emptied and filled in order to complete the chore.

In a perfect universe it would be ideal to clean your floors before using your robot vacuum to stop it from hitting anything. In the majority of homes, this is not possible or desirable. Thankfully, most models allow you to use your smartphone to create virtual barriers that the robot will detect and avoid. Certain models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas that you don't want it to enter. For instance, a child's room or a pile of cords in the corner.

If vacuum mop combo looking for a basic robot vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and whistles, this model made by the company that makes networking TP-Link is a great choice. It's quiet and works on both hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be programmed through the app to mop and vacuum at your leisure. It's got a long battery life, which can last up to 180 minutes before it requires to recharge.

2. Easy to operate

In general robot vacuums require little input from you. They utilize navigational tools such as sensors lasers, cameras, and sensors to maneuver and collect dust, pet hair and food crumbs off tiles, hard floors and hardwood. Many have boundary strips that aid in staying within the walls of a room, while higher-end models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a predetermined time. Some even have fall-detection technology that can help them avoid falling down stairs or becoming caught in electrical cords.

If you'd like to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of a couch, you should look for models that can work with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for models with Wi-Fi connectivity that allow you to begin cleaning sessions from anywhere via an app. You may prefer a model that has a long-lasting battery and a large dustbin, depending on the size of your house.

Some robot vacuums double as mops and use reservoirs of water to wash your floor. This is great for everyday mopping, but will not be effective for messes that are more difficult to clean, like pet poop, or other spills that get wet. There are hybrids that have an ejectable microfiber pad for mopping, or choose a self-emptying model that lets you use the device for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots utilize advanced mapping technology to build a detailed map as they clean. This allows them to avoid crashing into furniture and getting caught on cords or legs of chairs. This feature is usually only available on more expensive models, but it's certainly one of the most effective ways to ensure your robot has a full understanding of the layout of your house and knows where to go next when it's low on battery.

Most robots let you create virtual barriers. This can be done using an application or even physical boundary strips. This allows you to define areas that you don't want your robot to venture into, so it can focus its attention on areas and rooms that require the most cleaning.

Many robots also automatically switch floors based on the kind of floor they are cleaning. This can be done by changing from carpet to hard flooring, or by focussing on particular areas of your home like corners and baseboards. In our tests it was a great feature that improved their pick-up scores for both hardwood and low-pile carpeting. It is important to secure any furniture or cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum, to ensure that it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled via voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems, and can create an outline of the area they clean after each cleaning session. This allows them to "learn" how your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes in future cleaning sessions. Some have obstacle avoidance built in to prevent them from causing damage to furniture and getting stuck on things such as loose charging cables or pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to steer them around your home. Most robots can be controlled via a mobile application which has more options. You can create multiple cleaning schedules and create an agenda of your most-loved rooms. You can also manually direct the robot using directional the arrows.

Some models offer no-go zones These are virtual barriers that you can create in the app to block the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dog bowls and beds). Other apps allow you to set up an outline of your home and give the robot detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has many useful features that will help you clean the house. However its interface isn't as polished as that from iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacs that can work all over your home without stopping to recharge or empty their trash bins can save you time and energy. Some robot vacuums work with smart home platforms such as Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also build an outline of your home, allowing you to program them to clean certain areas or rooms, and to avoid obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums detect objects, but the iRobot j7 comes with advanced features such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These can simplify your life (although one of our test bots did "eat" a couple of socks). If you're looking to improve the quality of your home maintenance, you should consider the use of a robot mop and a water container that can be filled and then empty.

While none of the models that we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a stand-up vacuum, they did a great job cleaning hard floors and carpets with a low pile. They are great at sweeping up fine dust and debris, food dust, tracked-in dirt, and pet hair. They can also tackle pet litter that is stray and metal screws and nuts. The best robot vacs can easily maneuver around furniture and are great at cleaning corners and edges as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging


A robot vacuum will help keep your home clean and tidy without having to do many tasks. You can schedule cleanings through the app and set up no-go zones so that your robot doesn't harm your plants or ruin your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks empty their dustbins for you and clean their docking station.

The top robot vacuums are programmable to clean your floors regularly for weeks or even months at a time, thereby making it easier to save time and effort of manually sweeping or mopping your floors every single week or every day. This allows you to have more time to do the things you enjoy and cuts down on the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

In our tests, Q Revo was able grab fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal. It also picked up heavier particles such as nails and screws made of steel, as well as fluffy stuff like pet hair. It's not equipped with the advanced mapping and object avoidance features found in our top picks, however it's sufficient for most families.

The best thing about the j7 is that it uses camera and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid obstacles such as power cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up after using your robot. However, cluttered rooms may cause your bot to become stuck and do an inadequate job.

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Pub: 14 Mar 2024 12:10 UTC

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