Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner
While robot vacuums are great in keeping your floors clean, they can't replace a full-size vacuum. Even the most powerful robots aren't able to get deep into carpets and rugs, and they may get caught in cords and socks.
Your robot will last longer if you perform routine maintenance. This includes replacing filters, cutting hairs that have become tangled off brushes and emptying the dustbin.
Battery Life
Most robot vacuums are capable of handling one or two cleaning sessions before requiring a charge. The runner-up in our top picks is the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is capable of lasting up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on one charge. That amount of runtime is more than enough time to clean the majority of smaller homes that have carpets that are hard and low-pile carpets, or a larger home where the rooms are roughly the same size.
A longer battery life also means the robot can spend more time cleaning and less charging its dock. It's a good idea to choose an auto-emptying dust bin, since those models are more efficient in picking up debris and returning to the dock for charging. It's important to clean or replace the filters and clean the sensors and cameras on a regular schedule so they can see clearly.
Smart mapping technology is a great feature to look for since it permits you to program your robot to clean specific rooms or areas where it's likely to crash into furniture or other obstacles. It's also useful for ensuring that your robot is able to get under and around beds, sofas and other tall furniture. Some robovacs that are inexpensive have boundary strips you can place on the floor to block off certain areas, while other high-end models use cameras and sensors to achieve this goal.
Even the best robot vacs cannot replace a traditional vacuum for heavy-duty, large-pile dirt and debris. It's wise to keep a standard power vac in reserve for these tasks and to schedule robot vacuums regularly for cleaning up light chores throughout the week.
Navigation
A robot should be able to navigate you home without getting stuck or crashing into objects like screws made of metal or pet hair that is loose, or sand. In our tests we used a tracking device used to follow the robot around the multi-room lab. It then analyzes its surroundings. We also examine how the robot is able to avoid obstacles like power cords, furniture legs, and pet waste.
The most advanced robots can identify different floors and identify landmarks, like doors and windows. The most advanced robots, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra have a dual sensor navigation system, which uses the LIDAR to draw a room's layout and a structured-light camera at the front to detect objects in real-time. This allows the S8 to avoid common obstacles like power cords and furniture legs and can store up to four different floor maps in its internal memory.
Most affordable models rely on bump sensors which aren't as precise. In my tests, they plowed right through dog poop, cords, and even the shoes that were placed in the middle of the room. The best value pick Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It is a great carpet, hard floor, tangle and hair pickup. It also has an auto empty score that is near-perfect.
A large onboard dustbin, which does not need to be emptying manually, is also a feature that's important. If you have models that mop the floor, this tank can provide enough water for several weeks of cleaning. The Karcher RCV 5 comes with this feature and has a large enough footprint to go under furniture, but not so large that it doesn't fit into the nook between your toilet and bathtub.
Apps
Robot vacuums are like upright vacuums, and it takes lots of technology to bring them up to speed. The result is a pretty mature market with plenty of options. But even the top models still require some interaction with their users - especially when it comes to scheduling cleanings and establishing a floor plan, and setting up virtual barriers.
To help reduce this interaction, consider looking for a model that uses its own app to determine the design of your home and save those settings for the future. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it began in subsequent runs, rather than having the mapping process restarted every time.
It is also recommended to consider models that offer zone or spot cleaning. You can instruct the robot vacuum cleaner to focus on an area, like under the table after a large family meal. You can choose to do this using the app or by voice commands.
The ability to avoid objects is another option that is available on many models. It lets the robot observe something in its path, such as the shoe box or a crate of dog toys, and coach itself around it. This will prevent it from crashing into objects that could damage its sensors or cause jams.
Some of the more expensive models we tested have this feature. They depend on the technology of bump sensors for this however they did not always keep things out of my test home.
Pet Hair
When it comes to picking up pet hair, you should choose one that is specifically designed to handle this type of debris. The best models have powerful suction capabilities, a brush that avoids tangling, and an emptying mechanism that will automatically empty hair into the bin when necessary. Some models are able to detect dirt levels and alter the level of cleaning. They are also able to detect items that aren't a part of your flooring in your home, such as toys, furniture and food bowls.
Some robot vacuums include pet-friendly features, such as small water dispensers that can be used to mop floors, and a HEPA filter that can reduce allergens such as pet dander. They might also offer a quieter operation that can reduce the amount of sound generated during cleaning.
Robot vacuums that have maps are a great option for pet owners, as they're designed to evaluate your home and develop plans of attack based on the layout and obstacles in each room. Shark Matrix Plus is a 2-in-1 robot vacuum that can map a room, and navigate through furniture, and over other obstacles using accelerometer and gyroscope sensors.
Other models that are more advanced allow you to create no-go zones, which are areas that the robot is meant to avoid, such as items that are fragile or pet feeding spots. You can adjust these settings using an app. Suggested Reading is particularly beneficial for families with a lot of activity because it allows you to plan your cleaning schedule and adjust settings without having to be in the same space as the vacuum. Another great feature is spot cleaning which allows you to direct the vacuum to clean an area that is dirty or full of pet hair.
Dust Bin
If you don't want something small, go for a model with a large bin, or even a self-emptying bin. That's why we recommend opting for a model that has a large bin, or perhaps self-emptying bins. The former will enable you to keep track of emptying the bin often enough to ensure you are on top of its performance, while the latter will help you save time and effort by automatically dumping its contents into an internal container after every few cleanings.
Whatever the size of your home, most robots can easily get up to and around furniture, and almost all are able to detect and navigate around household obstacles such as shoes, loose cords and dog urine. Look for models with smart mapping capabilities, which allow them to "learn" the structure of your home and devise more efficient routes, as well as ones that can sense and avoid objects that may hinder their path (like shoelaces or strangling charging cables).
Certain models also offer spot cleaning, which allows users to select an area of your home for thorough cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the top models are able to remove fine particles such as sand, baking soda, orzo, metal screws, and pet hair, as well heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo, and screws made of metal.
The brand you choose will determine the longevity of the robot. most robots can last for a long time and continue to perform well so long as you maintain them with regular maintenance, like cleaning out tangled hair from brushes and emptying the dust bin after each use, and wiping down sensors and cameras whenever needed. The best-performing robots also tend to be more modular and therefore easier and cheaper to repair or replace components like batteries and wheels as they wear out.