Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are great in keeping your floors clean however, they're not able to substitute for a larger vacuum. Even the most powerful robots have difficulty getting deep into rugs and carpets, and they can get tangled with cords and socks.

Staying on top of routine maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair that is tangled from brushes and emptying the dust bin) will help your robot last longer.

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums can manage just a few cleaning sessions before needing to recharge. The Ecovacs Q30S Combo is the second-best robot vacuum cleaner of our top selections. It has an energy-efficient battery that can last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square foot) on one charge. This will be more than enough for homes that have carpets, hard flooring and carpets with low pile or larger homes where 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 time charging its dock. It's worth opting for a model with a self-emptying dust bin, since those models are more efficient when it comes to collecting debris and returning to the dock for recharging. It's also important to empty or replace the filter and wipe down cameras and sensors on a regular basis so they can clearly see your home.

Smart mapping technology is a great feature to look out for since it permits you to program your robot to clean certain rooms or avoid 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 sofas, beds and other tall furniture. A few robovacs that are cheap come with boundary strips you can use to block certain areas. Other high-end models rely on sensors and cameras.

Even the top robot broom vacuums aren't able to substitute a traditional vac for heavy-duty dirt and debris. It is recommended 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 of moving around your home without being caught or running into things like metal screws, pet hair or sand. In our tests we used a tracking device used to follow the robot around the multi-room lab. It then maps its surroundings. We also examine how the robot can avoid obstacles like power cords, furniture legs and pet waste.

The most advanced robots can map out several floors and can recognize landmarks like windows and doors. The most advanced models such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, come with a dual-sensor navigation device which uses a LIDAR sensor to map out the room and a structured light camera at the front of the robot to identify objects in real time. The S8 can avoid obstacles like power cords as well as furniture legs. It can also store up to four floor maps.

The most affordable models rely on bump sensors which aren't as accurate. In my tests they were able to rip through dog poop, cords, and even the shoes that were placed in the middle of the room. The most cost-effective choice Dreametech D10+, is one exception to this. It has excellent carpet and hard floor pickup, great tangle and hair pickup, and an auto empty score.

A large onboard dustbin, which doesn't have to be emptying manually, is also a feature that is essential. For models that sweep the floor, this tank can provide enough water for several weeks of cleaning. Karcher's RCV 5 is an excellent illustration of this. It has a big enough footprint to fit under furniture but not too big that it cannot fit in 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 maturing. Even the best models require interaction from their users, especially when it comes time to schedule cleanings, create a floor plan for your home, and set up virtual barriers.

To lessen the chance of this kind of interaction, look for a model that uses its own app to determine the design of your home and save these settings for future use. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it began in subsequent runs, rather than having the mapping process restarted every time.

You should also look for models that provide zones or spot cleaning. You can instruct the best robot vacuum cleaner vacuum cleaner to focus on an area, like under the table after a huge family meal. You can use the app or by voice commands.

The ability to avoid objects is another feature that's available with many models. It lets the robot observe something in its path, for instance shoes, a crate of dog toys or a crate of dog toys, and guide itself around it. This will keep it from running into things that might damage its sensors or cause a jam.

Some of the more expensive models we've tested have this feature. They rely on bump sensor technology to do this however they weren't always able to stay clear of things I tested at home.

Pet Hair

Look for an upright vacuum cleaner specifically designed to collect hair from pets. The top models feature powerful suction, a brush that avoids the tangling and an emptying mechanism that can automatically dump hair into the dust bin when it is needed. Some are also able to detect dirt levels and adjust the cleaning intensity in line with the level of dirt. They are able to detect items that aren't part of the flooring in your home, such as furniture and toys, food bowls cords, and so on.

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 like pet dust. They might also offer the option of a quieter operation, which will minimize the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that have mapping capabilities are an excellent option for pet owners, as they are designed to analyze your home and devise plans of attack in accordance with the layout and obstructions in each room. Shark Matrix Plus is a dual-purpose robot vacuum that can map a room, navigate around furniture and other obstacles using accelerometer and Gyroscope smart sensors.

Apps let you establish zones that are not allowed. These are areas that the robot shouldn't be allowed, such as fragile objects or pet feeding areas. This feature is especially beneficial for busy households, as it allows you to schedule cleaning sessions without needing to be in the room where the vacuum is. Another excellent feature is spot cleaning which allows you to use the vacuum to clean an area that is particularly filthy or full of pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't need something small, consider a robot with a big bin or even a self-emptying trash bin. This is why we suggest opting for a model with a large bin or even a self-emptying dustbin. The former will allow you to keep up with the process of emptying your bin regularly enough to maintain its performance. The second will save you time and effort by automatically dumping the contents into an internal container every few cleanings.

Regardless of the size of your house, most robots can easily climb up and around furniture, and they can recognize and navigate around household obstacles like loose cords, shoes, and dog urine. Consider models that have smart mapping capabilities, which enable them to "learn" the patterns of your house and plan more efficient routes, as well as models that detect and avoid objects that could hinder their routes (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables).

Some models also offer spot cleaning. This lets you choose a specific area of your home to be targeted for intensive cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the top models can remove fine particles such as baking soda, sand orzo, screws made of metal and pet hair, in addition to heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo, and metal screws.

Depending on the brand, the majority of robots last for years and will continue to perform well in the event that you are on top of maintenance, such as cleaning tangled hair from brushes and dust bins, emptying them after each use, and cleaning cameras and sensors as required. The best-performing robots also tend to be more modular which makes them simpler and cheaper to repair or replace components such as wheels and batteries when they get worn out.