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15 Terms Everyone Is In The Robot Vacuum Best Industry Should Know
How to Keep a Robot Vacuum Clean

Robot vacuums can help keep your floors clean. Depending on the model they can also sweep or mop stairs.

Find models with intelligent features, like remote access and app control. You can use apps to schedule cleaning sessions and keep track of progress. Some apps can even stop and recharge, then resume where they left off.

1. Battery Life

With self-driving cars, drones that navigate the skies, and robot vacuums that nimbly maneuver around furniture, it's safe to say the future of cleaning is here. However, as with all technologies, it requires some maintenance to keep it running smoothly.

The most important aspect in the longevity of your robot is the cycle of discharge and charge. Make sure the dustbin is full and empty. Make sure you check for furs that are tangled and keep the brushes from jamming.

The location the robot is stored may impact the performance of your battery. Extreme heat and cold can affect the battery's performance. You can extend the life of your robot's battery by charging it to 50% and then storing it in a cool location. Also, disconnect it from the power source when using it. Additionally, most smart devices are equipped with periodic firmware updates that improve performance, such as battery optimization, so make sure to check your app for updates.

If you have lots of hard floors, a robot vacuum is a great option. It is able to quickly and efficiently get rid of dirt and other debris, leaving your floors sparkling clean. If you're looking for more than just a quick clean-up, you should look for a model with superior navigation and obstacles avoidance.

The Ecovacs T20 robot is our top rated robot. It is a combination of advanced navigation, powerful suction, and a range of mopping features to provide an extensive, thorough cleaning of your hard flooring. It uses LiDAR cameras and sensors to create detailed maps of the home. This helps it keep its course and avoid getting stuck in furniture legs or power cables. It can also detect items like shoes and clutter, and clean them up automatically. It's also self-emptying, which means that you don't have to return the vacuum to its base station to empty its bin after each cleaning session.

2. Dust Bin

Robots are ideal for quick midweek cleaning, but lack the suction to replace a plug in vacuum cleaner for more thorough cleaning. Even the top robot vacuums are susceptible to becoming entangled in cords and toys. They can also ignore dirt piles in the vicinity of baseboards and struggle to get rid of crumbs from under furniture. And, their onboard dustbins get so full that they must return to their charging docks in order to empty themselves, which can take up to an hour for some models.

As such, it's important to select a vacuum that has a big dustbin and can empty into its dock without returning to finish the task. You'll need to decide if you prefer bagged models or a bagless one. If you choose the bagless option you'll need to determine how much dust it will hold before you have to empty it.

In our tests we apply 100 grams of sand to an area of medium-pile carpet and use a robot vacuum to vacuum it over the surface. We then weigh the amount of sand we find in the vacuum's onboard dust bin to determine the amount dirt it has collected. A large amount suggests that the bin could be filled faster and force your robot to stop cleaning.

It's important to know that most robot vacuums have large dust bins that is easily emptyable. You can also set up the cleaning of their bases at least two times per day. Keep a bin filled with compressed air in your bag to blow away hairs that have become tangled up in the rotating brush and to clean any filters according to the instructions of the manufacturer.

3. Wi-Fi Connectivity

The top robot vacuums provide a variety of connectivity options to connect with the Wi-Fi network in your home. This allows the robot to download and install updates for its software, as well as allows you to monitor your bot via an app or voice-activated commands. While not essential, this feature offers convenience and customization features that can improve the overall experience for robot vacuuming.

The majority of models require some form of regular maintenance, such as emptying the dust bin or cleaning the brush roll, to ensure they are operating at peak efficiency. A regular schedule of cleaning, detaching, and checking consumable parts will also extend the life of their components. Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin at University Vacuum & Sewing says that three to five years is the typical lifespan of the robot vacuum, but this can vary significantly depending on how often you use it and if you take care to maintain it properly.

To function a robot vacuum, it has to be able to map your floors and navigate around obstacles. Advanced navigation systems incorporate cliff sensors, which alert the robot to steep drops. They also have optical and laser sensors that allow it to "see" the arrangement of a room. Some robots also have mopping functions that are specifically designed for them which is useful for keeping floors clean between deeper cleanings with the use of a stand-up vacuum.

The best 2-in-1 vacuums also mop. This means you don't need to switch between a robot vacuum and a manual one. The iRobot Roomba 690 is a powerful, highly efficient robot vacuum cleaner that can wash its mop pad and wipe down surfaces using its water tank. Its mapping and obstacle avoidance capabilities were so impressive that it won CR's Best Robot Vacuum Award, and also an AVTech Editors' Choice Award.

4. Cleaning Patterns

The best robot vacuums we test have excellent pickup scores on hard floors as well as carpets with low pile. They remove dust, dirt and pet hair. They also clean up dust and crumbs from the edges of rooms and along baseboards. They aren't able to remove dirt that is deep-seated or tangles of plush shag fibers such as an upright or canister. They also aren't able to remove spilled liquids and food particles, or heavy metal screws and may also miss a few areas of the home (including under furniture).

Many models come with smart features which make them more user-friendly. Most models have an app that allows you to schedule cleaning sessions and remotely control the robot. They can be integrated into your smart home system, so that you can make voice commands through Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Certain models come with multiple modes that let you pick between mopping, sweeping and vacuuming. They can return to their docks for a recharge and pick up where they left off.

The technology for avoiding obstacles has improved over years, but it is still necessary to remove cords, toys, and pet mess before you run the robot. Before you map out the room, you'll need to cover all ceiling-to-floor mirrors with cardboard. The laser used by some models may bounce off reflective surfaces, causing the robot to crash against a wall or a floor.


More premium models have advanced mapping capabilities, with some making use of lidar to create a 3D map of your space. This helps the robot to recognize obstacles and devise an efficient path around them. Some allow you to set no-go zones, so the robot can avoid specific areas, like your pet's food bowls, or an expensive rug.

5. App Control

You can set up an agenda for cleaning and control the robots with an app. This lets you clean your home while you are at work or away on vacation. Some robots can also self-empty their trash into a large bin at the base. This helps reduce dust rerelease and is a great feature for those suffering from allergies.

Certain robots can detect objects on the ground and utilize cameras as a guide to avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg or pet toys. This is an impressive capability that is available in less expensive models. However, it's important to clean the dustbin of your robot and look for hairs that have become tangled as they accumulate.

A high-end model is also able to store multiple floor maps, which can be beneficial if you live in multiple levels and some models can even create 3D models of your house. You can then choose specific rooms and set up digital keep-out zones to ensure your robot stays focused on what you want it to focus on, instead of wandering around areas that you don't need to clean.

Robots are great for routine midweek clean-ups however they aren't able to substitute for a large-sized vacuum, particularly on rugs. They're better at picking up dirt that's embedded in carpet than plain floors, however they're still unable to pick up piles of debris near baseboards and thresholds, as well as cords and socks that are tangled. To get the most value from your robot, look for a model with spots and zone cleaning modes to target specific areas and reduce the need for cleaning. There are also automatic hoover that charge and resume where they left off. This is great for homes with large rooms.

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