Notes

How To Beat Your Boss Robot Vacuum
How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you can live without smart capabilities like mapping, and you don't mind cleaning the trash bin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Select a model with a clean base that works with voice assistants.

It excels at picking up dirt, clumps of cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile and low-pile carpeting better than any other vacuum we've tried. It also maps and set virtual no-go zones for rooms or areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum cleaner can help you keep up with the dust, pet fur and dander that settles on your floors every day. It can also reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, saving your time and effort. The best models have powerful suction, which will take on the majority of messes and leave your home clean.

Choosing a robot vacuum that is also able to mop will help you get more space with one machine, which could be especially helpful for homes with a large area. Find models that have a water reservoir either in the chassis or as a separate piece that you can swap out when the vacuuming is done. It will have to be emptied and refilled, so it's an extra 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 most homes, however this isn't possible or desirable. The majority of models let you utilize an app that you can install on your phone to create virtual barriers that the robot can detect. Some have no-go zones which can be used to mark areas you don't want the robot to be in, like kids rooms or a pile of cords for your device in the corner.

If you're looking to buy a basic robot vacuum that doesn't have all the bells and whistles, this model made by networking company TP-Link is a great choice. It's quiet, and it works on hard floors as well as low-pile carpets and can be scheduled using the app to vacuum or mop at your own convenience. It has a long battery life of around 180 minutes.

2. Simple to operate

In general robot vacuums require little input from you. They utilize sensors cameras, lasers, and sensors to maneuver and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs off hard floors, tiles and hardwood. Many models have boundary strips to help them remain in a room. Higher-end models can be programmed to wake up at a specific time and start cleaning. automatic vacuum cleaner have fall detection technology that helps them avoid falling down stairs or getting caught in cords.

If you want to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of your couch, you should look for models that work with voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also look for Wi-Fi-connected models that let you start cleaning from any location via an app. Depending on the size of your home is, you might prefer one that has a long battery life and a roomy dustbin that doesn't have to be regularly emptied.

Some robot vacuums double as mops, using water reservoirs to clean your floor. This is useful for regular mopping but won't work for tough messes like pet poop, or other spills that get wet. You can pick hybrids that have a removable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying option that lets you go for up to 60 days without emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots employ advanced mapping technology to create a detailed map of your floorplan as they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid crashing into furniture or falling over things like cords or chair legs. This feature is usually only available on higher-end models, but it's certainly one of the best ways to make sure your robot has a full understanding of the layout of your home and can determine where to go when it's low on battery.

Most robots allow you to create virtual barriers. This can be done through an app or physically-based boundary strips. This allows you to create zones that you don't want your robot venture into, so it can focus its attention on rooms and spaces that need the most cleaning.

Many robots can also automatically navigate to different floors based on the type of floor they're cleaning, whether that's changing between carpet and hard flooring or focusing on specific areas of your home, such as baseboards and corners. This feature proved useful in our tests and enhanced the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. It is important to secure any furniture or cords that are loose before using your robot vacuum so it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums come with WiFi capabilities and can be controlled with voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems, and generate an outline of the area they clean after each cleaning session. This lets them "learn" how your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes for future cleaning sessions. Some have built-in obstacle avoidance that prevents them from crashing into and damaging furniture or getting stuck on things like charging cables that are loose shoes, laces for shoes and hair from pets.

Most robots have a remote control that you can use to move them around your home. However, most can also be controlled with an app on your mobile that comes with additional features. You can usually create multiple cleaning schedules, build an inventory of your favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot around specific areas by using directions on the screen.

Some models provide no-go zones These are virtual barriers you can set up within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dog bowls and beds). Other apps let you make an outline of your home and give the robot detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has several useful features that will aid in cleaning the house. However, its interface isn't quite as sleek as iRobot or Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that clean your entire home without stopping for a recharge or emptying their trash bins save time and effort. Some work with smart home devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also draw maps of the area for you to program them for specific areas or rooms and to stay clear of obstacles.

The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, but the iRobot j7 comes with advanced features, such as "home mapping" and obstacle avoidance. These features can make your life much easier (although one of our test robots did "eat" two socks). If you're looking to push your home maintenance even further consider a robot mop that has a tank of water that you fill and empty yourself.

While none of the models that we tested could match the dirt-picking ability of a standup vacuum, they did a great job cleaning hard floors as well as carpets with low pile. They excel in sweeping up dust and debris, food dust, tracked-in dirt, and pet hair. They can also handle nuts and screws made of metal as well as the stray cat litter. The best robot vacuums can clean edges and corners and can work on furniture. For an affordable model that can work on its own and is comparatively inexpensive, check out the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the right setup and the right setup, a robotic vacuum can assist you in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh on a regular basis with minimal effort. You can schedule cleanings through the app, and set up no-go areas to ensure that your robot does not step on your plants or favorite chair. A majority of our top picks will also empty their dustbins and clean their docking stations.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to keep your floors clean for months or weeks at a stretch, making it easier to save time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors each week or every day. This lets you spend more time on things you like and reduces the amount of time your floors have to be cleaned manually.

In the course of testing the Q Revo was able to capture fine particles like baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like metal screws and nails as well as fluffy things such as hair of pets. It does not have the advanced mapping and objects-avoiding features of our top picks, but is still a great option for most families.


The most appealing feature of the j7 is that it uses camera and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up after using your robot. However, rooms that are cluttered can cause your robot to become stuck and perform a poor job.

Website: https://www.robotvacuummops.com/