"Ask Me Anything": Ten Answers To Your Questions About Robot Vacuum
How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum
If you're willing to live without advanced features such as mapping, and don't mind emptying the garbage bin every 60 days or so, a basic robot vacuum is likely to work for you. Choose a model that is clean and works with voice assistants.
It is a pro at picking up dirt, cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile and low-pile carpeting better than any other vacuum we've tried. It can also map out and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or specific areas.
1. Powerful Suction
A robot vacuum will stay clean of the pet hair, dust and dander that collects on your floors on a daily basis. It can also reduce the frequency of deep cleaning, which will save your time and effort. The most effective models have powerful suction that is able to take on the most difficult messes and leave your home sparkling clean.
You can cover a larger area by using a robot vacuum and mop, which is particularly useful if you have a large house. There are models with a water tank either integrated into the chassis or as an extra piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be filled and empty, so it's an extra chore.
In ideal world, you'd clear your floors before you used your robot vacuum to prevent it from running into things. But in most homes, this isn't possible or desirable. Fortunately, the majority of models allow you to use a smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot is able to detect and avoid. Some models have no-go zones, which you can flag areas you don't want the robot to be allowed to enter. For instance, a child's room or a pile cords in an area.
If you're looking for a basic robot vacuum without all the bells and bells, this model from the networking company TP-Link is a great option. It's quiet, and it works on both hard floors and low-pile rugs and can be scheduled through the app to vacuum or mop at any time. It has a long battery life of around 180 minutes.
2. Easy to operate
In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They make use of navigation tools such as sensors, lasers and cameras to maneuver around obstacles and remove dust, food crumbs and pet hair from floors, tiles, hardwood and low-pile carpets. Many models have boundary strips to help them remain in a room. Higher-end models can be programmed to start up at a certain time and start cleaning. Some models include fall detection technology to help them avoid falling down a flight of stairs or getting caught in cords.
Look for models that can be controlled from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants like Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also choose Wi-Fi models that allow users to start cleaning anywhere you want using an app. Depending on how large your home is, you might prefer an item with a long-lasting battery and a roomy dustbin that doesn't have to be emptying frequently.
Some robot vacuums double as mops and use reservoirs of water to wash your floors. This is ideal for mopping, but not for tough messes like pet poop and other spills. You can select hybrids that have an adjustable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying option that allows you to go up to 60 days before emptying the base.
3. Smart Mapping
Certain robots employ advanced mapping technologies to build a precise map of your floorplan while they pure clean robot vacuum the floor, which makes it easier for them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or falling over things such as cords or chairs. This feature is usually only available on higher-end models, but it's certainly one of the best buy robot vacuum ways to ensure your robot has a complete understanding of the layout of your home and is aware of where to go when it runs out of battery.
If you do not want your robot to go into areas of your house that you'd rather it stay away from (like your kids' toys or the tangled mess of gadget cords in the corner), most robots offer some way to create virtual barriers, either with their apps or physical boundary strips. You can block off areas that you don't wish your robot to go into in order to focus on the areas that require the most attention.
A lot of robots are able to automatically navigate to different flooring types depending on the surface they're cleaning, whether that's changing between hard flooring and carpet or focusing on certain areas of your home, such as baseboards and corners. This feature was useful in our tests and improved the performance of the vacuum on both hardwood flooring and carpeting for floors with low-pile. It is important to secure any furniture or best buy robot vacuum cords that are loose before using your robot vacuum, so that it doesn't become caught.
4. Remote Control
Most robot vacuums have WiFi capabilities and can be controlled using voice commands, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa or Siri Shortcuts. Many connect to smart home systems that create a map of your space after each cleaning session to "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future trips. Certain models have obstacle avoidance features built in to prevent them from causing damage to furniture and getting stuck on objects like loose charging cables or pet hair.
Most robots come with a remote you can use to pilot them around your home. However, many can be controlled with an app on your mobile, which gives you more options. You can typically set up multiple cleaning schedules, create a list of favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to specific areas by using directions on the screen.
Some models have zones that are not allowed. These are virtual barriers that can be created in the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for kids or dishes and dog beds). Other apps allow you to set up an outline of your home and provide the robot with detailed information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has a number of useful features to aid in cleaning the house. However its interface isn't as polished as that from iRobot or Shark.
5. Long Battery Life
Robotic vacs that can clean a whole house without stopping to recharge or empty their dust bins save you time and effort. Some are compatible 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 living space, allowing you to program them to clean specific areas or rooms and avoid obstacles.
The majority of robot vacuums can detect objects, but the iRobot j7 offers 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 take your home maintenance to the next level opt for a robotic mop that comes with a tank of water that can be filled and then empty.
While no of the models we tested could compete with the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum, they were able to do a fantastic job of cleaning hard floors and carpets with low pile. They are great in sweeping up dust and debris, food dust, tracked-in dirt, and pet hair. They also can handle metal screws and nuts as well as stray cat litter. The best robot vacs can easily maneuver around furniture, and they are great at cleaning edges and corners as well. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.
6. Convenient Self-Charging
A robot vacuum can keep your home tidy and clean without you having to do lots of work. You can schedule cleanings in the app and create zones that are not allowed to enter so that your robot doesn't harm your plants or your favourite chair. The majority of our top picks automatically empty their trash bins and clean their docking stations for you.
The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for weeks or even months at a stretch, freeing you from the time-consuming task of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This lets you spend more time doing things you enjoy and reduces the amount of time required to clean your floors manually.
During testing the Q Revo was able to pick up tiny particles such as baking soda and oatmeal and heavier debris like nails and screws made of metal, and fluffy stuff such as hair of pets. It's not equipped with the sophisticated mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, but it works well enough for most families.
The most impressive feature of the j7 is its ability to recognize and avoid obstacles such as power cords as well as socks and shoes, and pet waste. This means that you don't need to pure clean robot vacuum up after using your robot. However, rooms that are cluttered may cause your bot to become stuck and do an inadequate job.
