Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are great at keeping your floors clean but they aren't able to substitute for a larger vacuum. Even the most advanced robots have trouble getting deep into carpets and rugs and they can get tangled up in cords and socks.

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

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums can manage just a few cleaning sessions before needing a charge. The Ecovacs Q30S Combo is a close second in our top selections. It has a battery that can last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) on a single charge. This is more than enough to clean smaller homes with a mix of hard floors and low-pile carpets, or a larger home in which the rooms are about the same size.

A longer battery lifespan also means that the robot will spend more time cleaning and less time charging on its dock. It's worth opting for models that have a self-emptying dust bin, as these models are more efficient in picking up debris and returning to the dock to recharge. It is also essential to clean or replace the filter and clean cameras and sensors regularly so that they can clearly see your home.

Smart mapping technology is an important feature to look out for because it allows you to program your robot vacuum cleaner review to clear certain rooms or areas where it's more likely to crash into furniture or other obstacles. It's also beneficial for ensuring your robot is able to get under and around beds, sofas and other furniture with a high height. Some robovacs that are inexpensive have boundaries that you can put on the floor to block off areas while other high-end models use cameras and sensors for this purpose.

Even the top robot vacuums cannot replace a traditional vacuum when it comes heavy-duty dirt and debris. It's recommended to have a power vacuum on hand for these tasks and schedule robot vacs for light cleanings throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot should be capable of navigating your home without getting caught or crashing into things such as metal screws, pet hair or sand. In our tests, we use a tracking device to follow the robot as it goes through a multi-room lab and determine its surroundings. We also examine the way it manages to avoid obstacles, including furniture legs, power cords and pet waste.

The best robots are able to identify different floors and recognize landmarks, like doors and windows. The most advanced ones such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, feature a dual-sensor navigation system that uses a LIDAR sensor to map the space and a structured lighting camera in front of the robot to identify objects in real time. The S8 can avoid obstacles like power cords as well as furniture legs. It also has the ability to store up to four floor maps.

The more affordable models don't have this kind of object detection and rely on bump sensors which aren't as accurate. In my testing they cut right through cords, dog poop and even the shoes that were placed in the middle of the room. The Dreametech D10+ is the best value choice. It is a great carpet and hard floor pickup, great hair and tangle pickup and an almost perfect auto empty score.

A large onboard dustbin, that doesn't need to be manually empty, is also a feature that's important. For models that sweep the automatic vacuum cleaners floor vacuum - like this -, this tank can hold enough water to last for several weeks of cleaning. The Karcher RCV 5 has this and a big enough footprint that it can go under furniture, but not so large that it doesn't fit into the nook between your bathtub and toilet.

Apps

Robot vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require an array of technologies to keep them up to date. The result is a pretty mature market with plenty of options. However, even the most advanced models require some interaction with their users - especially when it comes to scheduling cleanings, establishing a home floor plan, and setting up virtual barriers.

To help reduce this kind of interaction, look for a model that has its own app to identify the design of your home and save the settings for future use. This will let the vacuum start where it left off on subsequent runs, instead of having to restart the mapping process each time.

Also, look for models that offer zones or spot cleaning. These allow you to tell the robot vacuum to focus on a specific area, such as under the dining room table after an enormous family meal. You can typically do this via the app or voice commands.

Many models also provide objects-avoidance. It allows the robot, when it comes across something that is in its path such as a box of shoe or a crate with dog toys, to coach itself around. This prevents it from crashing into objects that might damage its sensors or cause jams.

This feature is offered on some of the more expensive models we tested. However, they typically rely on bump sensors for this, and they weren't always able to avoid things in my test homes.

Pet Hair

When it comes to picking up pet hair, look for one that is specifically designed to handle this kind of debris. The most effective models come with powerful suction and a brush that is free of the tangling and an emptying mechanism that will automatically dump hair into the dust bin when necessary. Some can also detect dirt levels and adjust cleaning intensity accordingly. They are able to detect objects that aren't a part of the flooring in your home, such as furniture and toys, food bowls cords, and so on.

Certain robot vacuums have additional features that are pet-friendly. They include the water dispenser that can be used to mop floors and an HEPA filtering system that eliminates allergens such as pet dust. They could also provide the option of a quieter operation, which will reduce the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that have maps are an excellent option for pet owners. They are designed to analyze your home and develop an attack plan based on the layout of each room as well as obstacles. For example the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Vacuum is a smart vacuum that has an impressive ability to map a room and navigate around furniture and other obstacles using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors which work in tandem to understand the layout of your space.

Apps let you set up zones that are not allowed. These are areas where the robot is not allowed, such as fragile items or pet feeding areas. This feature is particularly useful for families with busy schedules, since it allows you to schedule cleaning sessions without needing to be in the room in which the robotic vacuum cleaners is. Spot cleaning is an additional great feature. You can direct the robotic vacuum cleaner amazon cleaner to clean an area that is particularly dirty or filled with pet hair.

Dust Bin

Unless you're looking for something small You should pick a robot that can hold at least a complete bag of trash from one cleaning session. We recommend going for a model with a large bin, or perhaps a self-emptying dustbin. The former will enable you to keep up with emptying the bin frequently enough to ensure you are on top of its performance, while the latter will save you time and effort by automatically emptying its contents into an internal container every few cleanings.

Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities that allow them to "learn" the layout of your home and plan more efficient routes. They also detect and avoid objects that could hinder their travel (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Find models with intelligent vacuum cleaner mapping capabilities, which permit them to "learn" the structure of your home and devise more efficient routes, as well as models that detect and avoid objects that may hinder their path (like shoelaces or the tangled charging cables).

Some models provide spot cleaning. This lets you choose a specific area of your home for intensive cleaning. In our tests, we found that the top models are able to take out small particles like baking soda, sand, orzo, metal screws and pet hair, in addition to heavier debris like oatmeal, orzo, and metal screws.

Based on the manufacturer, most robots will last for a long time and continue to perform well so long as you keep up with maintenance tasks, such as cleaning hair that has become tangled from brushes and emptying the dust bin after every use, and cleaning cameras and sensors when required. The best-performing robots also tend to be more modular, which makes them easier and less expensive to repair or replace components like batteries and wheels when they get worn out.