Don't Stop! 15 Things About Good Robot Vacuum We're Overheard

What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A good robotic vacuum mop combo robot can help you stay on top of pet hair, lint, and dust on a daily basis. Many of them use apps to allow you to schedule cleaning times and define virtual boundaries or "walls" to keep them away from areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vac-mop creates an outline of your home's layout with its initial run. It then remembers the area to be used for cleaning tasks in the future. It comes with a huge dust bin that automatically emptys, as well as self-cleaning brush roll.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum, make sure you choose one that can take in large items, like lamp cords and toys, as well as fine dirt. This will ensure that they do not get caught in the roller brush or end up on your floor. This is especially important if your robot will be cleaned regularly by children or pets.

It's an excellent idea to choose a model with strong motors and lots of suction power. This will enable it to be more efficient in removing dust, pet hair and lint off carpets and hardwood flooring.

The size of your home is a different factor to consider. If you have a large house, you may choose one with multiple cleaning zones that can clean the entire home in one session. Some models have a mopping feature that can be used to keep floors looking fresh and clean.

Robot vacuums are long-lasting, but they need to be cleaned properly and regularly. Cleaning the rotating brushes, emptying the dust bin and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will keep your robot running smoothly for long time to come. Many robot vacuum owners we speak to have owned their machines for 10 years or longer (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries along with time).

A basic robot will cost you less than a full-sized vacuum cleaner, however they'll do a fantastic job at removing dirt on the surface, pet hair and dust. You can use them to clean your floors multiple times per day. They don't have as much technology and are more prone to getting jammed or needing manual intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacs use sensors, lasers or cameras to help them navigate your home without getting stuck or falling down the staircase. Certain models are able to return to their dock or base when their battery is depleted. They can also avoid obstacles like furniture cords and legs. Some of the most expensive models come with the ability to map, which allows them to learn your home's layout and therefore spend less time bumping against walls.

If you don't want splurge on the most advanced robotic vacuums, you can still find a model that does an excellent job of removing pet hair dirt, dust, and crumbs from hard floors like tile and wood as well as carpets with a low pile. They also do a good job of removing larger debris such as metal screws and staples that are rusty or even abandoned toys. Some even come with an auto-emptying base, which is useful for those who don't want to empty your trash bin after every clean-up.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features, making the standard stick vacuum look quaint. These include schedules, zone-targeting, and the ability for you to control them through an app or voice assistant, like Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls' to block off areas where you do not want the robot to venture.

Certain robotic cleaner and mop vacuums, such as the Eufy 11S or my former top pick, Roborock S8, come equipped with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more advanced AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks and pet waste. It's a bit more expensive than other bots I've tried, but it does a great job of avoiding obstacles, and never is stuck or tripped when working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a great obstacle avoidance bot however, it wasn't always doing an excellent job of removing dirt and crumbs from my rugs. It also was prone to over-vacuum specific areas, which resulted in dust accumulation in the filters and a less clean house.

Smart Mapping

Some of the Best mop vacuum robot combo robots vacuums have an app that allows you to alter cleaning modes, create schedules, and see an image of the floor area that is covered by the machine. This is a great feature that some competitors don't have. This makes it easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specified times and keep it running on a regular basis, like cleaning your living room prior to dinner or on a regular basis.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot using voice commands. Some models are compatible with Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work completely hands-free, so you can say "start with a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without the need for an app.

Find a model that has a large dustbin. This will allow you to do many cleaning sessions without needing to empty it. There are also models that self-empty that take some of the work out of emptying the robot after each run of vacuuming.

If you're looking for a robot capable of doing more than just vacuum, you'll want to look into one that can mop floors. These are typically larger than robotic vacuums and have a water tank inside which can store many cleaning sessions of dirt and debris prior to needing to be cleaned.

The most advanced robots create their own maps of your house and can even keep track of the arrangement from one cleaning to the next, which helps them avoid getting lost or trapped in corners. This can make a significant difference in the effectiveness of your robot vacuum since it won't have to go back to where it started when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our testers who used the robot that has this capability discovered it to be extremely efficient, and they could sit back and watch TV or perform other chores while the robot was cleaning. Some of these models use laser navigation and can create an exact map of your entire home, meaning you can program them to clean only the bedroom after dinner, or each room of the house while you're working.

App Control

If you want to customize the frequency with which the robot cleans your home and select the cleaning mode, it's best to get one that has an app for mobile devices. You can also check the state of the vacuum and the condition of its dust bin within the app. Some of the best robot vacuum mop for hardwood floors robot vacuums can even be controlled via voice with Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that has a self-emptying bin and washable filters is simple to keep hygienic, especially when you are able to easily access the filter and remove it to rinse it. A high-powered brush is another great feature that can reach into corners and along baseboards for removal of hair and dirt. Some robots are more adept in avoiding chair legs than others. Others have an automatic cleaning system that cleans brushes to avoid clogging.

Some robot vacuums have navigation tools that allow them to understand your home and navigate around obstacles. High-end models use sensors and cameras to identify obstacles such as stairs, furniture and cords. The cheaper models could use boundary strips to mark areas where you don't want it to enter. Object avoidance can be especially beneficial for families with children who scatter toys and socks all over the house. This helps your robot to collect these items instead of scattering.

We're beginning to see more robots that have mops, which are beneficial for those who have hard floors and require to regularly clean them. These robots come with an integrated water tank into the chassis or an extra piece which you can change out when you're ready to mop. They may require to be refilled more frequently than other types of robots, but they're ideal for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned with a vacuum.

We've seen some impressive technology packed into these little robots, and they're a lot less expensive than you might think. In fact, you can get a decent one for less than $200 that can do a decent job of removing pet hair and crumbs off hard floors, while traversing the edges of lightweight carpets or area rug. The robot can be programmed to vacuum a particular room on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely using an app or by pressing buttons.