You'll Never Guess This Robot Vacuum Cleaner Best's Tricks

How to Choose the Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner

A robot vacuum can help you save time and hassle when it comes to regular cleaning. The top models do a great job picking up dust and lightweight debris and allow you to create no-go zones for pets or power cords.

The higher-end models even sweep your floors--though they still can't climb the stairs. Make sure you choose models with smart mapping, real time safety features, and large self-emptying bins.

Best Overall

The best robots we tested were efficient, easy-to-use, and able keep up with the daily debris. You'll need a robot that has decent carpet-picking capability and the capability to climb stairs. If you're looking for a model with extra features, consider one that comes with smart mapping technology, or an app to control it remotely.

Camryn Rabideau is a contributing shopping writer and product reviewer at PEOPLE who has tried dozens of robotic vacuums. She's a huge fan of robotic vacuums that offer the greatest convenience, such as self-emptying bins and charging docks that automatically empty and refill water tanks for mopping robots. She also likes robots that recognize landmarks, such as furniture legs and power cables so that they won't trip up when climbing stairs.

This Black and Decker robot has a lower score for navigation and has less technology for avoiding objects than the best-rated models. It comes with a large dust bin that is non-refillable and a long battery. It also comes with the ability to schedule cleaning sessions and then return to where it was last. This makes it easier to take care of larger spaces. This model is an excellent choice for pet owners, as it can avoid tangled fur and food particles.

In our tests in our tests, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra combines an LIDAR sensor that is able to map rooms and see obstacles with a structured light sensor to identify objects and detect edges. It can avoid the steps, liquid droplets and furniture legs with this combination. It also has the ability to save up to four floor plans to be used in the future. It can also stop the cleaning process at any point and pick up where it left off, so you can do chores while the robot is working. The included app offers the 3D image of your home, room labels, and advanced cleaning options.

Although this robot Vac isn't able to clean as well as our top-rated models but it excels in picking up fine debris such as baking soda and sand and heavier items, such as orzo pasta and metal screws. The only drawbacks are that it isn't able to mop and its navigation system is less impressive.

Best for Carpet

If you have carpeting, pick a robot vacuum that scores high for carpet and rug mobility and pickup. Many models do a decent job of removing dust that has been embedded in carpets with a low pile and a few do a decent job at sweeping up heavier debris like orzo pasta, metal screws and pet hair. However, they aren't able to pick up small particles like canister or upright vacuums, and they may miss ground-in dirt close to baseboards and thresholds.

The best option for carpeted homes is a two-in-one cheap robot vacuum cleaner vacuum and mop that allows you to swap between the cleaning bin as well as a damp mopping pad. The Roborock Q Revo is a 2-in-1 robotic vacuum/mop that is able to clean and mop at the same time with circular pads spinning at 200 revolutions per minute. It is able to detect and lift its pads when it comes into contact with carpet, which prevents the floor from getting wet. It is not necessary to remove them or replace them each time. The Q Revo is also better than other robot vacuums and mops in avoiding obstacles and rugs, while also getting close to them and thresholds and staying clear of obstacles.

The iRobot Roomba Combo i5 is another solid option. It did well in our tests and you can program it to sweep your home even when you're away. It can also be set to mop only, and we liked its excellent navigation on bare floors and rugs, as well as its ability to go over and up onto furniture. The Combo i5 has a long runtime and excellent path-planning for the size of the device.

If you want a more advanced model, look into the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Self-Empty Robot Vacuum & Mop. It has a huge charging dock that can go weeks without needing to be emptied and boasts impressive navigation skills and automatic emptying on carpets and floors. It also has a smart-mapping feature and can be programmed to only be operational during certain times of the day (a useful feature to keep the sly kids and pets from running it amuck). The Shark is less powerful than other robot vacuum/mop combinations however it still picks hair and pet hair extremely well. It's also the most affordable value of our top choices.

Best for Hard Flooring

robot vacuum cleaner industrial vacuums are a great option for hardwood floors since they can easily maneuver around obstacles and not damage the floor's surface. They are excellent at picking up dust and crumbs, but struggle with pet hair or other debris. They also lack the suction power of a top-of-the-line upright or canister vacuum, so they're not an ideal option for rooms with carpets or deep cleaning upholstery.

The best robots come with two-in-one features, combining the power of a mop with a vacuum to complete the task in one go. If you have flooring that is mixed choose a model with an onboard sensor which detects changes in the floor's texture and adjusts suction accordingly. This feature is available on the ECOVACS Deebot T9+ and lets it effortlessly switch from hard carpeting to soft carpeting.

If your home is primarily comprised of hardwood floors, think about a robotic vacuum and mop combo like the Eufy S1 Pro. This model has a powerful robotic vacuum equipped with intelligent navigation that can clean hardwood and other surfaces. It can also mop. Its sensors assist it in avoiding stairs and other hazards so you don't have to worry about the bot plummeting down the stairs and damaging your hardwood.

The eufy S1 Pro mop is designed to clean hardwood floors using downward pressure, rather than simply swab them to remove dirt and dust. Its pads that can be reused reduce waste and spread less germs. They can also be cleaned in the docking stations to save time. They are also able to be washed, dried and used again.

Both the robovac and the mop can be controlled from your smartphone to make it easier to manage the device. For instance, you can use the app to set up an area where the vacuum can't go, label separate rooms, or schedule cleaning sessions for certain areas. The Eufy S1 Pro also has an auto vacuum-emptying dock, which collects debris through a trapdoor, and is then stored in a bagless or disposable bin, which means you don't need to empty the bin manually like you do with other models.

Ideal for small Spaces

Like the name suggests the robots are best designed for smaller areas. They have smaller bins that can store less debris. They are also more efficient when it comes to getting around corners better than larger models. They can also fit underneath furniture that larger robots aren't able to reach. These robots are also cheaper than the more expensive models, but you will have to empty their dirt bins manually at the end each cleaning session.

A few years ago, robot vacuums went through a major change as manufacturers began adding sensors to help navigate around and avoid household objects that their conventional sensors would be stuck on or over. This improved the number of times our testers were required to clean up after a robot snag.

The new sensors haven't eliminated all the problems with these machines, however. The most affordable models struggle with the same obstacles that the older ones faced and, in addition, they require a certain amount of light to see where they're going. Look into a model that uses a spinning LIDAR unit placed on top of the model to map the space. Our top pick and runner-up models use this. This lets them work in the dark and avoid obstacles like stairs.

In addition being capable of working in the dark and in the dark, these models can be programmed to use their cliff sensors only close to or on the floor, not above them. It is still recommended to cover any mirrors that could interfere with this function, however, because the laser used by a LIDAR-based model could bounce off reflective surfaces, causing the robot to think it's in a different room.

A few of the models we recommend let you set up virtual no-go zones to protect areas you don't want the robot to go, which is useful if you have small pets or children. These features aren't present on all models we test. Read our full reviews before deciding.