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 best robots have difficulty getting deep into rugs and carpets, and they may get caught in cords and socks.

Maintaining a regular schedule of maintenance (replacing filters cutting hair tangled from brushes and emptying the dust bin) can help your robot last longer.

Battery Life

Most robot vacuums are equipped to handle a couple of cleaning sessions without having to be charged. The runner-up of our top picks is the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is rated to last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on a single charge. The runtime is more than enough time to clean smaller homes with a mix of hard floors and carpets with low pile, or a larger home in which the rooms are about the same size.

A longer battery life means the robot will be able to spend less time charging and spend more time cleaning. It's worth opting for an auto-emptying dust bin, since these models are more efficient in cleaning up debris and returning to the dock for recharging. It is important to clean or replace filters and wipe down the sensors and camera on a regular schedule so they can be seen clearly.

Smart mapping technology is an important feature to look out for since it permits you to program your robot to only clean specific rooms or areas that it's likely to hit furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also useful to ensure that your robot is able to reach under and around furniture, such as sofas, beds and other high-height items. A few robovacs that are cheap come with boundary strips that you can use to block off specific areas. Other high-end models rely on sensors and cameras.

Even the best robot vacuums can't replace a conventional vacuum for heavy-duty large-pile dirt and other debris. It is recommended to keep a traditional power vac in reserve for those tasks and to schedule robot vacs regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot must be able to navigate your home without getting stuck or running into things like screws made of metal, loose pet hair, or sand. In our tests the tracking device is used to track the robot through a multi-room lab. It then tracks its surroundings. We also examine how the robot avoids obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg, and pet waste.

The most advanced robots can identify different floors and recognize landmarks, like windows and doors. The most advanced robots like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra have a dual sensor navigation system, which uses the LIDAR to draw a room's layout and a structured-light camera at the front to identify objects in real-time. The S8 can evade obstacles such as power cords as well as furniture legs. It also has the ability to store up to four floor maps.

The majority of the models that are affordable depend on bump sensors that are not as accurate. In my testing, they plowed right through cords, dog poop and even shoes that were placed in the middle of the room. The most affordable choice the Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It is a great carpet and hard floor pickup, great hair and tangle pickup and an auto empty score.

A large onboard dustbin, which does not need to be empty manually is another feature that is essential. For models that sweep the floor, this water tank can provide enough water for several weeks of cleaning sessions. The Karcher RCV 5 comes with this feature and has a large enough footprint that it can be placed under furniture, but not so large that it can'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 current. The result is a pretty mature market that is brimming with options. Even the most advanced models require interaction from their users, especially when it comes to schedule cleaning, make a a floor plan for your home, and set up virtual barriers.

Think about a model that has its own app that can determine the layout of your house and save the settings for future use. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it began on subsequent runs rather than having the mapping process restarted each time.

It is also recommended to look for models that provide zones or spot cleaning. You can instruct the robot vacuum cleaner to concentrate on a specific area, for example, under the table after a big family meal. You can do this by using the app or voice commands.

Avoidance of objects is a different feature that's available with many models. It permits the robot, when it comes across something in its way such as a box shoes or a crate containing dog toys, to coach itself around. This will prevent it from hitting objects which could harm its sensors or cause jams.

Some of the most expensive models we've tested include this feature. They depend on bump sensor technology for this however they did not always avoid things in my test home.

Pet Hair

When you're looking to remove pet hair, choose one that is specifically designed to handle this kind of debris. The best models have powerful suction capabilities, a brush that avoids getting caught in a knot, and an emptying mechanism that will automatically dump hair into the trash bin when it is needed. Some models are able to detect dirt levels to adjust cleaning intensity. 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 much more.

Some robot vacuums include extra pet-friendly features. These include a water dispenser that is used to mop floors, and a HEPA filtering system that helps to reduce allergens like pet dust. They could also feature a quieter mode of operation to minimize the amount of noise that is generated during cleaning.

Robot vacuums with the ability to map are a great option for pet owners. They are designed to analyze your home, and create an attack plan based upon the layout of each room and obstacles. For example the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Vacuum is a smart vacuum that has an amazing ability to map rooms and navigate around furniture and other obstructions using accelerometer and gyroscope sensors that work together to learn the layout of your space.

Other advanced models let you set no-go zones, which are areas that the robot is meant to avoid, such as items that are fragile or pet feeding spots. You can adjust these settings through an app. This feature is particularly beneficial for families with a lot of activity as it permits you to schedule cleaning sessions and make adjustments without having to be in the same room as the vacuum. Another great feature is spot cleaning which allows you to direct the vacuum to clean a particular area that is filthy or full of pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't want anything small, consider a robot with a large bin, or even a self-emptying dustbin. We recommend choosing the one with an enormous bin, or even a dustbin that automatically emptys. The former will enable you to keep track of emptying the bin frequently enough to ensure you are on top of its performance while the latter will save you time and hassle by automatically dumping its contents into an internal bin every few cleans.

No matter the size of your home, most robots can easily get up to and around furniture, and they are able to detect and navigate around household obstacles such as shoes, loose cords, and dog poop. Consider models that have smart mapping capabilities, which permit them to "learn" the patterns of your house and plan more efficient routes, and models that detect and avoid objects that may hinder their path (like shoelaces or the tangled charging cables).

Some models also offer spot cleaning. This allows you to choose a specific area of your home to be targeted for intensive cleaning. In our tests, we discovered that the best models can take out small particles like baking soda, sand, orzo, metal screws, and pet hair, in addition to heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo, and screws made of metal.

Depending on the brand, the majority of robots last for years and will remain in good working order as long as you maintain them with regular maintenance, like cleaning out tangled hair from brushes and dust bins, emptying them after every use, and wiping down cameras and sensors when needed. The best robots are also more adaptable. This allows you to replace or repair parts like batteries and wheels, when they get worn out.