Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Robot vacuums can be great for keeping your floors tidy but they cannot replace a traditional vacuum. Even the most advanced robots have trouble getting deep into carpets and rugs and they can become tangled in cords and socks.

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

Battery Life

The majority of robot vacuums are able to handle a couple of cleaning sessions without needing to be charged. The runner-up of our overall selections, the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo, has a battery that is designed to last for up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on a single charge. This is more than enough time to clean smaller homes with carpets that are hard and carpets with low pile, or a larger home with rooms that are roughly the same size.

A longer battery life means the robot will spend less time charging and more time cleaning. It's recommended to select models that have a self-emptying dust bin because they are more efficient when it comes to picking up debris and returning to the dock to recharge. It's important to clean or replace the filters and clean the sensors and camera on a regular schedule so they can be seen clearly.

Smart mapping technology is a useful feature to look for, as it allows you to program your robot to clean certain rooms or avoid areas where it's more likely to bump into furniture or other obstacles. It's also useful for ensuring that your robot is able to get under and around beds, sofas and other tall furniture. A few robovacs that are cheap have boundary strips that you can use to block certain areas. Other high-end models rely on cameras and sensors.

Even the most powerful robot vacuums aren't able to replace a traditional vacuum for heavy-duty large-pile dirt and debris. It's advisable to keep a traditional power vac in reserve for those tasks, and to schedule robot vacuums regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot should be able to navigate you home without getting stuck or running into things such as metal screws or loose pet hair or sand. In our tests the tracking device is used to track the robot through an entire lab. It then tracks its surroundings. We also check the extent to which it can avoid obstacles, including power cords, furniture legs, and pet waste.

The best robots can create several floors and recognize landmarks like windows and doors. The most advanced models such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, feature a dual-sensor navigation system which uses an LIDAR sensor to map out the space and a structured lighting camera in front of the robot to detect objects in real time. This allows the S8 to stay clear of common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords and can also store up to four different floor maps within its internal memory.

The most affordable models rely on bump sensors which aren't as accurate. In my tests they were able to see through dog poop and cords as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The most affordable choice the Dreametech D10+, is an exception to this. It has excellent carpet and hard floor, tangle and hair pickup. It also has a near-perfect auto empty score.

A large onboard dustbin, that doesn't need to be manually empty, is also a aspect that's crucial. For models that sweep the floor, this water tank is able to hold enough water for several weeks of cleaning. The Karcher RCV 5 has this, and a large enough footprint that it can be tucked away 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 it takes an enormous amount of technology to bring them up to speed. There are many choices available in a market that is a mature. However, even the most advanced models require some interaction with their users - especially when it comes to scheduling cleanings and establishing a floor plan and setting up virtual barriers.

Consider a model with its own app that can recognize the layout of your home and save these settings for later 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's worth looking out for a model that has zones or spot cleaning modes. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to concentrate on a specific area, such as under the table after a large family meal. You can do this using the app or by voice commands.

A lot of models also offer object avoidance. It allows the robot when it comes across something that is in its path, like a box of shoes or a crate containing dog toys, to guide itself around. This prevents it from crashing into objects that could harm its sensors or cause jams.

This feature is offered on some of the more expensive models we tried. They rely on bump sensor technology to do this however they did not always keep things out of my test home.

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 capabilities and a brush that prevents the tangling and an emptying mechanism that can automatically empty hair into the trash bin when needed. Some models can also determine dirt levels and adjust the cleaning intensity according to the amount of dirt. They are able to detect items that aren't part of the flooring in your home like furniture, toys, food bowls cords, and so on.

Certain robot vacuums have additional features that are pet-friendly. They include a water dispenser that is used to mop floors and an HEPA filtration system that reduces allergens such as pet dust. They might also offer a quieter operation that can reduce the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.

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

Apps allow you to establish no-go zones. These are areas that the robot should not be allowed, such as delicate items or pet feeding areas. This feature is especially beneficial for households with busy schedules, as it allows you to schedule cleaning sessions without having to be present in the room where the vacuum is. Spot cleaning is a great feature. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to clean a space that is particularly dirty or filled with pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't want something tiny, choose a robot with a big bin or even a self-emptying trash bin. That's why we recommend opting for a model with an enormous bin or a self-emptying dustbin. The former will enable you to keep track of emptying the bin often enough to ensure you are on top of its performance, while the latter will help you save time and hassle by automatically dumping the contents into an internal bin every few cleans.

Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities that permit them to "learn" the layout of your home and plan more efficient routes. They also detect and avoid objects that could block their paths (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Find models with intelligent mapping capabilities, which permit them to "learn" the structure of your home and devise more efficient routes, and ones that can sense and avoid objects that may block their paths (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables).

Some models provide spot cleaning. This lets you select an area of your home for intensive cleaning. We've found that most of the top performers in our tests can pick up fine particles like sand and baking soda, along with heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo pasta, metal screws, and pet hair.

Based on the manufacturer, most robots will last for a long time and continue to perform so long as you keep up with maintenance, like cleaning out hair that is tangled from brushes, emptying the dust bin after every use, and cleaning cameras and sensors whenever needed. The top robots are more modular. This allows you to repair or replace parts like wheels and batteries as they wear out.