10 Unexpected Best Rated Robot Vacuum Tips

Best Rated Robot robotic vacuum cleaner deals Cleaner

Robot vacuums can be great to keep your floors clean but they are not a substitute for a regular vacuum. Even the best vacuums struggle to penetrate carpets or rugs, and can often get tangled 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

Most robot vacuums are able to handle a few cleaning sessions without needing to be charged. The runner-up in our top picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is capable of lasting up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on a single charge. This amount of runtime will be more than enough for homes that have a mixture of hard floors and carpets with low pile or larger homes with rooms that are about the same size.

A longer battery life means the robot can spend less time charging and spend more time cleaning. You should choose a model that has a self-emptying bin. These models are more efficient in collecting debris and then returning to docks to recharge. It is also essential to empty or replace the filter and clean sensors and cameras on a regular basis to ensure they can clearly see your home.

Smart mapping technology can be a useful feature, since you can program your robot to ensure that it only cleans certain rooms or stays clear of areas where it is likely to bump into furniture or other obstacles. It's also beneficial for ensuring your robot is able to get under and around beds, sofas and other tall furniture. Some robovacs are inexpensive and come with boundary strips you can use to block off specific areas. Other models of higher quality depend on sensors and cameras.

Even the best robot vacs aren't able to replace a traditional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty large-pile dirt and debris. It is recommended to keep a conventional power vac in reserve to handle these chores and to schedule robot vacs regularly for cleaning up light chores throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot must be able to navigate around your home without getting stuck or running into things like screws made of metal, loose pet hair, or sand. In our tests, we use a tracking device to track the robot as it goes through a multiroom lab and determine its surroundings. We also examine the way it manages to avoid obstacles like furniture legs, power cords, and pet waste.

The most advanced robots can map out multiple floors and can recognize landmarks such as windows and doors. The most advanced models, like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, come with a dual-sensor navigation device that utilizes an LIDAR sensor to map the room, and a light camera at the front of the robot to identify objects in real time. This allows the S8 to stay clear of common obstacles, such as furniture legs and power cords and can also store up to four floor maps within its internal memory.

The majority of the models that are affordable rely on bump sensors which are not as accurate. In my testing they cut right through dog poop, cords, and even the shoes that were placed in the middle of the room. The most affordable choice the Dreametech D10+, is one exception to this. It has excellent carpet, hard automatic floor cleaning machine, tangle, and hair pickup. It also has an auto empty score that is near-perfect.

Another feature worth mentioning is a huge onboard dustbin which doesn't have to be manually empty, and for those models that mop, a tank of water which can store weeks of mopping sessions. Karcher's RCV 5 is an excellent illustration of this. It has a large enough footprint to fit under furniture, but not so big that it can't fit into the space between your toilet and tub.

Apps

Robot vacuums are a lot similar to upright models, and it takes lots of technology to get them up and running at speed. The result is a pretty mature market that is brimming with options. Even the best models require interaction from their users, especially when it comes time to plan cleaning schedules, design the floor plan of your home, and set up virtual barriers.

To help reduce this interaction, consider looking for a model that has its own app to determine the location of your home, and save the settings for future use. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it left off on subsequent runs rather than having the mapping process restarted each time.

It is also recommended to look for models that offer zones or spot cleaning. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to concentrate on a specific area, for example, under the table after a huge family meal. You can choose to use the app or by voice commands.

The ability to avoid objects is another feature that's included in numerous models. It allows the robot when it sees something that is in its path such as a box of shoe or a crate with dog toys, to guide itself around. This will prevent it from running into objects that could damage its sensors or cause jams.

This feature is offered on some of the more expensive models we test. They depend on bump sensor technology to do this, but they didn't always keep things out of my test home.

Pet Hair

When it comes to picking up pet hair, look for the right model designed to handle this kind of debris. The most effective models come with powerful suction, a brush that avoids the tangling and an emptying mechanism that can automatically dump hair into the bin when needed. Some models are able to detect dirt levels and adjust cleaning intensity. They can even spot objects that aren't a part of the flooring in your home like furniture toys, food bowls, toys cords, and much more.

Certain robot vacuums have additional pet-friendly features. They include the water dispenser that can be used to clean floors, and an HEPA filtering system that helps to reduce allergens like pet dander. They could also feature a quieter mode of operation to reduce the amount noise produced during automated cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that include maps are a great option for pet owners since they're designed to evaluate your home and create a plan of attack based on the layout and obstacles in every room. For instance the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Vacuum is a smart vacuum with an amazing ability to map a room and navigate around furniture and other obstacles using accelerometer and gyroscope smart sensors that work in conjunction to learn the layout of your space.

Other models that are more advanced let you define no-go zones that are areas that the robot broom is supposed to avoid, such as items that are fragile or pet feeding spots--by adjusting settings through an app. This feature is particularly useful for busy households, as you can schedule cleaning sessions without having to be in the room in which the vacuum is. Spot cleaning is an additional excellent feature. You can direct the vacuum cleaner to clean a spot that is particularly dirty or stuffed with pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't want anything small, consider a robot with a large bin or even a self-emptying bin. This is why we suggest opting for a model that has an enormous bin or a self-emptying dustbin. The former will allow 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 hassle by automatically dumping the contents into an internal container every few cleanings.

Find models that have smart mapping capabilities, which enable them to "learn" the layout of your house and plan more efficient routes. They can also sense and avoid objects that may hinder their travel (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Look for models that have intelligent mapping capabilities. This allows them to "learn the layout of your house and plan an efficient route.

Some models also provide spot cleaning, which lets you to manually target a particular area of your home for thorough cleaning. We've found that most of the top performers in our tests can remove fine particles such as sand and baking soda, along with heavier particles like oatmeal orzo pasta screws and pet hair.

Based on the manufacturer, the majority of robots last for years and will continue to perform in the event that you are on top of maintenance, such as cleaning hair that is tangled from brushes, emptying the dust bin after each use, and wiping down cameras and sensors when required. The most efficient robots tend to be more modular and therefore easier and less expensive to repair or replace parts such as wheels and batteries when they get worn out.