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Robot vacuums can be great for keeping your floors tidy but they are not a substitute for the regular vacuum. Even the best vacuums struggle to get into carpets or rugs and often get tangled in cords and socks.
Your robot vac will last longer if you perform regular maintenance. This includes replacing filters, removing hairs that are tangled from brushes and emptying the dust bin.
Battery Life
The majority of robot vacuums are able to handle a few cleaning sessions without having to be charged. The second-placed model in our overall selections, the Ecovacs Deebot Q30S Combo is capable of lasting up to 180 minutes (3,230 square feet) of cleaning time on one charge. This will be more than enough for homes that have the combination of hard flooring and carpets with low pile or larger homes with rooms that are similar in size.
A longer battery life means that the robot will spend less time charging and can spend more time cleaning. It's a good idea to choose an auto-emptying dust bin, as those models are more efficient when it comes to cleaning up debris and returning to the dock to recharge. It is also essential to empty or change the filter and clean cameras and sensors regularly so that they can see your home clearly.
Smart mapping technology is a great feature to be looking for, as it allows you to program your robot to clean certain rooms or avoid areas where it's 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 furniture with a high height. Some cheap robovacs come with boundary strips you can use to block certain areas. Other models of higher quality depend on sensors and cameras.
Even the best automatic vacuum cleaner robot vacs can't replace a conventional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty, large-pile dirt and debris. It's recommended to have a power vacuum on hand to tackle these tasks, and also schedule robot vacs to do light cleaning throughout the week.
Navigation
A robot must be able to moving around your home without getting caught or running into things such as metal screws or pet hair, or sand. In our tests, we employ a tracking device to track the robot as it travels through a multiroom lab and determine its surroundings. We also test how the robot is able to avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg and pet waste.
The best robot cleaner robots can create several floors and identify landmarks, like doors and windows. The most advanced robots like the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra have a dual sensor navigation system that uses the LIDAR to draw a room's layout and a structured-light camera on the front to detect objects in real-time. This lets the S8 to stay clear of common obstacles like power cords and furniture legs and can also store up to four floor maps within its internal memory.
Cheaper models don't come with this kind of detection and rely on bump sensors, which aren't as precise. In my tests, they were able to detect 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 as well as a hard floor, 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 cleaning sessions. The Karcher RCV 5 has this feature and has a large enough footprint that it can be placed under furniture, but not so large that it won't fit in the space between your toilet and bathtub.
Apps
Robot vacuums are like their upright counterparts and require lots of technology to keep them up to date. There are many choices available in a market that is maturing. Even the most advanced models require interaction from their customers particularly when it comes time to schedule cleaning, make a a floor plan for your home and install virtual barriers.
Consider a model with its own app that can recognize the layout of your home and save these settings for future use. This will let the robot vacuum begin where it left off in subsequent runs, instead of having to start the mapping process every time.
It's also worth keeping an eye out for a model that has zones or spot cleaning modes. You can tell the robot vacuum cleaner to concentrate on a specific area, for example, under the table after a big family meal. You can usually choose to do this via the app or voice commands.
Many models also offer objects avoidance. It allows the robot to see something in its path, like shoes, a crate of dog toys or a crate full of dog toys, and guide itself around it. This prevents it from crashing into objects that could damage its sensors or cause jams.
Some of the most expensive models in our tests come with this feature. They rely on bump sensor technology for this however they weren't always able to avoid things in my test home.
Pet Hair
Choose the best vacuum cleaner specifically designed to collect hair from pets. The most effective models will have the highest suction, a brush which keeps hair from tangling and an automated emptying mechanism. Some models are able to detect dirt levels and alter the level of cleaning. They can also detect objects that aren't part of your flooring, such as furniture, toys, food bowls cords, and much more.
Some robot vacuums include extra pet-friendly features. They include the water dispenser that can be used to clean floors, and a HEPA filtering system that helps to reduce allergens such as pet dust. They could also feature a quieter mode of operation to minimize the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.
Robot vacuums with mapping capabilities are an excellent option for pet owners, as they're engineered to assess your home and create plans of attack in accordance with the layout and the obstacles in each room. Shark Matrix Plus is a 2-in-1 robot broom vacuum that can map a room, and navigate around furniture and other obstacles with the help of accelerometers and gyroscope sensors.
Apps allow you to create no-go zones. These are areas where the robot should not be permitted, such as areas that contain delicate items or pet feeding areas. This feature can be especially beneficial for families with a lot of activity because it allows you to schedule cleaning sessions and adjust settings without having to be in the same space as the vacuum. Another feature that is extremely useful is spot cleaning which lets you use the vacuum to clean an area that is particularly dirty or brimming with pet hair.
Dust Bin
If you're not searching for a small size it is recommended to select one that can hold at least a complete bag of garbage from a single cleaning session. We recommend choosing the one with a large bin or a bin that automatically emptys. The one will let you keep up with emptying your bin often enough to ensure its efficiency. The latter will save time and effort by automatically emptying the contents into an internal container every few cleanings.
Find models that have smart mapping capabilities that permit them to "learn" the layout of your house and plan more efficient routes. They also detect and avoid objects that may hinder their travel (like shoelaces or tangled charging cables). Look for models that have intelligent mapping capabilities. This lets them "learn the patterns of your house and devise a more efficient route.
Some models also offer spot cleaning. This lets you manually target an area of your home to be targeted for intensive cleaning. In our tests, we found that the top models can remove small particles like baking soda, sand, orzo, screws made of metal and pet hair, as well as heavier debris such as oatmeal, orzo, and screws made of metal.
According to the manufacturer, robots can last years and still perform as well, so long as they are properly maintained. For instance cleaning hair tangled of brushes cleaning dust bins after each use as well as wiping cameras and sensors down as needed. The best robots are also more flexible. This makes it easier to replace or repair components like wheels and batteries as they wear out.