14 Smart Strategies To Spend The Remaining Robot Vacuum Budget How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you can live without smart capabilities like mapping, and you don't mind emptying the dustbin every 60 days or then, a basic robot vacuum could be a good choice for you. Select irobot vacuum and mop with an uncluttered base that can work with voice assistants.


It is the best robo-vacuum we have tested for getting rid of dirt and pet hair on tile floors, hardwood floors and carpets with low pile. It also maps and create virtual no-go zones for rooms and areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum will help you keep track of the dust, pet fur and dander that settles on your floor every day. It can also reduce how often you need to do a deeper clean and saves you time and effort. The most effective models feature powerful suction, which will tackle most messes with ease and leave your home clean.

Choosing a robot vacuum that is also able to mop will help you get more space by using just one machine. This can be particularly beneficial in a larger home. You can find a model that has a water tank in the chassis itself or as an extra piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It'll need to be filled and empty in order to complete the task to complete.

In a perfect world it would be ideal to clean your floors first before using your robot vacuum to stop it from hitting anything. In most homes, however this isn't possible or desirable. Thankfully, most models allow you to use your smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot is able to detect and avoid. Some have no-go zones which you can use to mark areas you don't want it to access, such as children' rooms or a pile of device cords in the corner.

This model is a good option if you're looking for a simple robot cleaner without all the bells. It's quiet and works well on hard floors and low-pile rugs and can be scheduled using the app to vacuum or mop at your own convenience. It comes with a battery life of up to 180 minutes.

2. Easy to Operate

Robot vacuums generally need very little effort from you. They utilize instruments for navigation, such as sensors lasers, cameras, and sensors to move around and collect pet hair, dust, and food crumbs from hard floors, tiles and hardwood. Many models have boundaries strips that help them remain inside the room. The more expensive models can be programmed to wake up at a specific time and start cleaning. Some models have fall detection technology that helps users avoid falling down the stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

Find models that can be controlled from the comfort of your sofa using voice assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also select Wi-Fi models that allow you to begin a cleaning session anywhere using an app. Depending on the size of your home is, you may want an item with a long-lasting battery and a large dust bin that doesn't require being emptied frequently.

Some robot vacuums double as mops and use water reservoirs to clean your floor. This is great for mopping, but not for tough messes like pet poop and other spills. You can find hybrids with a removable microfiber pad that can be used for mopping, or choose a self-emptying model that lets you go for 30 to 60 days without having to empty the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Certain robots utilize advanced mapping technology to create a precise map as they clean. This makes it easier to avoid crashing into furniture and getting caught on cords or legs of chairs. This feature is typically only available on more expensive models, but it's certainly one of the most effective ways to ensure that your robot has an accurate understanding of the layout of your house and knows where to go next when it runs out of battery.

If you don't want your robot to venture into areas of your house that you'd prefer it to stay clear from (like your kids' toys or the mess of device cords in the corner) The majority of robots offer some method of creating virtual barriers, either via their apps or a set of physical boundary strips. This lets you define areas that you don't want your robot venture into, so it can concentrate its attention on the rooms and spaces that need the most attention.

Many robots will also automatically change floors based on the kind of floor they are cleaning. This can be done by switching from carpet to hard flooring, or by focussing on specific areas of your house like corners and baseboards. In our tests this was a helpful feature that improved their pick-up scores for both hardwood and low-pile carpeting. But, it's still essential to put away furniture and cords that are loose prior to running your robot vacuum so that it doesn't get caught or come into contact with something it shouldn't.

4. Remote Control

Most robot vacuums have WiFi connectivity and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which allow users to control them with voice commands or through your smartphone. Many connect to smart home systems and build maps of your home after each cleaning session, to "learn" your layout and design more efficient routes for future runs. Some also have built-in obstacle avoidance that stops them from hitting furniture and damaging it or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or shoe laces, as well as hair from pets.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to control them around your home. However, the majority of them can be controlled via an app on your mobile that comes with additional options. You can set up multiple cleaning schedules, and create a list with your favorite rooms. You can also guide the robot using direction arrows.

Certain models have no-go zones, which are virtual barriers that you can create within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like kids' toys or dog beds and bowls). Certain apps let you create an outline of your home and provide more detailed information about the floors. The app that we recommend as our top pick Roborock S7+, the Roborock S7+, has many useful options to help you tidy your home, but its interface isn't as polished as those from iRobot and Shark.

5. Long Battery Life

Robot vacuums that can clean your entire home without stopping for a recharge or to empty their dustbins save time and effort. Some work with smart home platforms like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts to allow hands-free operation. They can also create an outline of your space that allows you to program them to clean specific areas or rooms, and to beware of obstacles.

Most robot vacs have some level of object detection and object detection, but more expensive models such as the iRobot j7 come with advanced features like "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance that will make your life easier (although our test bot did "eat" socks). socks). If you're looking to take your home cleaning to the next level opt for a robotic mop with an water tank that can be filled and then empty.

While no of the models we tested could compete with the dirt-picking power of a stand-up vacuum they did an excellent job cleaning hard floors as well as carpets with a low pile. They excel at picking up fine dirt, food crumbs and dirt that has been tracked in. They are also able to handle metal screws and nuts, as well as the stray cat litter. The top robot vacuums can easily maneuver around furniture and are great at cleaning edges and corners as well. For a basic model that works by itself and is relatively inexpensive look into the Eufy 11S.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

A robot vacuum can help keep your home clean and tidy without having to do much work. You can schedule cleanings through the app and set up no-go zones so that your robot doesn't harm your plants or ruin your favorite chair. A majority of our top picks will empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking stations.

The most effective robot vacuums can be programmed to keep your floors clean for weeks or even months at a stretch, saving you the time and effort of manually mopping or sweeping your floors every single week or even every day. This allows you to spend more time doing things you enjoy and reduces the amount of time that your floors require to be cleaned manually.

During testing the Q Revo was able to capture fine particles like oatmeal and baking soda, heavier debris such as nails and screws made of metal, and fluffy stuff such as hair from pets. It doesn't have the smart mapping and objects avoidance features of our top picks, but it works well enough for most families.

The most appealing aspect of the j7 robot is that it makes use of cameras and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes, socks and pet waste. This means that you don't have to clean up before using your robot. However, messy rooms may cause your bot to get stuck and do an inadequate job.