What Is The Heck What Exactly Is Robot Vacuum? How to Find the Best Robot Vacuum

If you don't need advanced features like mapping and you aren't worried about emptying your bin every 60 to 90 days A basic robot vacuum could be for you. Look for one that has a clean base and is compatible with voice assistants.

It excels at removing dirt, cat litter and pet hair on hardwood floors, tile and carpeting with less pile than any other vacuum we've tried. It also has the ability to map out and create virtual no-go zones for rooms or specific areas.

1. Powerful Suction

A robot vacuum will assist you in keeping up with the pet fur, dust and dander that accumulates on your floors every day. It can also cut down on the frequency you have to clean your floors, saving your time and effort. The most effective models feature powerful suction, which will tackle most messes with ease and leave your house cleaner.

Choosing a robot vacuum that also mop will help you cover more ground using one machine, which can be particularly beneficial in larger homes. You can find a model with a tank for water either built into the chassis or as an additional piece that you can take out after vacuuming. It will need to be empty and refill it, though, so this is an additional chore that requires some extra effort on your part.

In a perfect world you would clean your floors before using your robot vacuum to prevent it from crashing into anything. But in most homes, this isn't possible or desirable. Thankfully, many models allow you to use a smartphone app to set up virtual barriers that the robot is able to be aware of and avoid. Some models have no-go zones that you can mark areas you don't wish it to enter. For instance, a child's room or a pile of cords in an area.

This model is a good option if you're looking for a simple robot cleaner without all the bells. It is quiet, works on both hard floors and carpets with low pile and can be programmed through the app to vacuum and mop at your convenience. It has a long battery life of around 180 minutes.

2. Easy to operate

In general, robot vacuums require very little input from you. They use navigational tools such as sensors cameras, lasers, and sensors to maneuver and collect pet hair, dust and food crumbs off hard floors, tiles and hardwood. A lot of them have boundary strips that aid in staying within the walls of a room while more expensive models can be programmed to automatically wake up and start cleaning at a scheduled time. Some models include fall detection technology that helps users avoid falling down the stairs or becoming tangled in cords.

If you're looking to control your robot vacuum from the comfort of your couch, search for models that work with voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can also choose Wi-Fi models that permit users to start cleaning anywhere you want using an app. You might want to choose one with an extremely long-lasting battery as well as a large dustbin, depending on the size of your home.

Some robot vacuums can also be mops. They make use of water reservoirs to clean the floor. This is useful for regular mopping but won't be effective for messes that are more difficult to clean, like pet poop or other wet spills. You can select hybrids with an adjustable microfiber mopping pad or a self-emptying option that lets you go for up to 60 days without emptying the base.

3. Smart Mapping

Some robots use advanced mapping technologies to build an accurate map of your floorplan as they clean and tidy, allowing them to avoid bumping mindlessly into furniture or falling over things like chair legs or cords. This feature is usually only available on higher-end models, but it's certainly one of the best ways to make sure your robot has a full understanding of the layout of your home and knows where to go next when it runs out of battery.


If you do not want your robot to go into areas of your home that you'd prefer to keep it away from (like your children's toys or the mess of device cords in the corner), most robots offer some way to create virtual barriers, either with their app or physical boundary strips. This lets you define areas that you don't want your robot to enter, so that it can focus its attention on the areas and rooms that require the most cleaning.

A lot of robots can also automatically change floors based on the flooring they are cleaning. This can be done by switching from carpet to hard flooring, or by focusing on specific areas of your house like corners and baseboards. This feature proved to be effective in our tests and enhanced the performance of the vacuum on hardwood flooring and low-pile floor carpeting. It's important to tuck away any furniture or cords that are loose prior to using your robot vacuum to ensure that it doesn't get caught.

4. Remote Control

The majority of robot vacuums are WiFi-enabled and can be controlled by Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts, which allow users to control them with voice commands or via your smartphone. Many robot vacuums are connected to smart home systems, and generate an outline of the area they clean after each session. This lets them "learn" the way your home is laid out and to plan more efficient routes in future cleaning sessions. Some also have built-in obstacle avoidance that prevents them from crashing into and damaging furniture or getting stuck on things like loose charging cables or shoe laces, as well as pet hair.

Most robots come with a remote you can use to steer them around your home. However, the majority of them can be controlled using an app on your mobile, which gives you more options. It is possible to set multiple cleaning schedules, make an inventory of your favorite rooms and even manually guide your robot to certain areas by using directional arrows that appear on the screen.

Certain models have no-go zones, which are virtual barriers you can set up within the app to prevent the robot from entering certain areas (like toys for children or dog beds and bowls). Other apps allow you to make the map of your house and provide the robot with precise information about your floors. The Roborock S7+ app has many useful features to assist you in cleaning your home. However the interface isn't as polished as that from iRobot or 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 devices like Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri Shortcuts for hands-free operation. They can also create an outline of the space for you to program them to specific rooms or areas and to stay clear of obstacles.

Most robot vacs have some degree of detection of objects and object detection, but more expensive models such as the iRobot j7 offer sophisticated features such as "home mapping" and advanced obstacle avoidance, which can simplify your life (although our test bot did once "eat" a pair of socks). If you're seeking to improve the quality of your home maintenance, consider an automated mop that comes with an water container that you can fill and empty.

While none of the models we tested compete with the power of a stand-up vacuum the majority of them do an excellent job of cleaning carpets and hard floors. They excel in sweeping up dust and debris, food crumbs, tracked-in dirt and pet hair. They can also handle nuts and screws made of metal and stray cat litter. The best robot vacuums can clean corners and edges and work around furniture. Eufy 11S is a relatively inexpensive and basic model.

6. Convenient Self-Charging

With the proper setup and the right setup, a robotic vacuum can aid in keeping your home looking and feeling fresh every day without a lot of effort. It is possible to schedule cleanings with the app, and set up no-go areas to ensure that your robot does not get in the way of your favorite chair or plants. The majority of our top picks will also empty their trash bins for you and clean their docking station.

The top robot vacuums can be programmed to clean your floors on a regular basis for months or even weeks at a time, removing you from the time-consuming task of manually sweeping and mopping your floors on a weekly or daily basis. This lets you spend more time doing things you enjoy and reduces the time needed to clean your floors manually.

During testing, the Q Revo was able to grab small particles such as baking soda and oatmeal as well as heavier debris such nails and screws made of metal as well as fluffy things such as hair from pets. automatic vacuum and mop robot isn't equipped with the intelligent mapping and object-avoiding features found in our top picks but is still a good choice for most families.

The best thing about the j7 is its ability to detect and avoid obstacles like power cords, shoes and socks and pet waste. This means that you don't need to clean up before using your robot. However, rooms that are cluttered may cause your bot to get stuck and do a poor job.