The No. 1 Question Everyone Working In Good Robot Vacuum Should Be Able To Answer What to Look For in a Good Robot Vacuum

A robot vacuum will help keep you on top of pet hair and lint on a daily basis. Many robot vacuums work with apps that allow you to schedule cleaning times. You can also set virtual boundaries, or walls, to ensure that the vacuum is kept away from areas you don't want cleaned.

This smart vac-mop makes the map of your home using its initial run. It then saves the area for future cleaning jobs. best robot vacuum and mop comes with a large dust bin that automatically empties and a self-cleaning, brush roll.

Object Detection

When choosing a robot vacuum, look for one that can take in big items, such as lamps and toys as well as fine dirt. This will ensure they don't get snarled in the roller brush and don't end up on your floors. This is especially important if you have pets or children and need to clean the robot on a regular basis.

It's an excellent idea to select a model that has an efficient motor and plenty of suction power. This will make it more effective at getting up pet hair, dust and lint off your carpets and hardwood floors.

The size of your house is another important consideration. If you have a large home, you may prefer a model with multiple cleaning zones that cover the entire house in one go. Some models have mopping capabilities that can be used to keep floors clean and fresh.

Robot vacuums last a long time, but they'll need to be cleaned regularly and properly. Cleaning the rotating brushes and emptying the dust container and wiping down the sensors on a regular basis will ensure that your robot is running efficiently for long time to be. Many owners of robot vacuums we chat with have owned the same model for 10 years or more (and have replaced motors, brushes and batteries as they went along).

A basic robot is much less costly than a larger vacuum cleaner. They will still do an excellent job of cleaning dirt from surfaces pet fur, lint and other debris. You can use them to clean your floors several times per day. The downside is they don't have as smart technology, and can be susceptible to becoming stuck or needing human intervention.

Object Avoidance

The best robot vacs use sensors, lasers, or cameras to guide them around your home without falling off or getting stuck on the staircase. Some models will return to their base or dock when the battery is low. They also can avoid obstacles such as furniture legs and cords. The most expensive models usually feature mapping capabilities that allow them to remember the arrangement of your home, and spend less time running into walls.

You don't have to spend an enormous amount of money on the most expensive robotic vacuums. You can still find models that do a fantastic job of removing pet hair and dirt from hard surfaces such as tile, wood and low-pile rug. They also can handle bigger debris like nails that are rusty, metal screws or discarded toys. Some models even have a self-emptying base which is helpful if you don't want to empty your trash bin after every cleaning session.

Some robotic vacuums have smart features that make the standard stick vacuum look outdated. These include scheduling, zone-targeting and the ability to control them using an app or a voice assistants, such as Alexa. You can also create cleaning zones and virtual walls to block off areas you don't want the robot to get into.

Some robotic vacuums, like the Eufy 11S or my former top pick, Roborock S8, come with obstacle avoidance technology to keep them from tripping over cords or furniture. Others, such as the iRobot Roomba j7+, have more sophisticated AI obstacle avoidance that utilizes a camera and processor-powered smarts to detect and avoid objects like shoe cords, lamp cords socks, and pet waste. It's a little more expensive than other bots I've tried, but it does a fantastic job of avoiding obstacles, and never gets stuck or derailed when I'm working on my floor.

Although the iRobot J7+ was a solid obstacle avoidance tool but it wasn't always able to do an excellent job of removing dust and crumbs from my carpets. It also had a tendency to over-vacuum certain areas, resulting in a lot of extra dust in the filter, and a less-clean house.

Smart Mapping

The best robot vacuums come with an app that can help you set up cleaning modes and schedules, as well as view a map of your area of floor that the machine covers. This is an excellent feature, and one that many competitors don't have. This makes it easy to create profiles that automatically start your robot at specific time intervals and run it on regularly, for example, cleaning your living room prior to dinner or every other day.

A good app will also allow you to control your robot via voice commands. Some models support Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant and can work entirely hands-free, meaning you can say "start a clean" or "change cleaning mode" without using the app.

To have a hands-free experience, choose models with a large dust bin that can accommodate several cleaning sessions before having to be emptied. You can find models that self-empty. This eliminates the need to empty the robot after each vacuuming session.

If you're looking for a robot that does more than vacuum, consider one that has mopping capabilities. They are usually larger than the robotic vacuums, and come with a water tank inside that holds several cleaning sessions worth of dirt and debris prior to needing to be emptied.


Robots that are more sophisticated can create their own maps and keep track of the arrangement of your home from one cleaning session to the next, preventing them from getting lost or stuck. This can make a huge difference in the efficiency of your robot vacuum because it won't need to return to where it started when it comes across walls or furniture.

Our testers found that robots that had this feature were extremely efficient. They could watch TV or complete other things while the robot was cleaning. Certain models utilize laser navigation to create a map of your home. You can then program them to clean the bedroom after dinner, or throughout the house when you're at work.

App Control

It is best to select one that comes with a mobile application if you want to customize the frequency of cleaning and choose cleaning mode. You can also check the status of the vacuum and the state of its dust bin within the app. Some of the top vacuums that are robotic can be controlled using Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri Shortcuts.

A robot that self-empties a bin and washable filters is easy to keep clean, especially when you are able to easily access the filter and then remove it to rinse it. Another feature that is great is a high-powered brush that is able to reach into corners and along baseboards, making it easier to clean up dirt and hair. Some robots are more adept at avoiding chair legs than others, and some also have a self-cleaning sensor that prevents the blockage of brushes that could be a problem in other robots.

Some robo-vacs use navigation tools to help them learn your home and overcome obstacles. High-end models are equipped with sensors and cameras that can detect obstacles like furniture, stairs and cords. On the other hand, less expensive models may use boundary strips that you put on the floor to mark off areas you don't want it to enter. Avoidance of objects is particularly important for families with young children who leave socks and toys scattered around the house, because it assists your robot in capturing the objects instead of scattering them.

We're starting to see more robots with mops, which are great for people who have hard floors and require to regularly clean them. They come with a water tank built into the chassis or a separate piece you can put in when it's time to clean. They may require to be filled more frequently than other types of robots, however they're ideal for homes with hard floors that aren't easily cleaned by vacuum.

These robots are loaded with some impressive technology, and cost a lot less than you'd expect. You can get a good one for under $200. It can do a decent job of cleaning on hard floors while navigating around the edges of carpets and carpets. The robot can be programmed to clean specific rooms on a regular schedule. It can also be controlled remotely via an app or by pressing buttons.