Best Rated Robot Vacuum Cleaner

While robot vacuums are excellent in keeping your floors clean, they can't replace a large-sized vacuum. Even the best robots can struggle to penetrate carpets or rugs and often get caught 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 capable of handling a few cleaning sessions before needing to recharge. The Ecovacs Q30S Combo is a close second in our overall selections. It has a battery that can last up to 180 minutes (3,230 square foot) on a single charge. The runtime is more than enough to clean the majority of smaller homes that have carpets that are hard and low-pile carpets, or a larger home where the rooms are roughly the same size.

A longer battery lifespan also means that the robot is able to spend more time cleaning and less charging its dock. It's recommended to select models that have a self-emptying dust bin, since they are more efficient when it comes to collecting debris and returning to the dock for charging. It's important to clean or replace filters and wipe down sensors and cameras regularly so they can be seen clearly.

Smart mapping technology is an important feature to look out for since it permits you to program your robot to only clean specific rooms or areas where it's likely to hit furniture or other obstacles. This feature is also helpful to ensure that your robot can reach under and around furniture, such as beds, sofas and other high-height items. A few robovacs are cheap robot vacuum and have boundary strips you can place on the floor to block off certain areas, while others utilize sensors and cameras to achieve this goal.

Even the best robot vacuums can't replace a traditional vacuum when it comes to heavy-duty dirt and debris. It's wise to keep a conventional power vac on standby for these tasks and to schedule robot vacs regularly for light cleanups throughout the week.

Navigation

A robot should be able of navigating your home without being caught or running into objects like metal screws or pet hair, or sand. In our tests the tracking device is used to track the robot's movements through an entire lab. It then maps its surroundings. We also test how the robot is able to avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture legs, and pet waste.

The best robots can create different floors and recognize landmarks, like windows and doors. The most advanced ones such as the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra, feature a dual-sensor navigation system that utilizes the LIDAR sensor to map the room and a structured light camera on the front of the robot to detect objects in real-time. The S8 is able to avoid obstacles like power cords as well as legs of furniture. It also has the ability to store up to four floor maps.

Cheaper models don't come with this kind of object detection and rely on bump sensors which aren't as accurate. In my tests they were able detect dog poop through cords, as well as a pair shoes placed in the middle. The most cost-effective choice, the Dreametech D10+, is one exception to this. It is a great carpet and hard floor pickup, great hair and tangle pickup and a near perfect auto vacuum cleaner empty score.

A large onboard dustbin, which doesn't have to be emptying manually, is also a aspect that's crucial. For models that sweep the floor, this water tank can hold enough water for several weeks of cleaning sessions. The Karcher RCV 5 comes with this feature and has a large enough footprint that it can be tucked away under furniture however, it's not so huge that it can't fit into the space between your bathtub and toilet.

Apps

Robot vacuums are similar to upright models and require lots of technology to get them up to speed. The result is a mature market with plenty of options. But even the top models still require some interaction with their users - particularly when cleaning schedules are being planned, establishing a home floor plan, and setting up virtual barriers.

To help reduce the impact of this interaction, you should look for a model that uses its own app to identify the location of your home, and save these settings for the future. This will allow the robot vacuum to continue where it left off when it runs again, instead of having the mapping process restarted each time.

It's important to look out for a model that offers zones or spot cleaning modes. You can instruct the vacuum cleaner to focus on a specific area, such as under the table after a large family meal. You can typically do this via the app or via voice commands.

Many models also offer objects avoidance. It allows the robot when it comes across something in its way such as a box of shoes or a crate filled with dog toys, to coach itself around. This will prevent it from running into objects that could harm its sensors or cause jams.

Some of the more expensive models we tested have this feature. However, they tend to rely on bump sensors to accomplish this and didn't always manage to avoid obstacles in my test homes.

Pet Hair

When you're looking to remove pet hair, look for the right model designed to handle this type of debris. The best models will have the highest suction, a brush which prevents tangling and an automatic hoover robot emptying mechanism. Some can also detect dirt levels and adjust the intensity of cleaning according to the amount of dirt. They can also detect items that aren't part of your home's flooring like furniture and toys, food bowls 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 a HEPA filtering system that helps to reduce allergens like pet dust. They might also have an operation that is quieter to minimize the amount of noise generated during cleaning sessions.

Robot vacuums that have mapping capabilities are a great option for pet owners. They're designed to evaluate your home, and create an strategy based on the layout of each room and obstacles. Shark Matrix Plus is a dual-purpose robot vacuum that can map a room, navigate through furniture, and over other obstacles with the help of accelerometers and gyroscope sensors.

Apps let you establish zones that are not allowed. These are areas that the robot shouldn't be allowed, such as fragile items or pet feeding areas. This feature is especially useful for families with busy schedules, since you can schedule cleaning sessions without having to be in the room in which the vacuum is. Another feature that is extremely useful is spot cleaning, which gives you the option to direct the vacuum to clean a particular area that is particularly filthy or full of pet hair.

Dust Bin

If you don't need something small, go for a model with a large bin or even a self-emptying trash bin. We suggest choosing a model that has a large bin or a trash bin that automatically emptys. The former will enable you to keep track of cleaning the bin regularly enough to stay on top of its performance and the latter will save you time and hassle by automatically dumping the contents into an internal container every few cleans.

Whatever the size of your house, most robots can easily move around and up to furniture, and they can detect and navigate around household obstacles like loose cords, shoes, and dog urine. Look for models that have smart mapping capabilities. This allows them to "learn the patterns of your house and plan more efficient routes.

Certain models also offer spot cleaning, which lets you to choose an area of your home for intense cleaning. We've discovered that many of the top performers in our tests can take in fine particles such as baking soda and sand, together with larger particles like oatmeal orzo pasta, metal screws, and pet hair.

The brand you choose will determine the longevity of the robot. the majority of robots last for years and will continue to perform well as long as you are on top of maintenance tasks, such as cleaning tangled hair from brushes and dust bins, emptying them after each use and wiping down cameras and sensors whenever required. The most reliable robots are more adaptable. This makes it easier to replace or repair components like batteries and wheels, as they wear out.