How to Choose the
Best Robot Cleaner for Your Home
You'll need to do some work in order to maintain your robot's house. This includes getting rid of debris, tangled rugs, and loose cords.
Find a model that has an automatic emptying bin. This will make it easier to clean up spills. You may want a 2-in-1 vacuum and mop.
Features
Based on your needs for your home You can pick the best robot cleaner with smart features. Some models are able to map your home's layout to create floor plans, while some have an integrated camera that shows live video feeds. These cameras can be used to spot obstructions and assist with problem solving. Some robots even have the ability to plan cleaning sessions and alter the frequency.
Find a robot that has a self emptying dustbin if you want it to to vacuum and mop. Ecovacs Deebot Pro is one our top picks since it comes with both features at a reasonable price. It has a suction opening similar to upright vacuums. This allows it to get rid of debris faster than other robots. It also uses side brushes with three bristles that push dirt and hair into the robot's path. This model is the
best robovac of its kind for a variety reasons including its mopping capabilities effective navigation, and its the low cost.
The best-performing robovacs have large dust bins that last for weeks without needing to be emptied. The Narwal Freo X Ultra, a high-end robotic vacuum cleaner with self-emptying dust bins and smart features that provide an unhands-free cleaning experience is a perfect example. It comes with a tiny mopping mat that can remove dirt that has been stuck to the floor. It can also glide across mats and carpets that are too heavy for other robots. Sensors help it find dirtier areas. It can also vacuum and mop simultaneously.
The Eufy Clean X10 is another popular choice, and the application has a user-friendly interface that makes setting up custom options easy and straightforward. Its lidar mapping is quick and precise. It also lets you divide rooms easily for a thorough cleaning. It is equipped with excellent object avoidance technology that sucks up Cheerios and evades fake dog poop, but it struggled with stairs. Its square front design however, allowed it to get into corners more effectively than the majority of other robots we've evaluated. It also has the ability to edge-hug which allows it to easily sweep across baseboards.
Cleaning performance
While robots can't get deep into carpets or remove ground-in dirt as well as a real vacuum cleaner, they do an impressive job of removing small particles like baking soda and dust as well as larger debris like pet hair and metal screws. They also remove spills and crumbs. Making sure that your robot is maintained with regular maintenance like emptying the dustbin cleaning or changing the filter and cleaning the cameras and sensors will ensure that it will last for the longest time possible.
The
best robot vacuum robots are great in removing fine particles from hard carpets and floors with low pile. They're also good at removing orzo sand, and wood shavings. They are able to pick up metal screws and cat litter, but they struggle with slower items like coffee grounds or baked flour. They're less impressive on stairs and aren't always able to catch everything around the edges of furniture.
Some models are also fantastic at mopping. The iRoborock Roomba 900, for example, is a model that can do a great cleaning job on hardwood flooring. It can get rid of coffee spills and other liquids and dry or sticky food spills. Its smart zone and spot cleaning modes let you create an area for the robot to focus on, so it doesn't take too long to vacuum areas that are already clean. The Dreame X40 also does a good mopping job but it has a distinct advantage over the Roborock. It can first
vacuum bot, and then mop to clean up spills and stains on high-pile carpets.
Another top-rated mopping robot is the Dyson V8 Absolute. It's a bit more expensive than the Roomba however it comes with superior suction and can handle a wider range of floor types and textures. It can also return to the charging station after running out of water, allowing it to continue cleaning where it started. The app provides a variety of other features as well such as an option to automatically schedule regular cleaning sessions. It's also quiet, making it an ideal option for homes with pets or children.
Cost
The best robot cleaners perform well at a reasonable price and a lot of them have intelligent features that will help you save money over the long term. You should consider how much you need a vacuum and a mop to get the best value for your buck. Certain models come with features that you don't need but you will find useful. For instance the self-emptying trash bin or navigation that is efficient.
The most cost-effective choice is to purchase an item that can perform both mops as well as vacuums. It is important to remember that the robot vacuum is only as good as the dirt it collects It's not advised to skip regular manual vacuuming in favor of using your robot cleaner.
It is possible to pay around $500 on a robot that can do both vacuuming and mopping, such as the iRobot Combo j9+. It scored high in the CR's tests and can clean floors and carpets. It has an intuitive app which allows you to view its cleaning route and also set no-go zones. Jaclyn found that the mopping function could be improved, as it is based on gentle pressure and a dragging motion, rather than scrubbing.
If you're on a budget you can still get a good deal on a top-rated robotic vacuum that does just one job, such as the Eufy 11S. Its slim design is sleek and quiet and it excelled on hardwood floors, tile and carpets with low pile. It also did a great job when it came to cleaning up pet hair and litter.
Some robots that are budget-friendly have basic bump navigation systems that do not create a coverage map and are more likely to be stuck on furniture or miss spots. These robots are still able to
clean smart robot your floors but they're not as efficient or capable of navigate around obstacles that are common to household use.
Shark IQ XL is another alternative. It's a
budget robot vacuum-friendly machine which has received top marks for its cleaning performance as well as price-to value ratio. It's not as sophisticated as the Combo J9+, but it is easy to use and works well on carpets and bare floors. It's also fairly lightweight and can be moved underneath furniture without getting stuck.
Maintenance
A robot cleaner is a fantastic way to keep your home tidy, especially if you have pets or children. It does require some attention to keep it in good condition. Keeping up with regular cleaning tasks, such as emptying the dust bin and washing or replacing the filter, and wiping off cameras and sensors can prolong the life of your robot.
Vacuums require more frequent maintenance than mopping robots, however you can extend the life of your vacuum by following manufacturer's guidelines for cleaning and emptying the dustbin, brush roll and filter. You should also wipe down the robot's sensors and charging contacts with a damp cloth to keep them from being clogged by dirt.
This model from Eufy is an excellent pick if you want a smart, durable robot that's easy to use. Its slim, sleek design lets it be placed under couches that are low and ottomans to grab dirt that's hidden. The app lets you plan a cleaning schedule and choose rooms. You can also set up zones that are not allowed to be used, and also adjust the intensity of cleaning.
This robot is a bit more expensive than the other models in this list, but it comes with numerous features that make up for that. Its mapping speed is quick and it can save four maps of your home in 2D or 3D. It's also one of the quieter robots we tested and its battery will last about three hours on a single charge.
The Romba 11s is a versatile vacuum with a stunningly high performance along walls. It cleared up to 1.3 inches from the wall in our tests, which is more than any other robot we tried. It comes with a variety of useful smart features, such as a spot-cleaning feature and an auto-boost mode. It also uses random navigation, so it doesn't clean the same spots repeatedly.
This robot has one disadvantage: it can't detect bare flooring and is easily confused by carpets and rug. It's ideal for apartments with small spaces or single-family homes with narrow hallways as well as furniture that is a lot of narrow hallways.