10 Places To Find Robot Vacuum Cleaner Best
How to Choose the Best Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Robot vacuums will save you time and effort when it comes to regular cleaning. The best models do a great job of removing dust and lightweight debris, and most allow you to designate no-go zones in pets or power cords.
The most expensive models can even mop your floor, but they can't climb stairs. Choose models that have intelligent mapping, real-time hazards avoidance, and roomy self-emptying bins.
Best Overall
The best robots that we have tested are effective and easy to use and are able to cope with everyday debris. You'll need a robot that has adequate carpet-picking capabilities and the ability to handle stairs. And, if you're looking for extra features, you may be interested in a model that uses smart mapping technology, or an app that lets you control the robot vacuum cleaner industrial remotely.
Camryn Rabideau is a contributing shopping writer and product reviewer at PEOPLE who has tested dozens of robotic vacuums. She's a huge fan of robotic floor scrubber vacuums that offer the greatest convenience, including self-emptying dustbins and charging docks that automatically empty and fill water tanks for mopping robots. She also likes robots that recognize landmarks such as furniture legs and power cords, so they don't get caught when climbing stairs.
This Black and Decker robot has a lower navigation score and has less object-avoidance technology than the top-rated models. It has a large, non-refillable dustbin and a long battery. Additionally, it comes with an option that allows you to schedule cleaning sessions and return to the location the last time it was used, making it easier to clean larger homes. This model is also a great option for pet owners since it is able to spot and avoid tangled hair and fallen food particles.
In our tests, the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra combines with a LIDAR sensor that is able to map rooms and see obstacles with a structured light sensor that can identify objects and detect edges. The combination lets it avoid stairs, droplets of liquid, and furniture legs easily and save up to four floor maps to be used in the future for use. It can also stop the cleaning process at any point and return to where it stopped and let you do chores while the robot works. The included app provides a 3D representation of your home, room labels, and more advanced cleaning options.
Although this robot isn't able to clean as well as our top-rated models, it excels in removing small particles like baking soda and sand and heavier items like orzo pasta and screws made of metal. The only drawback is that it's not able to mop, and has a slightly less efficient navigation system.
Best for Carpet
If you have carpeting, pick an automatic vacuum that scores high for carpet and rug mobility and pickup. A lot of models do a great job of removing dust embedded in low-pile carpet and a few do a good job of cleaning up larger debris such as orzo pasta, metal screws, and pet hair. However, they can't handle fine particles as well as canister or upright vacuums and can miss ground-in dirt close to thresholds and baseboards.
The best robot vacuum under 200 option for carpeted homes is a two-in-one robot vacuum/mop. It allows you to swap out a cleaning bin and mopping pad with damp. The Roborock Q Revo, for example, is a vacuum cleaner and wet mop with circular pads that spin at a speed of 200 rotations per minute. It detects and lifts the pads when it encounters carpet to prevent wetting the floor, and you don't need to remove or replace them after each use. The Q Revo also performs better than other robot floor cleaner vacuums and mops in keeping away from obstacles and getting close to rugs and thresholds.
The iRobot Roomba Combo i5 is another solid option. It was a great performer in our tests and you can program it to clean your home while you are away. It can be set up to only mop. We loved its navigation on bare floors as well as rugs. The Combo i5 has a long time to run and excellent path planning for the size of the device.
If you're looking for a top-of-the-line vacuum, the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop is a great alternative. It comes with a large dock that can last for weeks without needing to be empty. It also has amazing capability to auto-empty carpets and floors with no floor. It also comes with a smart mapping system, and can be programmed to only run for certain hours (a beneficial feature to keep pets and children who are prone to mischief from running wild). The Shark isn't as powerful as other mop/robot combinations however, it does pick hair and pet hair with a high degree of accuracy. It's also the best price of our top picks.
Best for Hard Flooring
Robot vacuums are the best choice for hardwood floors, as they can navigate around obstacles without causing damage to bare surfaces. They are fantastic at picking up dust and crumbs but struggle with pet hair or other debris. They lack the suction power of a high-end canister or upright vacuum, making them unsuitable for deep cleaning upholstery or carpeted areas.
The best two-in-1 robots combine a vacuum and a mop, taking care of an entire task in one sweep. If you have flooring that is mixed choose models with an onboard sensor which detects changes in the floor's texture and adjusts suction accordingly. The ECOVACS DEEBOT T9+, for instance, comes with this feature and can move seamlessly from hard to soft carpeting.
If you have lots of hardwood floors in your home, you might want to think about a robot mop and vacuum combination like the Eufy S1 Pro. This model comes with an impressive robotic vacuum that has intelligent navigation that can clean hardwood floors and other surfaces. It can also mop. Its sensors allow it to stay clear of hazards like stairs.
The Eufy S1 Pro mop is designed to wash hardwood floors using downward pressure, rather than simply swab them to get rid of dirt and dust. The mop pads are reusable, which reduce waste, make it less likely to spread germs and can be cleaned in the docking station to save you time. The mop pads are also able to be dried, washed, and reused.
Both the robovac as well as the mop can be controlled by your smartphone, making it easier to manage the device. For instance you can use the app to set up a zone that the vacuum won't enter or mark rooms as separate or schedule cleaning times for specific areas. The eufy S1 Pro has an auto-emptying port that collects the debris via trapdoors and then puts it in a bagless or disposable bin. This means that you won't need to empty the bin manually as often as with other models.
Best for Small Spaces
As the name implies that these robots are to be used in small spaces. They have smaller bins which can hold less debris. They are also more efficient when it comes to maneuvering around tight corners as opposed to larger models. They can also fit under furniture that larger robots aren't able to reach. They are also less expensive than higher-end models, however you will need to empty their dirt compartments manually at the end each cleaning session.
A few years ago robotic vacuum cleaner comparison; https://www.b-actor.com, vacuums experienced a major change. Manufacturers began adding sensors that could help them avoid household items that conventional sensors might get stuck on or run across. This has decreased the amount of times our testers needed to clean up after a robotic vacuum cleaner best snag whether it was a power cord, a toy or pet waste.
The new sensors haven't eliminated all the issues with these devices however. The cheapest models still struggle with the same obstacles that the older ones did, and many of them need a certain amount of illumination to be able see where they're headed. Look into an option that incorporates an LIDAR spinning unit that is mounted on top to create maps of the area. Our best overall models and runners-up models have this feature. This allows them to stay clear of stairs and other obstacles while working in the dark.
The models can be programmed to only use their cliff sensors when they are near or on the ground, and not when they are above it. You'll still want to shield any mirrors that might interfere with this function, however, since the laser used by a laser-based model could bounce off reflective surfaces, causing the robot to think it is in another room.
Some of the models we recommend also allow you to create virtual no-go zones for areas you do not want the robot to go, which is useful if you have children or pets. These features aren't offered on all the models we test so make sure to go through our complete reviews of each model below before making your purchase.