How to Choose the Best Robot Cleaner for Your Home
You'll need to put a bit of effort into your robot's home maintenance. This means getting rid of clutter, tangled rugs and loose cords.
Select a model with a self-emptying container. This will make it easier for you to clean up spills. You might want to consider an all-in-one vacuum and mop.
Features
You can pick a robot vacuum cleaner with intelligent features based on your house's requirements. Certain models are designed to map your home and create floor plans, while others come with built-in cameras that provide live footage of your space. These cameras can be used to detect obstacles and assist in problem solving. Some robots have an option to schedule cleaning sessions or adjust the frequency.
Look for a robot with self-emptying dustbins if you want it to be able to vacuum and mop. Ecovacs' Deebot Pro is one of our top choices because it comes with both features at an affordable price. It features a suction opening similar to upright vacuums. This helps it get rid of debris faster than other robots. It also uses side brushes that have three bristles that move dirt and hair into the robot's path. This model is the best in its class due to numerous reasons, including its efficient mopping capabilities, its navigation capability, and its low cost.
The most effective robovacs come with large dust bins which can last for weeks without having to be empty. The Narwal Freo X Ultra, the top-of-the-line robotic vacuum cleaner with a self emptying dustbin and smart features that allow for hands-free cleaning, is a fantastic example. It comes with a small mopping pad which scrubs dirt off and can glide over lightweight mats and rugs that cause problems for other robots. Sensors help identify dirtier areas and it can mop and vacuum simultaneously which makes it ideal to keep your home tidy.
Eufy Clean X10, with its easy-to-use app, is another great choice. Its customization options are simple and quick to install. Its lidar mapping is quick and precise. It also divides rooms easily for a thorough clean. It has great technology to avoid objects, which sucks up Cheerios and evades fake dog poop, but it had some issues with stairs. Its square-front design allowed it to maneuver around corners better than most other robots that we've tested. It also has the ability to edge-hug which helps it to effortlessly sweep along baseboards.
Cleaning performance
Robots aren't as efficient as vacuums at cleaning deep into carpets and cleaning up dirt that's been hidden. However, they can pick up fine particles such as baking soda and dust as well as heavier debris such as screws made of metal and pet fur. They can also remove spills and crumbs. Making sure you are keeping up with routine maintenance, such as emptying the trash bin and cleaning or replacing the filter and wiping down sensors and cameras can help you enjoy the longest possible lifespan from your robot.
The best robots are great at removing fine particles from hard carpets and floors that have low pile. They're also good at picking up orzo, sand, and wood shavings. They are able to pick up metal screws and cat litter, but they struggle with slower objects like coffee grounds or baked flour. They're not as impressive on stairs and don't always catch everything that's thrown around the furniture's edges.
Certain models are also excellent at mopping. The iRoborock Roomba 900, for instance, is a model that does an excellent job of cleaning hardwood floors. It is able to remove coffee spills and other liquids as well as dried or sticky food mess. The robot's spot and area cleaning options allow you to set up an area for it to focus on. This means that the robot doesn't be wasting time vacuuming areas that are already clean. The Dreame X40 is another bot which does a great job of mopping, and offers an additional advantage over the Roborock: the option to first vacuum and then mop makes it better at cleaning up spills from high-pile carpets.
Another top mopping robot is the Dyson V8 Absolute. It's more expensive than Roomba however it has superior suction. It can also handle a wider variety of flooring types and textures. It's also smart enough to return to the charging dock when it's running low on water and then resume cleaning where it began. The app comes with a lot of other perks as well such as the ability to schedule regular cleaning sessions. It's also very quiet which makes it a great option for homes with children or pets.
Cost
The best robot cleaners are inexpensive and have many advanced features that will allow you to save money over time. You'll need to think about the cost of a vacuum and a mop to get the best value for your money. Certain models come with features that you may not use but you will find useful. For example 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's important to keep in mind that robot vacuums are only as effective as the dirt it collects therefore it's not recommended to abandon regular manual vacuuming in favour of using a robot vacuum.
The cost of $500 for a robot capable of both vacuuming and mopping is reasonable. An example would be the iRobot Combo j9+. This robot scored highly in CR's testing and can clean floors, carpets, and even bare floors. It comes with a user-friendly application that lets you track its cleaning routes, and to set no-go areas. Jaclyn discovered that the mopping function could be improved, as it uses gentle pressure and a dragging movement rather than scratching.
If you're on a tight budget it's possible to find a bargain on a top-rated robotic vacuum that is able to do one job, such as the Eufy 11S. Its slim design is sleek and quiet and it excelled on tile floors, hardwood floors, and low-pile carpets. It also did not miss a beat 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 get stuck on furniture or miss spots. These robots can still clean your floors but they're not as efficient or are able to navigate around obstacles that are common to household use.
Another option is the budget-friendly Shark IQ XL, which earned high marks for both its cleaning efficiency and price-to-value ratio. It's not as efficient as the Combo J9+, but is a breeze to use and performs well on floors with carpets and even bare floors. It's also fairly light and can be carried under furniture without getting stuck.
Maintenance
A robot cleaner is a fantastic way to keep your home tidy, especially when you have children or pets. However, it needs some care to keep it in good shape. Regular cleaning, like emptying dust bins, washing or changing filters as well as wiping cameras and sensors can prolong the life of your robot.
Vacuums require more frequent maintenance than mopping robots, but you can extend the life of your vacuum by following the guidelines from the manufacturer on emptying and cleaning the brush roll, dust bin and filter. You should also wipe down the robot's sensors and charging contacts with a damp cloth in order to prevent them from getting clogged by dirt.
This model from Eufy is a great option if you want a smart, durable robot that's easy to use. It has a sleek ultra-slim design that enables it to slide under low ottomans and couches to find hidden dirt. The app lets you organize a cleaning time and select rooms. You can also set up zones of no-go areas, and alter the intensity of cleaning.
While it's a bit more expensive than other models on this list, this one offers a number of features to make up for the extra price tag. Its mapping speed is quick and it has the capacity to store four maps of your home in 2D or 3D. It's also one of the quieter robotic devices that we tested. The battery life is around three hours.
The Romba 11s is an extremely versatile vacuum cleaner that can work well along walls. In our tests, it was able to clean up to 1.3 inch away from the wall. This is higher than any other robots we test. It has a number of clever features, including a spot-cleaning feature as well as an automatic boost mode. It also uses random navigation, so it doesn't re-clean the same spots over and over.
robotic vacuum cleaners with this robot is that it lacks the ability to discern the floor's nakedness and is confused by thick carpets or rug. It's perfect for small apartments or homes that have narrow hallways as well as furniture that is a lot of narrow hallways.