How to Choose the Best Robot Cleaner for Your Home
You'll have to put some effort into your robot's home maintenance. This includes clearing out debris, tidying up loose cords and knotted rugs.
Choose a model that has an auto-emptying container. This makes it easier for you to clean up spills. You may want a 2-in-1 vacuum and mop.
Features
Depending on your home needs depending on your home's needs, you can select the best robot cleaner with smart features. Some models use maps of your home to make floor plans while others have an integrated camera that shows live video feeds. These cameras can be used to spot obstructions and assist with problem solving. Certain robots come with the ability to schedule cleaning sessions or adjust the frequency.
If you're looking for a robot that can also vacuum and mop, look for one with a self-emptying dustbin. Ecovacs' Deebot Pro is one our top picks because it comes with both features at an affordable price. It features a suction opening similar to upright vacuums. This makes it able to remove debris more effectively than other robots. It also comes with side brushes that have three bristles that push dirt and hair into the robot's path. This model is the best in its class due to many reasons, including its efficient navigation, mopping capability and its low cost.
The most effective robovacs come with large dust bins, which can last for weeks without having to be cleaned. The Narwal Freo X Ultra, a high-end robotic vacuum cleaner, with a self emptying dustbin and smart features that offer hands-free cleaning, is a fantastic example. It has a small mopping pad which scrubs dirt off and can glide over lightweight mats and rugs that cause problems for other robots. The sensors it uses help it find dirtier areas. It can also vacuum and mop simultaneously.
Eufy Clean X10, with its simple-to-use application, is another great choice. Its customization options are easy and quick to install. Its lidar-powered mapping is fast and accurate and allows you to easily divide rooms to ensure a thorough cleaning. It has great technology to avoid objects, which sucks up Cheerios and avoids fake dog poop, but it struggled with stairs. The square-front design of the robot helped it to maneuver around corners more easily than other robots we've tried. It's also capable to edge-hugging, helping it sweep along baseboards with ease.
Cleaning performance
While robots aren't able to clean deep into carpets or remove ground-in dirt as well as a vacuum cleaner, they are capable of removing fine particles like baking soda and dust as well as heavier debris like pet hair and screws made of metal. They can also clean up spills and crumbs. Keeping up with routine maintenance, such as emptying the dust 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 most effective robots are adept at removing fine particles from hard floors and low pile carpets. They are also adept in removing orzo, sand and wood shavings. They can also take cat litter and metal screws, though they tend to struggle with heavier items such as baked flour or coffee grounds. They're less impressive on stairs and aren't always able to catch all the debris that floats around the furniture's edges.
Some models are also fantastic at mopping. The iRoborock Roomba 900 is one of them, and it is a fantastic tool for removing spills of liquids and coffee as well as dried-on or sticky food-related messes off of hardwood. Its smart zones and spot cleaning modes let you set up a specific area for the robot to focus on, so it doesn't take too long to vacuum areas that are already clean. The Dreame X40 is another bot that is capable of mopping. It offers an additional advantage over the Roborock that is the ability to first vacuum and then mop makes it better at cleaning up spills on high pile rugs.
The Dyson V8 Absolute is a top mopping robot. It's a little more expensive than the Roomba, but it has superior suction and can work with a greater variety of floor types and textures. It is also able to return to the charging station once it's out of water to continue cleaning the area where it started. Its app has many other features, such as the ability to schedule periodic cleaning sessions. It's also very quiet and a good choice for homes with kids or pets.
Cost
The best robot cleaners perform well for a reasonable cost and many come with intelligent features that will help you save money in the long run. Consider how much you'll need for the vacuum cleaner and mop to ensure you get the best bang for your buck. Certain models have features you might not need but you will find useful. For example the self-emptying trash container or a navigation system that's efficient.
It is recommended to invest in a model that can do both mops and vacuums is the most economical choice. It's important to keep in mind that the robot vacuum is only as good as the dirt it collects therefore it's not recommended to avoid manual vacuuming to make room for using a robot vacuum.
Spending $500 on a robot capable of both vacuuming and mopping is a reasonable price. A good example is the iRobot Combo j9+. This robot scored excellent marks in the tests of CR and can clean floors that are not bare and carpets. It comes with a user-friendly application that allows you to view its cleaning route and also set no-go zones. Jaclyn found that the mopping process could be improved since it relies on gentle pressure and a dragging movement rather than scrubbering.
If you're on a budget, you can still get a good deal on a top-rated robotic vacuum that is able to do one task, like the Eufy 11S. Its streamlined design is slim and quiet and it excelled on hardwood floors, tile and carpets with low pile. It also proved very efficient at picking up pet hair and litter.
A few robotics with a budget-friendly price tag have basic bump navigation, but it doesn't create a map of coverage, and is more likely to fall on furniture or miss certain areas. Although these robots can clean your floors but they're not as efficient and aren't able to navigate around household obstacles.
Shark IQ XL is another option. It's a budget-friendly model that has been praised for its cleaning efficiency as well as price-to value ratio. It's not as sophisticated as the Combo j9+, but it's user-friendly and does a great job on floors that are not bare and carpets. It's also relatively lightweight and can be moved under furniture without getting stuck.
Maintenance
A robot cleaner is a great method of keeping your home tidy, especially if you have children or pets. It does require some care to keep it in top condition. Making sure you are keeping up with routine cleaning tasks, such as emptying the trash bin, washing or replacing the filter and wiping down sensors and cameras can extend the lifespan of your robot.
Vacuums need more frequent maintenance than mopping robots, however you can extend the life of your vacuum by following the guidelines from the manufacturer on cleaning and emptying the dustbin, brush roll and filter. You should also wipe down the robot's sensor and charging contacts with a damp cloth to keep them from becoming clogged with dirt.
This model is a great option to find an efficient, durable robot that's also easy to use. Its slim and sleek design lets it fit under low couches and ottomans to collect dirt that's hidden. The app makes it simple to pick rooms and schedule the cleaning schedule, as well as to set areas that are not allowed to be cleaned and adjust the cleaning intensity.
The robot is more costly than the other models in this list, however it has many features which make up for that. Its mapping is fast and it can save four maps of your home in 2D or 3D. It's also among the quieter robots we tested, and its battery lasts about three hours on charge.
The Romba 11s is a versatile vacuum cleaner that can work well on walls. It was able to clean up to 1.3 inches away from the wall in our tests, which is more than any other vacuum we tried. It comes with a variety of useful smart features, like the ability to clean up spots and an auto-boost mode. It employs random navigation to ensure that it doesn't clean the same spots repeatedly.
The only downside to this robot is that it doesn't have the ability to detect bare floors and can be confused by thick carpets or rug. But it's a great choice if you have a small house or apartment with narrow hallways and lots of furniture.