How to Choose the Best Robot Cleaner for Your Home

You'll need to put some effort into your robot's home maintenance. This means cleaning up the mess, tangled rug and loose cords.

Find a model that has a self-emptying bin. This will make it easier to clean up spills and mess. You might want to consider a 2-in-1 vacuum and mop.

Features

Depending on your home needs, you can choose the best robot hoover cleaner with intelligent features. Certain models are designed to draw a map of your home and make floor plans, while others come with an integrated camera that can provide live footage of your space. These cameras can be used to detect obstacles and help with problem-solving. Some robots have an option to schedule cleaning sessions or alter the frequency.

If you're looking for a machine that can automated vacuum and mop, look for one with a self-emptying dustbin. The Ecovacs Deebot T30S Pro is among the top options we've tested because it offers both features at a reasonable cost. It has a suction opening that is similar to upright vacuums. This helps it pick up debris more efficiently than other robots. It also comes with side brushes with three bristles to push hair and dirt into the robot's path. This model is the top in its class for a variety of reasons, including its high-quality navigation, mopping capability and low price.

The best-performing robovacs have large dust bins that last for months without needing to be empty. The Narwal Freo X Ultra is an excellent example of a high-end robot that has a self-emptying dust bin and intelligent features to provide a hands-free experience. It comes with a tiny mopping mat that removes dirt that has gotten stuck to the floor. It can also glide over mats and rug that are too lightweight for other robots. The sensors it uses help it find areas that are more prone to dirt, and it can also vacuum and mop simultaneously.

The Eufy Clean X10 is another excellent choice, and its application has a user-friendly interface that makes setting up custom options easy and straightforward. The lidar-powered mapping it uses is fast and precise, and it easily divides rooms for a thorough clean. It has a fantastic object avoidance system that can consume Cheerios and even avoid fake dog poop. However, it experienced difficulties with stairs. Its square-front design helped it to maneuver around corners more easily than other robots that we've tested. It can also edge-hug, which helps it to sweep along baseboards easily.

Cleaning performance

While robots can't get deep into carpets or sweep up dirt from the ground like a real vacuum cleaner, they are capable of removing small particles such as dust and baking soda and heavier debris such as pet hair and screws made of metal. They can also sweep up crumbs and spills. Making sure you are keeping up with routine maintenance, like emptying the trash bin and cleaning or replacing the filter and cleaning sensors and cameras can help you enjoy the longest possible life span from your robot.

The best robots do an excellent job of removing fine particles from hard floors and low-pile carpets and are particularly adept at sweeping up orzo pasta, sand, and wood shavings. They can also pick up cat litter and metal screws however they often struggle with slower items such as baked flour or coffee grounds. They're not as impressive on stairs, and they don't always grab everything in the corners.

A few models excel at mopping as well. The iRoborock Roomba 900, for example, is a model that can do a great cleaning job on hardwood floors. It can remove coffee spills and other liquids and dry or sticky food spills. Its intelligent vacuum cleaner zone and spot cleaning modes allow you to set up a specific area that the robot will focus on, so it won't waste time vacuuming areas that are already clean. The Dreame X40 is another bot which does a great job of mopping, and it has a distinct advantage over the Roborock one: the option to vacuum first and then mop is a great way of cleaning up spills on high-pile rugs.

The Dyson V8 Absolute is another top mopping robot. It's a bit more expensive than the Roomba but it's got superior suction and is able to handle a wider range of floor types and textures. It also returns to the charging station once it's out of water, allowing it to continue cleaning where it started. The app provides a variety of other perks, too with an option to automatically schedule recurring cleaning sessions. It's also very quiet, which makes it a great option for homes with children or pets.

Cost

The best robot cleaners perform well at a reasonable price and a lot of them have smart features that can help you save money over the long term. You'll want to consider the price of mop and vacuum to get the most value for your money. Some models also have extra features you might not need, but may be useful, like a self-emptying bin or efficient navigation.

The most cost-effective option is to purchase an item that can perform both mops as well as vacuums. It's important to keep in mind that a robot vacuum is only as good as the dirt it picks up therefore it's not recommended to skip regular manual vacuuming to make room for using a robot cleaner.

Spending $500 on a robot capable of both vacuuming and mopping is not unreasonable. A good example is the iRobot Combo j9+. This robot received excellent scores in CR's tests and can clean floors that are not bare and carpets. It has a simple application that allows you to see its cleaning route, and to set no-go areas. Jaclyn discovered that the mopping process could be improved as it relies on gentle pressure and a dragging motion rather than scrubbering.

If you're on a budget it's possible to find a bargain on a top-rated robot vacuum that can do just one task, like the Eufy 11S. Its slim design is sleek and quiet, and it performed well on tile floors, hardwood floors carpets, and carpets with low pile. It also proved very efficient at picking up pet hair, litter, and other particles.

Some robotics that are budget-friendly have basic bump navigation that doesn't generate a map of coverage, and is more likely to be caught on furniture or miss certain areas. While these robots are able to clean your floors however, they're not as efficient and are less able to navigate around household obstacles.

Another option is the budget-friendly Shark IQ XL, which received high marks for its cleaning capabilities and price-to-value ratio. It's not quite as smart as the Combo J9+, but it is simple to use and is effective on floors with carpets and even bare floors. It's also relatively lightweight and can be easily pushed under furniture without getting caught.

Maintenance

A robot cleaner can be an excellent way to keep your house in order, especially when it is used by children or pets. However, it requires some maintenance to stay in top shape. Regular cleaning, like emptying the dust bins, washing or changing filters, and wiping sensors and cameras, can extend the life span of your robot.

vacuums robot require more frequent maintenance than mopping robots, however you can prolong the life of your vacuum by following the guidelines from the manufacturer on emptying and cleaning the brush roll, dust bin and filter. Wipe down the charging contacts on the robot's sensor with a damp cloth to avoid them becoming clogged.

This model from Eufy is a great choice to get a smart, durable robot that's easy to use. It features a sleek ultra-slim design that enables it to slip under low ottomans and couches to get rid of dirt. The app lets you schedule a cleaning and select rooms. You can also create zones of no-go areas, and alter the intensity of cleaning.

This model is a little more costly than the other models on this list, but it has many features which can make up for the cost. Its mapping speed is quick, and it can save four maps of your home in 2D or 3-D. It's also one of the quieter robotics devices we test. The battery lasts for about three hours.

The Romba 11s is a versatile vacuum that has a remarkable performance when it comes to walls. It cleaned up to 1.3 inches away from the wall in our tests, which is higher than any other bot we tried. It has a number of helpful smart features, including spot-cleaning features and an auto-boost mode. It also uses random navigation, so it doesn't clean the same spots repeatedly.

The robot's drawback is It is unable to recognize bare flooring and is easily confused by thick carpets and rug. But it's a great choice if you have a small apartment or a single-family house with narrow hallways and lots of furniture.