Is Robot Vacuum Cleaner Best The Greatest Thing There Ever Was

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How to Choose the best home vacuum cleaner Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Robot vacuums can save you time and effort when it comes to regular cleaning. Top performers are good at getting rid of dust, light debris and cords.

The higher-end models even sweep your floors--though they still can't climb the stairs. Look for models that have smart mapping, real time safety features, and large self-emptying bins.

Best Overall

The best robots we tested were reliable, user-friendly, and able keep up with the daily debris. You'll need a robot vacuum cleaner comparison that has decent carpet-picking capability and the ability to take on stairs. And, if you're looking for extra features, you may be interested in a model with smart mapping technology or an application that allows you to control the robot remotely.

Camryn Rabideau is a contributing shopping writer and product reviewer at PEOPLE who has tried many robotic vacuums. She's a huge fan of robot vacuums that provide the greatest convenience, such as self-emptying bins and charging docks that automatically empty and refill water tanks for mopping robots. She's also a fan of the robots that can recognize landmarks like furniture legs and power cords to ensure they don't get caught when climbing stairs.

Compared to the top-rated models, this Black and Decker vacuum is less equipped with object-avoidance technology and its navigation score is lower. It comes with a large dust bin that is non-refillable and a long battery. It also has the ability to schedule cleaning sessions, and then return to the place it stopped at the last point, making it easier for you to cover larger homes. This model is an excellent choice for pet owners, since it is able to avoid tangled fur and food particles.

In our tests we tested the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra combines with a LIDAR sensor that can map rooms and identify obstacles using an organized light sensor to identify objects and detect edges. The combination allows it to avoid stairs, droplets of liquid, and furniture legs easily and save up to four floor maps for future reference. It is also able to stop the cleaning process at any moment and return to where it stopped so that you can complete chores while the robot does its work. The app includes an interactive 3D model of your home with room labels and advanced automatic cleaning robot options.

Although this robot isn't able to clean as well as our top-rated models, it excels in removing fine debris like sand and baking soda and heavier items, such as orzo pasta and screws made of metal. The only downsides are that it's not able to mop, and its navigation system is less impressive.

The best for Carpet

If you have carpeting, choose a robot cleaner vacuum that has a high score for rug and carpet ability to maneuver and pick up. Many models do a good job of removing dust embedded in low-pile carpet and some do a decent job at cleaning up larger debris such as orzo pasta, metal screws, and pet hair. But they don't pick up fine particles as well as canister or upright vacuums, and they may be unable to pick up dirt in the vicinity of baseboards and thresholds.

For carpeted homes, a 2-in-1 robot mop/vacuum is the best combo vacuum choice. You can exchange a cleaning bin to a damp mopping mat. The Roborock Q Revo is a 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop that can clean and mop simultaneously with circular pads that spin at 200 rotations a minute. It recognizes and raises its pads when they come into contact with carpet, preventing the flooring from becoming wet. You don't need to remove them or replace them every time. The Q Revo is also superior to other robot vacuums and mops in avoiding obstacles, getting close to rugs and thresholds, and staying clear of obstacles.

The iRobot Roomba Combo i5 is another option worth considering. It was a great performer in our tests and you can set it up to schedule it to clean your home even when you're away. It can be set to mop only. We were impressed by its ability to navigate on floors with no flooring as well as rugs. The Combo i5 has a long runtime and excellent path-planning for an item of this size.

If you're looking for a top-of-the-line vacuum, the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum & Mop is a fantastic alternative. It has a large dock that can last for weeks and not need to be cleaned. It also has amazing navigation and auto-emptying capabilities on carpets and floors with no floor. It's also got a smart-mapping system and can be programmed to operate during certain hours of the day (a useful feature to keep mischievous kids and dextrous pets from causing havoc). The Shark has less suction power than some other robot vacuums and mops but it's good at picking up hair and pet hair. It is the best value among our top picks.

best auto Vacuum for Hard Flooring

Robot vacuums are the ideal pick for hardwood floors because they can easily maneuver around obstacles without damaging the floor's surface. They are excellent in removing dust and crumbs but struggle with pet hair or larger debris. They don't have the suction power of a high-end upright or canister vacuum, which is why they're not an ideal option for rooms with carpets or upholstery that needs deep cleaning.

The best two-in-1 robots combine mopping and vacuum to complete an entire task in one pass. If you have floors that are mixed choose one equipped with an onboard sensor that detects changes in the floor's texture and adjusts suction accordingly. The ECOVACS DEEBOT T9+ for example, has this feature and can move seamlessly from soft to hard carpeting.

If your home is comprised of hardwood floors, consider a robotic vacuum and mop combo like the eufy S1 Pro. This model features a powerful robotic vacuum that has smart navigation to clean hardwood floors and other hard surfaces, plus it can mop too. The sensors in it allow it to avoid dangers like stairs.

When it comes to mop pads, the eufy S1 Pro is designed to actually wash hardwood floors using downward pressure rather than wipe them over to remove light dust and dirt. Its reusable pads reduce waste and help to spread less germs. They can also be cleaned in the docking stations to save time. The mop pads are also able to be dried, washed and reused.

Both the robovac and mop can be controlled from your smartphone, making it easier to manage the device. You can, for example utilize the app to create no-go zones that the vacuum won't enter, or to label rooms, or plan specific cleaning times. The eufy S1 Pro also has an auto-emptying dock, which collects debris through a trapdoor, and is then stored in a bagless or disposable bin, which means you don't have to manually empty the bin every time as you would with other models.

Best for Small Spaces

Like the name suggests that these robots are suited for small areas. They have smaller bins that hold less debris, and they're more efficient than the larger models when it comes to maneuvering tight corners. They can also be placed under furniture that larger robots can't reach. They tend to be cheaper than the higher-end models too, although you'll need to empty their dirt compartments at the end of each cleaning session.

A few years back robotic vacuums experienced a major change. Manufacturers began adding sensors that could help them navigate around and avoid household items that their traditional sensors could get stuck on or run across. This improved the number of times our testers were required to clean up after a robot incident.

However, the new sensors haven't solved all of these machines' problems. The cheapest models still struggle with the same issues that the older models faced and, in addition, they need a certain amount of illumination to be able to see where they're going. If you live in a dark house or have a lot of low-profile furniture, consider purchasing top-mounted spinning laser units to map your space, as our top overall and runner-up picks do. This allows them to work in darkness and avoid obstacles such as stairs.

In addition to being able to work in the dark, these models can be set to use their cliff sensors only when they're close to or on the floor, not above them. You'll still want to cover any mirrors that could hinder this function, however, since the lasers used by a LIDAR-based model can bounce off reflective surfaces and cause the robot to believe it's in another room.

Some of the models that we recommend let you create virtual no-go zones for areas you don't want the robot to go to. This is helpful for those with pets or children who are small. Those features aren't available on all of the models we test, so be sure to go through our complete reviews of the choices below before you make a purchase.