A robot vacuum can keep your floors tidy, regardless of whether you live in a sprawling home with three pets or an elegant apartment with carpets of medium pile. Make sure the model you choose is designed to clean carpets and rugs effectively.
Today's models are more advanced than ever before. In fact, some even have sensors that let them avoid climbing on rugs when they're mopping so the rug doesn't get wet.
Powerful Suction
No robot can quite replace a upright or stick vacuum however most do a great job of picking up tracked-in dirt, crumbs, and shedding pet hair from hard floors and carpets with a low pile. Look for a vacuum with powerful suction, which is able to easily remove dirt and debris from your floors in a single or more passes on carpeting. You should also look for a robot that is able to easily maneuver around stairs, furniture and tight corners.
In our tests, the top robots in this category are able to handle almost any type of flooring. They can also transition from carpeting to hardwood and tile without getting stuck. Wheels with larger diameters can are able to climb over door ledges and stairs more easily than smaller ones and their sophisticated sensors help them avoid tumbles or bumping into furniture. Certain models are able to detect when they are near the tassels on a rug and increase suction to prevent tangling.
Most of the Best Value Robot vacuum and mop robots in this category use powerful motors that offer powerful suction to speed up cleanups. These robots also come with attachments to sweep and mop floors. Some of them can be utilized with smart speakers compatible with Amazon's Alexa, or Google Assistant for a hands free cleaning experience.
Toner suggests that you also need to think about how long the robot can run on a battery and how it's easy to recharge. Some models also have a useful function that lets you resume cleaning right where the robot left off This can be useful if you reside in a larger house or if your schedule changes often.
Although the majority of robots don't require regular maintenance, it's essential to clean them regularly to remove lint or hair from their brushes and other parts. It's also a good idea to empty (and should you need to, if needed rinse) the dust bin and wipe down the cameras or sensors regularly. If you have a robot mop, ensure that you clean and dry the pads before using it again.
Customized Cleaning Schedules
You'll need a robot vacuum for carpet to assist you with this chore. Dirt and debris can get stuck at the base of fibers. A carpet-specific robot vacuum can make this task considerably less time-consuming and labor-intensive. These intelligent machines automatically sweep and mop floors according to scheduled times, and they can even operate when you're not home.
But you need to be sure to select the right model that meets your requirements. You'll need a robot vacuum with more features to get better performance on carpet. The most basic models won't perform as well. The top models come with many settings that can be adjusted, and smart navigation technology to ensure they don't get caught in the midst of any messes.
Neato D9 is a good example. It's our favorite robot vacuum, but it is particularly adept in cleaning carpeted floors as well as navigating difficult spots like under furniture. This is due in part to its mapping technology. It is able to learn and save the location of your home to help it clean rooms more efficiently, without getting lost or tangled up in furniture. You can also alter the map via an app to block off rooms you don't want to enter.
Other things to look for include the power of the battery, a big dustbin, and a long cleaning cycle. We recommend that you choose an automatic emptying model, which will empty its own bin when it is full instead of needing you to do it.
If you have an affordable budget but require a high-quality carpet cleaner, look into the Shark ION Robot Vacuum Series. It's not equipped with the advanced mapping capabilities of our top pick, but it's still very efficient on carpeted floors and can be a huge help in navigating narrow spaces. It does not have a docking port, so you will need to find somewhere within your home to install it.
You can also opt for one that is a hybrid model and can double as mop. These machines have an water reservoir and a microfiber pad that can be used for soaking and cleaning floors. They're not as effective as carpet-cleaning vacuums that are specifically designed for this however they are effective in tackling more serious spills and stains, or to keep floors looking good between regular cleanings.
Advanced Sensors
Modern robots that vacuum carpet can recognize different floor surfaces and adjust their cleaning according to. For instance, the top carpet cleaner we reviewed can automatically increase its suction when it switches from hardwood to carpet and even go back to clean the same area a second time to ensure a thorough clean. This feature is enabled by the robot that uses a variety sensors to navigate throughout your home and create an accurate map. The information is then compiled and used to plan the most efficient way to keep each room clean.
You should look for features that are advanced like carpet recognition sensors to aid your robot vacuum to do an excellent job of cleaning your floor. For example some of the top-rated models come with gyroscopes to assist in calculating the distance to obstacles, such as staircases or walls. This technology works in the similar way to a compass, by spinning rapidly to measure the robot’s orientation. This prevents the robot from falling down steep steps or other obstacles, which could damage it or cause an accident.
Certain models also come with an additional feature that allows you to detect pet hair as well as other allergens in carpet. This is an excellent feature if you own pets and require a machine to clean up hair without damaging carpet fibres. We also looked for models that have an intelligent mapping feature that can understand the patterns of your home, to make it possible to block off areas that you do not want it to clean or set up zones that the robot will not go and avoid these areas at all cost.
Keep your robot vacuum tidy to ensure it lasts as long as is possible. Hild suggests inspecting the filter frequently (follow the instructions of the manufacturer for care) and removing any hair that has become caught in the brushes. Emptying and rinsing the dust bin after each use and wiping down the sensors or cameras periodically is a good idea, as well.
Easy to operate
It's difficult to keep your floors clear of crumbs, dirt and hair from pets. A robot vacuum can aid. The most effective robots can clean your carpets faster and produce better results than manual sweepers. They also have a better chance of removing embedded debris, such as screws made of metal or nails, as well as nuts. They're also very quiet and operate in a manner that doesn't disturb your routine.
You can control your robot vacuum using its app or with voice commands via an appropriate smart home assistant, like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Some models let you view the robot's cleaning path and progress as it is working. You can also design custom schedules and create specific rooms for the robot.
If you have carpet that needs mopping, or hard surfaces that require, look for a hybrid model that can mop and vacuum in one step. Eufy 11s is our favorite in this category. It offers a variety of features that help it stand out from the competition. The mopping pad dispenser, for instance, automatically removes the pads and cleans them between uses. This helps to prevent tangled locks from clogging up the roller brush of the vacuum. It also includes an option for cleaning the head that has "powerfins," which dig deeper into carpets in order to more easily remove pet hair.
Its powerful suction is great for removing hair from carpets, however it might be necessary to change to an easier setting if you have hard floors. The dust bin fills faster than other models, so you will have to empty it more often. However it is simpler than manually vacuuming your floors manually.
The robot vacuum will be more useful if it could work with your smart home system to detect when it's time to empty the trash and return to its charging station. Thankfully, this feature will be available soon to other models, and it's something to consider if you have a busy household with pets or children who often leave messes.
