How to Keep a Robot Vacuum Clean

Robot vacuums can help keep your floors clean. Based on the model, they may also sweep, mop and even autonomous vacuum staircases.

Look for models that include smart features such as app control and remote access. Apps can be used to schedule cleaning sessions and track progress. Some can even stop, recharge and then resume where they were when they left.

1. Battery Life

With cars that drive themselves, drones that navigate the skies and robot vacuums that nimbly maneuver around furniture, it's safe say the future of cleaning is here. Like all technologies, some maintenance is required to keep it running smoothly.

The cycle of charge and discharge for the battery is the most important aspect for the life of your robot. Keep the dustbin filled and empty. Check for tangled furs and keep the brushes from getting jammed.

Another aspect is the climate in which your robot is kept, as extreme temperatures and cold can affect battery performance. You can prolong the life of your battery by ensuring it's fully charged prior to storage, storing it in a cool place, and disconnecting it from sources of power when it is not in use. Many smart devices also feature periodic firmware updates that help improve performance and optimize battery. Check the app to see if there's any updates.

A robot vacuum is a fantastic option for those who have a lot of hard flooring. It is able to remove dirt and debris quickly and efficiently and leave your floors sparkling. But if you're looking for more than a simple cleanup, you'll want to choose a model that has superior navigation and obstacle avoidance.

The Ecovacs T20 robot is our top-rated robotic. It is a combination of advanced navigation, powerful suction and a variety of mopping features to provide an efficient, thorough clean of your flooring. It uses LiDAR sensors and cameras to create precise maps of your home, which helps it stay on the right path and avoid getting stuck on furniture legs or power cords. It also can detect objects like clutter and shoes to automatically clean around them. And it's self-emptying, meaning you don't need to return the vacuum back to its base station to empty its bin every cleaning session.

2. Dust Bin

Robots are ideal for quick midweek clean-ups however they don't have the suction power to substitute for the power of a plug-in vacuum cleaner when it comes to deep cleaning. In addition, even the most powerful robotic vacuums can become tangled up in cords and toys and miss piles of dirt near the baseboards, or struggle with crumbs that have fallen under furniture. Their onboard dust bins fill up so quickly that they need to return to their charging docks in order to empty themselves, which can take as long as half an hour for some models.

As such, it's important to seland cleaning the brushroll. A regular schedule of cleaning, detaching, and checking consumable parts can also prolong their lifespan. Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin at University Vacuum & Sewing states that three to five years is the standard life expectancy for the robot vacuum, but this can vary significantly depending on how often you use it and whether you take care to maintain it in a proper manner.

To be able to function, a robot vacuum needs to be able to map out your floors and navigate around obstacles. Advanced navigation systems include cliff sensors that alert the bot of steep drops. They also have laser and optical sensors to help it "see" the layout of rooms. Some robots have a mopping function that can be used to maintain floors between deep cleanings using vacuums.

The best robot hoover 2-in-1 vacuums also mop. This means you don't need to switch between an automatic vacuum and a manual one. One example is the iRobot Roomba 690, which is a powerful and highly efficient robot vacuum that is able to wipe down surfaces with its water tank and wash the mop pad in a way that is automatic. Its superior mapping and obstacle-avoidance abilities have earned it the CR's top robot vacuum award, and an AVTech Editors' Choice award.

4. Cleaning Patterns

The top robot vacuums we tested in our tests have outstanding pickup scores for carpets with a low pile and hard floors and remove dust, dirt and pet hair. They also remove particles and crumbs along the baseboards and at the edges of rooms. But they can't remove deep-down dirt or tangles that are a part of plush shag carpet fibers as well as canister or upright vacuums. They also can't pick up spilled liquids and food particles, or heavy screws and may also miss a few areas of the house (including under furniture).

Many models come with smart features which make them more user-friendly. They usually have an app allowing you to schedule cleaning sessions and control the robot remotely. They can also be integrated with your smart-home system which means you can control the robots with voice commands via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Some models have multiple modes, allowing users to choose between mopping and sweeping, or vacuuming. They can also recharge at their docks and keep cleaning where they left off.

The technology to avoid obstacles has improved over the years, but it's still important to take away cords, toys and any pet debris prior to running the robot. You'll also want to cover any mirrors that are floor-to-ceiling with cardboard before tracing the room for the first time, since the lasers used by certain models may bounce off reflective surfaces, causing the robot to bump into walls or floors.

Certain models that are top of the line use lidar to create 3D maps of your space. This allows the robot to identify obstacles and create an efficient path around them. Certain robots let you create no-go zones so that the robot is able to avoid certain areas, for example, your pet's bowls of food or a rug that is expensive.

5. App Control

Many robots let you create a schedule for cleaning and control them hands-free using an app, which means you can clean your home while you're working or away. Some robots are also able to self-empty into a larger container at the base of their machine which helps reduce dust release and is an excellent feature for people suffering from allergies.

Some robots can spot objects on the ground and employ cameras as a guide to avoid obstacles such as power cords, furniture leg or pet toys. This feature is also available on cheaper models. It's crucial to clean the dustbin of your robot and look for hairs that have become tangled when they begin to accumulate.

A high-end model is also able to store multiple floor maps, which can be useful if you live on more than one floor, and some can create 3D models of your home. You can pick certain rooms, and set digital "keep-out" zones to ensure your robot only is cleaning the areas you want.

Robots are great for routine midweek cleaning but they're not able to replace a full-size plug-in vacuum, particularly on carpets. They're better at removing dirt that's embedded in carpet than bare floors, but they can still miss piles of debris close to baseboards and thresholds, and tangled socks and cords. Choose a model that has spots and zones cleaning modes. This will allow you to concentrate on specific areas and not waste time. You can also find models that charge and then resume where they stopped. This is great for houses with large spaces.