Are you someone leading a busy lifestyle? Or maybe you are pregnant or ill, so you cannot move around too much. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a robot vacuum cleaner takes care of cleaning your floor while you are at your office or resting on the couch? Here is an article for you with all the information required to buy one.
Read our buying guide first to know more about a robot vacuum cleaner and move on to choose from our Top 10 section with products from popular brands like Ecovacs, Taurus, Roborock, Milagrow, and more.
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Table of Contents
Like every other home appliance, robot vacuum cleaners also have various features for you to consider. Some may be necessary for your lifestyle, while some may not be. Our buying guide below will help you choose the right one.
You may have floors paved with tiles or hardwood. Some bedrooms may be carpeted entirely, while others only partially. Regardless, the robot vacuum cleaner should be able to detect it automatically. The more expensive ones will have this feature, while the cheaper ones will need you to be around to increase the suction power whenever they reach a carpet.
Now, there are carpets with different thicknesses too. Combined with a high suction strength of at least 2000 Pa (Pa is short for Pascals, used to denote suction strength), your robot vacuum cleaner should be able to lift even entangled pet hairs on high-pile carpets.
Surface detection also becomes useful when your robot is vacuuming and mopping at the same time. If the robot cannot auto-detect, it may wet the carpet too. So, if you have pets and carpets, buy one with high suction strength and surface detection capability.
The suction strength of a robot vacuum cleaner is denoted in Pa (Pascals). As the suction strength increases, the robot becomes capable of lifting heavier objects. For example, if you have steel nails lying on the floor, one with 1000 Pa won't be able to vacuum it. You need at least 1600 Pa of suction strength for that.
If you only want the device to vacuum dust and minute debris like sand, one with 600 to 850 Pa will do the job. Make sure that the robot has a brush. If there is any tough, dried-up dirt on the floor, the brush can scrub it, making it easier for the robot to vacuum.
Check the bin capacity of the dust collector as well as the water tank. Bin capacity differs in each model, with an average of 0.6 L available in even the cheapest of them. Depending on how much water the robot uses for mopping the floor, a 500 ml water tank can last for two medium-size rooms.
A robot vacuum cleaner with a mopping function will lessen one more chore from your list. You can buy robots that switch to mopping mode when you fix the water tank, sweeps and vacuums in one pass and mops in the second pass, and ones that do both at the same time. The ones that do both simultaneously will save time and energy.
If you have carpeted floors, it's better to buy one that either detects it and avoids it or lets you set the carpeted area as a no-mop zone to avoid wetting. Some products will also let you choose the amount of water to use. The ones with "spot mode" can wipe away tough stains by repeatedly mopping the same spot.
The more advanced ones can auto-detect tough stains and provide extra cleaning on their own. If you have wood floors, it's better to go for one that lets you control the amount of water used for mopping, as wood floors can get damaged from moisture.
Every home will have furniture and objects on the floor, stairs, ledges, or areas where you don't want the robot to clean (like carpeted bedrooms or kids' bedrooms). Find out if the robot has a stair detection sensor to avoid damages from falling.
The virtual boundary detection feature lets you set no-vacuum or no-mop zones in the app, so the robot will avoid it while cleaning. Robots that use LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) use laser light to measure the distance between them and the obstacle to avoid collisions.
SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) is a technology used for creating maps of a room, so the robot can determine the best path for cleaning. It also lets you set virtual boundaries and enables the robot to resume cleaning after self-charging.
The average battery life of robot vacuum cleaners is 150 minutes. If the robot has a self-charging mechanism, it will automatically return to the charging dock, so you don't have to worry much about the battery life. But if you have a big house with multiple floors and the charging dock is on another floor, you should buy one with a higher running time.
Companies rarely mention the duration a robot will take to clean an area because of various factors like furniture, obstacles, room size, dirt type, and floor type. If you want to be on the safe side, buy one with a higher running time that comes under your budget.
If you don't want the robot vacuum cleaner to disturb you while watching TV, or wake up your sleeping baby, check its noise level before buying. As the suction power increases, the noise level also increases. On average, the noise level ranges between 60 to 70 decibels, with 65 being the noise level of indoor talking. So buy one that comes within this range.
Measure the ground clearance of your low-height furniture before buying a robot vacuum cleaner. If the robot is bigger, it won't be able to go under and clean the floor, leaving you to clean those areas on your own. But don't worry about low-hanging curtains, as robots are smart enough to detect that it is not an obstacle.
The size ranges between 3.5 to 4 inches for most robots in the market. But we have one product in our Top 10 list with a height of only 2.85 inches, which is much lesser than the average height of most top products in the market. That's the eufy Robovac 11S.
The expensive ones in the market will always let you control them via an app. You can view the maps created by the robot of different floors in your house, set no-vacuum or no-mop zones, schedule cleaning, adjust suction power and water usage, and many more. Some models will even let you manually run it like a remote control car.
Apps also let you know the status of the cleaning, alerts you if the robot is stuck on wires or under a couch. You can change the cleaning modes or give voice commands to the robot through the app using voice assistants like Google Assistant or Alexa.
Milagrow iMap 10 has a strong suction strength of 2700 Pa, capable of cleaning entangled pet hairs even on carpets. It can work for 3 hours with mopping and suction enabled and 6 hours on just mopping. You can connect to the robot via an app and give voice commands through Google Assistant or Alexa.
The terrain recognition technology enables it to increase the suction strength depending on whether the floor is carpeted or tiled. If there are any tough stains on the floor, the robot will automatically detect them and increase the mopping and suction strength.
The iMap 10 can climb doorsills up to 2 cm and detect stairs and virtual boundaries, preventing it from falling off the stairs and entering areas that you don't want it to clean.
With the virtual boundary detection feature, you can prevent the Roborock S5 Max from entering certain areas like carpeted floors for mopping. You can use this feature for sweeping and vacuuming too, if you don't want the robot to enter any rooms.
The surface detection feature enables the robot to increase suction power when it detects carpets, removing even entangled pet hairs. It can climb doorsills of up to 2 cm high and detect stairs, preventing it from falling. Using the app, you can schedule cleaning and also set to clean only certain rooms.
Other features of the Roborock S5 Max include voice assistant support, self-charging, and multi-level mapping (creates a map of up to four floors for efficient navigation).
The DEEBOT OZMO T8 from Ecovacs uses TrueDetect 3D technology to avoid obstacles on its path, preventing damage to furniture and getting stuck on wires. You can save up to three floor maps in the app, and the robot will auto-detect which floor it is on to adopt the best cleaning route.
This robot can vacuum and mop simultaneously to save time, and you can adjust the amount of water used in the Ecovacs Home app. With its surface detection technology, the OZMO T8 will automatically increase suction power on carpets, removing dust and dirt efficiently.
The robot can work continuously for 180 minutes and return to the charging dock by itself when the battery starts running low. Its precision laser mapping and navigation prevent missing any spots or repeatedly cleaning the same spot.
With 2000 Pa of suction strength, the 360 S7 can vacuum even steel balls on the floor. With the floor maps generated and saved earlier, it can work even in total darkness, and the SLAM algorithm enables it to choose the best cleaning path for every room.
Its anti-collision and anti-drop sensors prevent it from hitting any furniture or dropping off the stairs. If the robot runs out of power in between cleaning, it returns to the charging dock on its own and resumes cleaning where it left off earlier.
The self-adjusting main brush can sweep and vacuum uneven areas on your floor, and the voice assistant support enables you to control the robot using voice commands. You can custom-clean certain areas in your house by selecting them on the map.
Taurus Homeland Laser's Dirt Detect technology recognizes tough stains on the floor and provides additional cleaning for a neat and shiny floor. With 2300 Pa of suction power, it can thoroughly vacuum even thick carpets full of pet hairs and dust.
It can scrub, sweep, vacuum, and mop at the same time to clean concentrated areas of dirt and save time. On a full charge, this robot can run for 120 minutes uninterruptedly. Based on your cleaning habits, the app can offer customized scheduling when the pollen count is high or during pet shedding season.
Taurus Homeland Laser has ten cleaning modes—auto, select room, edge, spiral, manual, back-home, maximum power, restriction area, restriction wall, spot cleaning. You can choose the right one depending on your needs.
Ecovacs N79S features multiple cleaning modes—auto mode for everyday cleaning, edge mode for cleaning tough-to-reach edges, spot cleaning for intensive cleaning of one area to remove tough stains, and max vacuum for removing heavy debris.
It has 1000 Pa of suction strength and has three brushes to sweep and vacuum more dust and dirt in a single pass, even on carpets. You can use the app to control the robot, schedule cleaning, and monitor its status wherever you are. Some other features of Ecovacs N79S include self-charging and stair detection.
This product doesn't have a mop function, which may be a drawback if you want water cleaning for removing dried up stains and shiny floors. It also cannot auto-detect surfaces, like carpets, to increase suction strength; it needs to be selected manually in the app.
GOOVI D380 is designed for hard floors and medium-size carpets. It can automatically detect carpeted areas and increase suction strength up to 1600 Pa for effective cleaning of deeply embedded dust and pet hairs. It also has sensors to avoid collision and prevent dropping off the stairs.
You can even operate it manually using the remote control and select from various cleaning modes for quiet cleaning while you are working. GOOVI D380 doesn't have app connectivity or mopping function. Customer reviews show that the product vacuums pet hairs efficiently, and if it gets entangled on cords or wires, it beeps so the user can find it and set it free.
The ILIFE V5s Pro is the most affordable robot vacuum cleaner on our list that features a mopping function. It has 1000 Pa of suction strength fit for tiled or hardwood floors. You can select from four cleaning modes—auto, spot, edge, and schedule, depending on your needs. The smart sensors in this robot prevent it from bumping into objects or falling off the stairs.
Unlike the expensive models, this product doesn't have a smart mapping function to plan the optimum cleaning path. It only has a random cleaning pattern, which may result in missing some spots. It can run for 100 minutes on a full charge and allows you to select vacuum power mode depending on the type of cleaning you want (850 Pa for dust and 1000 Pa for beans and grains).
eufy Robovac 11S features BoostIQ technology that boosts suction power within 1.5 seconds for lifting tough dirt like beans and metal nails on the floor. It is only 2.85 inch high, enabling it to move under furniture for a thorough cleaning routine. It can climb ledges or doorsills of up to 0.63 inches for non-stop cleaning of all areas.
You can select the auto mode for everyday cleaning, edge mode for thorough cleaning of edges, spot mode for intensive cleaning or a small area, and single room mode for cleaning just one room at a time. This product can perform efficiently on tiled, hardwood, and medium-pile carpets.
The Robovac 11S doesn't have a mopping function nor app connectivity for smart operations, but you can schedule a time for everyday cleaning.
This is the most affordable product on our list that supports app connectivity and voice commands. The Deebot 500 from Ecovacs can be set to normal mode for everyday cleaning and max mode for more suction power when you want to prepare your house for special occasions.
It features anti-collision and anti-drop sensors to avoid bumping into objects and dropping off the stairs. The navigation technology is random, so there is a chance of repeated cleaning of the same spot. Since it doesn't have carpet detection, you have to increase the suction power manually when it is on them.
You can schedule the cleaning time in the app and leave for work; it will take care of the rest and even return to the charging dock if it is low on battery.
Cleanliness and hygiene should be present in various other areas of your lifestyle as well. We have to breathe fresh air, drink clean water, and wear clean clothes. Click on the links below to read about the best air purifiers, water purifiers, and front-loading washing machines available to buy online. Each article has a Top 10 products list too, for helping you buy only the best ones.
Robot vacuum cleaners come with several technologies that enable them to work smartly. But the more advanced the technology is, the more expensive it will be. You can buy ones that can map the floors in seconds and plan the optimum cleaning path for covering every inch, while some have a random movement pattern.
But most of them return to the charging dock on their own, provided you don't move the dock anywhere else. Make sure your choice has collision and stair detection technology to prevent damage to furniture and the robot.
Author - Arun F Xaviour
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