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We tried and tested these clever machines in our homes, to see if they could get the chores done
Robot vacuum cleaners might not live up to the glorious science-fiction future promised by 1980s TV shows but, while they can’t get up on two legs and start dusting the house, the best robot vacuum cleaners can still help keep your home spick and span.
They won’t beat a good zip around with a traditional cordless vacuum but what these little robo-helpers excel at is maintaining a baseline level of tidiness between more-thorough cleans, meaning you can enjoy dirt-free carpets and hair-free floors for longer.
More-advanced models come with a mopping attachment, which lets the robot tackle kitchen and bathroom floors more effectively. Depending on the robot vacuum you choose, you might have to swap the mop attachment in and out, or it could be fully autonomous, switching modes on the fly as it detects the floor type it’s on.
Pretty much every robot vacuum will connect to Google, Alexa or Apple’s smart-home platforms, so, you can build a cleaning schedule or trigger the vacuum from your phone while you’re out and about.
Many can also “learn” the layout of your home and plan more efficient routes. Some can avoid obstacles, others wander aimlessly, a few can even empty their own bins, and some are able to detect and navigate around hazards such as loose charging cables, shoe laces and dog poop (you can imagine the mess that would make).
We tested each robot vacuum cleaner over many months and in different homes (some with pets), paying close attention to how each robot performed in new surroundings. As well as allowing the robots to clean routinely, we subjected them to some more rigorous tests, too: spilling cornflour and rice in their path to measure their effectiveness at dealing with different types of mess.
As well as testing their hoovering skills, we rated each robot’s app and how easy they were to set up and maintain. We also considered the costs of any replacement parts – all robot vacuums wear out over time and require fresh filters, brushes, dust bags and rollers.
Basic robot vacuum cleaners will clean any area available to them – so if you leave the sitting room door open, it will navigate its way through and start cleaning the room. More advanced robot vacuums come with mapping technology. This means the robot can map your home layout using built-in cameras and smart sensor technology, remembering the different areas using its memory bank. The maps the robot creates will then show on your app, and you can usually change the boundaries of the map and assign each map a name – for example, “main bedroom”, “office”, or “dining room”. The robot will also note furniture placement, so it won’t bump into any of it when it next cleans.
This, of course, varies depending on the model, but robot vacuums are generally designed to be as simple as possible to set up. All robot cleaners come with a charging stand or “home”, and the robot will need to be left to charge for a short while so you can then set it up to start cleaning. You’ll need to connect the robot to your wifi, and most cleaners have an app that you need to download to create a cleaning schedule for your vacuum. Here, you can track your robot’s cleaning progress, and some apps will give you more in-depth information, such as the time it took for the robot to vacuum and the areas it successfully cleaned. Some will also send alerts to your phone if the bin needs emptying or the robot is stuck in a corner and needs your attention.
While a rather costly purchase, a robot vacuum cleaner is a great addition to your home, as it can complete day-to-day cleaning tasks without you having to pick up a vac yourself, saving you both time and energy. Plus, thanks to its compact size, it won’t take up too much room in your home.
If your living space is all on one level, a robot vacuum cleaner can clean your home for as long as it’s charged. However, robot vacs don’t have the ability to climb stairs, so they can’t (yet) replace a normal vacuum for a multi-floor home... unless you get two.
There are two different ways for a robot vacuum cleaner to work. High-end models tend to use infrared lasers, while the more basic options use physical boundary stripes. Both mechanisms allow it to map your home, navigate your space on its own, dodge obstacles, and even know where your stairs are. Similarly, the sensors mean it can identify areas that it’s already cleaned and those it needs to move onto, as well as detect when it moves from a hard floor to a carpet.
For homes with a mix of hard floors and rugs or carpets, we recommend the iRobot roomba combo j7+ for its clever two-in-one mopping system. By deploying the mopping cloth from a little compartment on top of the robot, it enables truly hands-free cleaning: you can feel confident about leaving it to do its thing and not coming back to a disaster scene.
We also rate the eufy robovac X8 and robovac 15C max as decent budget options. They’re basic when it comes to fancy features such as room mapping and obstacle detection, but offer great performance for the price.
Make even lighter work of your spring cleaning, with these cordless vacuum cleaners