Imagine yourself sipping a cup of coffee and watching your vacuum run underneath the couch and media console collecting dust bunnies and furballs. Then it moves on to the kitchen, where it collects crumbs from last night’s dinner. It beeps an hour later to let you know that job is complete. So you accomplish one chore on your to-do list, and it doesn’t break a sweat. A Robovac or Roomba vacuum can make this possible.
Learn more about vacuums
Robotic vacuums can make this fantasy a reality. They’re not perfect, however just ask the CR staffer whose robot vacuum smeared a bagel topped in cream cheese and grape jelly all over her house.
They can perform well enough to be included in the fastest-growing floor care category. Future Market Insights predicts that annual sales will rise from $1.5 million in 2016 to $2.5 Billion by 2021.
Consumer Reports members also love robotic vacuums: 16 percent of vacuums bought in 2019 and 2020 were robotics in our latest survey, compared to just 1% of models purchased in 2010.
We explain how robotic vacuums work, what cleaning they can do, and what privacy issues you should know. Four models were able to perform well in our tests. Also, look at the irobot Roomba 890 review, one of the best versatile automatic vacuum cleaners and comes with tons of features such as WiFi & Alexa support.
What robotic vacuums do best
A small motor powers robotic vacuums. They move on wheels and have brushes or rollers that pick up dirt as they suction it into a dustbin that is no larger than a quart. Others have WiFi connectivity that allows you to remotely control them.
Robotic vacuums that can map rooms automatically will send the information to the manufacturer’s servers. Then, you can set robovac to clean which rooms it should and when. Some robovacs or roomba will allow you to limit the cleaning of one room.
Robotic vacuums can leave and return from a docking station, which doubles as a charger for batteries. We tested several vacuums on a 600-square-foot area with furniture and walls in a standard layout. Some vacuums stopped cleaning after 40 minutes, while others could clean for 2 hours.
Susan Booth, CR lead vacuum tester, says that robots work best in uncluttered areas with bare floors and low-pile rugs. Booth explained that they use more power to navigate thick carpets, leading to a faster drain on the battery. “The more difficult the robot has to navigate over thick piles, the more power it uses and the greater the battery drain, which can lead to it docking before it has finished cleaning the whole space.”
While some models can return to their original positions and complete the job, others are not yet able to “see” if they missed any spots or climbed stairs.
Cleaning Competition: Robovac/roomba vs. Upright
We tested the Miele DynamicU1 Cat & Dog upright vacuum for $550 and the Samsung Powerbot SR20H9051 series robotic vacuum for $1,000. Each square was made from a medium-pile carpet, and each one had 100g of talc or sand. (Note: The Powerbot SR20H9051 is no longer available.
The upright vacuum from Miele picked up more than half the debris, while the robovac from Samsung picked up less than 20%. It proves that a robot is not as effective as a vacuum cleaner for deep cleaning.
Great for Touch-Ups
While robovacs or roomba don’t have the same power or cleanliness as a canister vacuum, their performance is good enough to be a part of a home.
Booth says that robotic vacuums are a hassle-free method to clean your floors. They remove surface debris and can be used for deep cleaning. “They can also reduce the time to run your full-sized vac,” Booth says. (iRobot’s top-selling Roomba brand claims that robotic vacuums can help owners save as much as 110 hours per year or approximately 2 hours each week.
Robots have an advantage over uprights because that is powered by either a cord or large batteries. However, they can’t maneuver around tables or under beds, making them easier to use. Our ratings for robotic vacuums are approximately a foot wide and between 2.875 and 4.75 inches high. It allows them to reach places that larger uprights cannot.
Make Your Robovac Home
While a robotic vacuum can clean your floors with minimal assistance, it will still require preparation. You’llYou’ll need to make sure that the cords are secured and remove any socks or PB&J sandwiches from the brush or roller before your robot begins its work.
To allow the vacuum to move around in a certain area of your house, like a playroom or kitchen, you can close the door and create a barrier. You can also use magnetic boundary strips from certain manufacturers to rope it off.
Also, you should identify any areas where the robot will not be able to pass. They have a bumper on the exterior of the devices, so they won’t damage furniture. However, be aware of any fragile decor. For example, the vacuum bumps can damage any lamps, vases, or magazines on the table or shelf.
Although earlier robotic vacuums were prone to falling downstairs, modern models have a cliff sensor that allows them to run on higher floors without fear of falling to their death.
Robotic vacuums can use different navigation methods. The manufacturer and model of the robot can determine whether the robots move randomly or follow certain patterns, which are usually grid-like. Booth states that tests have shown that different approaches to navigation are equally efficient in cleaning.
Remember that robotic vacuums use low-frequency radio signals or infrared beams to locate the docking station. A vacuum that loses contact with the dock, such as when it moves through multiple rooms in a ranch house, might become lost and end up under a bed or in an open closet.
Although our tests were not prone to errors, engineers arrived at work to discover a missing model. Later, a search party discovered that the vacuum had entered a laboratory down the hall.
Is a Robovac or irobot roomba able to spy on you?
Many robotic vacuums have smartphone apps. Although these apps aren’t required to operate the vacuums, they are used to schedule or remotely stop cleanings, check the robot’s progress, and view maps of the path the vacuum has taken around your house to determine if it has missed any spots.
Privacy advocates were alarmed when Reuters reported in July 2017 that Colin Angle, CEO of iRobot, suggested that Roomba’s robotic vacuums might sell the data to tech companies. Reuters corrected the article to clarify that iRobot may share the data but not sell it.
CR was informed by James Baussmann (North America’sAmerica’s public relations manager) that iRobot would not be sharing its data with third parties for the time being. He stated that iRobot believes this data could be of greater value to customers in the future by enabling smart homes and devices to work better. However, it must always have their consent.
iRobot isn’t the only one. Many robotic vacuum manufacturers now record the path of their machines and upload them to a server. Then, you can access the company’s app on your smartphone to view the data.
Justin Brookman, CR director of the consumer privacy policy and technology policy, says that vacuum data isn’t the most sensitive data in the world. These maps are still very basic, but they will likely improve with time to help you clean your home more effectively. It would be great if these companies offered affirmative guarantees not to sell your data.
Do not use the app to set up your device if you are concerned about your data privacy. You can turn off your WiFi if you already have a robovac or irobot roomba. What’s the trade-off? The trade-off?
