iRobot’s Roomba j7+ is one of the best Roombas because of its obstacle avoidance technology. With this, it can essentially detect everyday objects, such as cables and socks and steer clear of them. The main benefit of this feature is the bot’s ability to avoid pet poop. In fact, iRobot is so confident in the Roomba j7+’s intelligence that it’s introduced the Pet Owner Official Promise (P.

Unless you’re using a wet-mop vacuum, clean up all wet spills. Between cleanings, empty the dust bin and wipe down the sensors and charging contacts with a soft cloth so the robot can navigate more accurately and make a better connection with the charger.

Ease of use: This score is a combination of factors, such as the size of the dustbin, whether the vacuum has a handle for carrying it around your home, how easy it is to clean the brush roll, whether the vacuum scatters debris, and whether you can schedule it for routine cleaning.

Luckily, we've been testing robot vacuums for 10 years to find those that deliver the strongest suction and best features for all sorts of homes, needs and budgets. And we have plenty of brand new releases to test following CES 2025.

This is then stored in the dock until this larger bin is full and needs emptying, which you will need to do, usually once a month or less, depending on how often your robot vacuum cleans.

Hunter Fenollol specializes in smart home gadgets and appliances with a focus in robot vacuums, Roombas and security cameras.

While the robot does most of the work for you, there may still be areas that it misses, like under sofas or corners it can't reach. Just like this, there are other factors to consider before splashing the cash, so let’s take a look.

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Its size means that it can reach most spaces with ease, plus its sensors work very well and ensure that it doesn't learn its way around just by bumping into furniture.

Human hair is embedded into the same section of the test carpet. Technicians time how long it takes for the vacuum to pick up the hair and weigh the amount that’s in the dustbin and the brush roll.

We suggest scheduling it for when you're out of the house, as this is admittedly a noisy robot vacuum, particularly on hardwood floors; we struggled to have conversations as it cleaned.

The pay-off of the small base station is that it can't self empty, so you'll need to take a trip to the trash every time the small onboard bin gets full. It'll be fine for smaller homes or light cleaning, but might be annoying if you're regularly dealing with lots of dirt or Top 3 Automatic Vacuum Cleaners pet hair.

❌ You're dealing with high levels of dirt: This robovac doesn't self-empty dust, and while the onboard bin will compress dust so it can hold a surprisingly large amount, you'll still have to empty it more than you would a traditional self-empty model.

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