For anyone whose floors could use some extra love (or who loathe cleaning), robot vacuums offer a near perfect solution. In our ongoing search for the best robot vacuum that’ll get you one step closer to the smart home of your dreams, the editors and writers at Clever have been testing some of the top picks for robovacs on the market. To take some of the guesswork out of things, we’ve written up what you need to know about these nine robot vacuums, many which are ultra intuitive, easy-to-use, and chic enough to blend in with any modern home.
iRobot Roomba® j7 Robot Vacuum
Tester: Nick Mafi, digital features editor
Floor Type: I live in a two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, New York, and I’m an avid (borderline OCD) vacuumer. My apartment has both hardwood floors and carpeted surfaces, both of which I vacuum four times a week. I don’t have any pets, but nevertheless, my floors tend to attract and hold everything. This is my first robot vacuum, and I’m already a believer.
About the brand: Of course, I had heard of the brand before (and even seen videos of the robot being used as a DJ at parties while it cleaned the floors). Since I live in a small space (814 square feet). I liked the functionality that the robot could easily detect and quickly swivel out of the many things cluttering around my home.
Setting up: Setup was extremely easy. The application, which is easy to download from the app store, helps make the process as seamlessly as possible using easy, step-by-step instructions. The robot kind of took charge from there, making the process rather enjoyable and almost like something from a futuristic movie.
My experience: All in all, it was a great product. Oftentimes, the more tech-heavy the product, the harder it is to use, but that wasn’t the case here. I liked how the robot vacuum mapped out the layout of my space, knowing which areas to sweep after just one reading. The efficiency of the product is also what stuck out to me. We all live busy lives, and while traditional vacuums require you to be home to clean the floors, the iRobot challenges that convention. I appreciate how I can leave my apartment, turn on the iRobot via the app, and come home later to clean floorboards. The self-empty dock also allows for a seamless cleanup, ensuring that whatever dirt and debris goes into the machine is easily transferred into the trash bin.
The bottom line: I would recommend this vacuum for all types of consumers, but for people like me who host on the fly, it’s particularly great. In fact, one weekend I decided to host a few friends at my apartment—the problem was, these plans were made last-minute, and while I was away from home. So, instead of coming home to messy floors, I was able to order the robot to clean the space (via the app on my phone) so that when I got home, the space was clean. If only everything in life were that easy.
iRobot Roomba i7+
Tester: Bailey Berg, contributing writer