Robot vacuums should be able to clean any type of flooring. We test them on hard and soft flooring and around obstacles (chairs and a bench), so that the setup is similar to a home.
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Overall score breakdown
Overall score is based on
Hard floors (40%)
We scatter a measured amount of sand evenly over a vinyl floor and let the robot loose for 25 minutes, or until the end of its cleaning cycle. We periodically measure the dirt collected and the score is based on the total amount picked up.
Carpet cleaning (30%)
Similar to the hard floor test, we sprinkle sand evenly onto a section of carpet and leave the robot to clean. The sand collected is weighed and recorded, and then a score is given.
Corners and edges cleaning (15%)
Sand is spread into a corner, and the robot vacuum is instructed to clean this area. A visual assessment of remaining sand checks how close to the corner it got.
Pet-hair removal (15%)
We embed cat hair into carpet and set the vacuum to run for six minutes. The score is based on a visual assessment of how much cat hair is left after the test.
Other tests
We perform other tests that don't contribute to the overall score, but are listed for each tested product:
Mopping
Many robot vacs can now mop as well as vacuum. We test these models by spreading several common stains onto a laminate floor – coffee, red wine, a mud mixture, soy sauce and jam, and record how well they are removed with the robot on it’s most intense cleaning routine. We also assess how easy it is to use the mopping function, including filling the tank and attaching the pads, along with removing and washing the pads.
Battery runtime (min):
We run the robot in cleaning mode from fully charged until the motor stops running and record the time.
