The best robotic vacuum cleaners so you can save time while cleaning less. This is the Best Robot Vacuum Reviews in Australia for your house.
Robot vacuums cleaning is one of the biggest time-saving devices you can buy for around the house. The best robotic vacuum cleaners will clean your floors, run around after the kids and clean up their crumbs so you don’t have to. The best robotic vacuums are designed to be mostly autonomous – meaning you can leave them to clean the floor as you go to work.
This guide has been carefully curated to help you discover the absolute best robotic vacuums devices. We look at essential systems a robotic vacuum should include to give you the most convenient clean with minimal time impact.
We’ve tested out every top-rated vacuum cleaner on the market in our purpose-built robot vacuum testing facility, which includes carpeted and hardwood cleaning surfaces. Our tests included a wide variety of vacuums that differed in price tiers and usage specialisms. By using this guide you should be able to find the best robotic vacuum for your home.
So, regardless of whether you are looking for the best robot vacuum for pet hair removal, the best robot vacuum carpet cleaners, or the best robotic vacuum cleaner for hardwood surfaces, we’ve got the most capable and feature-laden models on the market today.
We understand the different capabilities of the robot vacuums aren’t always apparent and knowing who is a quality robot vacuum manufacturer can be hard. So, we’ve supplied helpful tips highlighting what to look for when choosing a robot vacuum.
By combining this information with your own research and knowledge of your own personal needs, you’ll find the best robot vacuum cleaner for your home.
The Bestsellers
Top 5 Best Robot Vacuum Australia Reviews
The best robot vacuum we reviewed is the iRobot Roomba 690. Not only does it feature three types of cleaning brushes to maximize dirt pick-up, it’s also easy to use, has lots of smart features like voice control, and a long run time.
The iRobot Roomba 690 also demonstrated one of the highest levels of agility in tests, with it easily navigating objects like table and chair legs, as well as various types of surfaces and never getting stuck. The strength of suction is also impressive, with serious power ensuring even chunky breakfast cereals and kitty litter is disposed of without a trace.
Another reason the iRobot Roomba 690 comes top in our best robot vacuum cleaner 2019 guide is its affordable price, with the system retailing at stores like Amazon for around $300. It’s not just the best cheap robot vacuum cleaner, but the best robot vac, full stop.
Roomba 690
The iRobot Roomba 690 is the best robot vacuum cleaner thanks to its unstoppable performance, a bucket-load of features, and great price.
Suction is top-rated, and with three different kinds of brushes:- two roller brushes and one spinning edge brush. This means that the Roomba 690 adapts to a number of floor coverings from carpets to hardwoods. For example, out of the 20 grams of the Cheerios cereal we dumped on our testing floor, the iRobot Roomba 690 collected an incredible 19.8 grams, while it also managed to suck up 48.87 grams of the 50 grams of kitty litter we scattered around.
The 690 also comes with a neat feature that many of its competitors don’t – a voice. This means that whenever something goes wrong the system will tell the operator vocally what it is in a very clear way, allowing them to rectify the problem. The robot vacuum connect to Alexa and Google Assistant, which allows you to issue voice commands to the vacuum.
On top of this throw in competitive battery life with a fast recharge, an in-built dirt sensor, and a very accessible and visual companion app, as well as a pick-up price for under $300, and it becomes easy to see why the iRobot Roomba 690 scored so well.
iLife V3s Pro
The iLife V3 Pro offers great suction power on hardwood flooring for a budget price point that is the very definition of affordable. The iLife V3s Pro should be a serious consideration for anyone looking to upgrade to a robot vacuum.
The iLife V3 Pro was a master at cleaning hardwood floors. The iLife V3s Pro not only sucked up 100 percent of our Cheerios cereal and kitty litter deposits, but it also nailed the dog hair test, too. Most robot vacuum cleaners end up with hair wrapped around their exterior cleaning brushes, which then is a pain to free and bin, but as the V3s Pro is brushless that couldn’t occur. This is, without doubt, one of the best robot vacuums for pet hair removal we’ve tested.
Features-wise the vacuum isn’t the strongest and its battery while delivering an impressive two hours of cleaning time does take a long time to recharge, so repeated rapid cleaning sessions are not really a possibility. It’s also not the strongest when transitioning from one surface to the other, with rugs and tiles the most notable difficulties.
Regardless, though, considering its top suction power, low cost, and excellent hard floor suction, the iLive V3s Pro is the best cheap robot vacuum cleaner on the market.
Eufy 11S
The Eufy 11S is a nimble machine that slips under low-lying sideboards and glides over rugs and tiles. Self-sufficiency is very much this system’s strongest attribute, with it sailing over flooring transitions and around obstacles that caused other systems to falter or stop entirely.
This robotic vacuum has a solid battery life with the Eufy 11S capable of running for around an hour and forty minutes before it needed to return to its charging station, which itself is pleasingly lightweight and compact. The Eufy 11S does have a long charging time – which means it does limit the amount of cleaning runs it does in a day.
Suction was good, although not best on the test, with the system specifically struggling with hair removal. Don’t get us wrong, the Eufy 11S did pick up literally all the hair we dropped on our test cleaning area, however large portions of it simply got wound up on its central roller brush or twin rotating sweepers. This annoyance was mitigated, though, by the ability to easily remove all brushes for cleaning.
At around $220 the price of the Eufy 11S is extremely competitive give you great value for money.
Neato Botvac Connected D4
One of the most common flaws we encounter when reviewing the best robot vacuum cleaners is poor battery recharge time, with some units taking five hours or more to fully recharge after a cleaning run. And while this isn’t exactly a deal-breaker, it is an unwanted annoyance, as robot vacuums work best with repeated runs in quick frequency.
And this is where the Neato Botvac Connected D4 comes into its own, with an incredibly rapid recharge time of just 90 minutes. This, combined with its large cleaning head, ability to map your home with lasers, and powerful drive motors that allow for seamless surface transitions, make it a top robotic vacuum cleaner choice for large, frequently dirty homes.
iLife A9
If a quiet operation is crucial to your purchasing decision then you should definitely check out the iLife A9. While it is not as heavy-duty in terms of cleaning as the other robot vacuums in this guide, it was incredibly quiet on test and made it easy to forget about while in use.
The A7 also ran and ran in terms of operation, with its battery pack allowing a cleaning time of over two hours each time, and unlike some robotic vacuum cleaners, this unit comes with a warranty that stretches over a year.
How to Choose The Best Robot Vacuum Australia
When choosing one of the best robot vacuum cleaners on the market the first thing you should ask yourself is what type of cleaning you specifically need.
For example, do you need the robot vacuum cleaner to clean hard floors, carpeted floors, or a mixture of both? In addition, do you need the robotic vacuum to be a pet hair removal specialist? Or maybe you need a system that can run for a particularly long period of time due to the size of your home?
While many robot vacuums feature similar core functionality, certain models do lean towards specific specialisms, so we advise you to make sure that you know exactly what you need from a robot vacuum upgrade before you pull the trigger.
In addition, you should evaluate the layout and structure of your home, both in terms of the suitability of a robotic vacuum cleaner and where it can be docked. Remember that each robot vacuum comes with its own docking station (which often needs clearance on either side to ensure optimal operation) where the machine charges up between cleaning runs, so knowing exactly where that can be placed should also be an important consideration.
Lastly, it is worth considering your floor coverings and furniture, as if you have a tall, multi-floored dwelling with multiple staircases then maybe a robot vacuum cleaner wouldn’t be the best option.
After all, these machines can’t climb stairs, and while they won’t plunge to their doom thanks to automatic drop detection tech. If you want to leave the robot running while you’re out, or on a schedule to come on while you are at work floor transitions may prevent the vacuum from returning to the base station. This means you’re going to come home to a robot vacuum that has no charge.
Naturally, if you have an apartment this won’t be an issue, and from our personal experience, it is manageable as well with a simple upstairs-downstairs arrangement. Running the robot on the second floor while you’re in the house means it can be retrieved and docked before you leave. For anything more complex, we’d suggest a combination of the robot vacuum cleaner and a traditional manual cleaner.
Who Are The Best Robotic Vacuum Cleaner Makers?
Here at Australia Lists, we consider the following companies to make the best robot vacuum cleaners. These manufacturers have the expertise and longest history of building robotic vacuum cleaners. By selecting one of their models we feel you are far more likely to select a top model that will keep your floors sparkling. The best manufactures of robot vacuum cleaners are: iRobot, Eufy, Neato, iLife, Ecovacs, Samsung, and Dyson.
How Much Does A Robot Vacuum Cost?
You can expect to pay about $450 for a good robot vacuum cleaner, judging by the average price of the five bestselling units on Amazon, Best Buy, and Home Depot. We tested products ranging from $150 to $500. You generally get what you pay for in this category, though our top pick was only the fourth most expensive. The most expensive robot vacuums cleaners were noticeably better in terms of suction and self-sufficiency. Generally speaking, you end up having to babysit the cheaper ones, and they don’t pick up quite as much.
How Long Will A Roomba Clean For?
The robot vacuum cleaners we tested – including Roombas and other brands – can run autonomously for over an hour, averaging one hour and 40 minutes. We found that the more expensive machines don’t necessarily run the longest. In fact, the robot vacuum with the longest run time is one of the least expensive, and a model that is tied for the shortest run time is the third most expensive. Information about machines we researched but didn’t test seems to back up the theory that you don’t necessarily get a longer run time for a larger investment.
However, there are lots of features that matter at least as much as how long your robot vac can vacuum before returning to its station. If you have a few larger spaces and are worried a robot vacuum won’t be able to cover them, check the manufacturer’s website – they all make that information pretty easy to find so you can know before you buy.
Are The Robot Vacuums Good Value?
The answer is yes, depending on a few things. First, it depends on whether you have pets. If you do, a robot vacuum is definitely worth it. Pet owners know that vacuuming and dusting regularly can keep pet hair under control for the most part, but no one likes to vacuum more than once a day or to follow their pet around with a vacuum cleaner – the only way to keep your home pristine if you have heavy shedders. Even the fairly mediocre robot vacuums we tried did a good job of keeping pet hair at bay.
Second, it depends on where you plan to use it. Even our favorite robot vacuum cleaners struggled with carpeting. However, they were amazing on hardwood flooring. If you have a lot of hardwood flooring, a robot vacuum is a great investment.
Third, it depends on how you plan to use it. These machines have gotten better and better over the years we’ve been testing them, but they do not replace a human being with a broom and a mop. They can keep your place tidy between deep cleanings, though, especially if you have pets, as mentioned above.
Are Robot Vacuums Safe For Wood Floors?
You don’t have to worry about robot vacuum cleaners on your hardwood floors. Hardwood flooring is their specialty and the brushes are not stiff enough to scratch. We tested them on flooring in a 103-year-old home and the floors looked great afterward – not a scratch on them. There was some chatter online about how early robot vacuums could scrape hardwood flooring with their front wheel, but we have never had a problem, even after testing for hundreds of hours over the years with multiple models from many manufacturers.
What’s The Best Robot Vacuum For Hardwood Floors?
Almost all robot vacuums do well on hardwood floors, including our best overall pick, the iRobot Roomba 690. However, in our testing, the iLife V3s Pro was even a little better at cleaning hardwood flooring. Carpeting is where robot vacuums sometimes struggle, at least on higher-pile carpets. They do fine on low-pile carpeting – the kind you find in offices.
“The hard floor performance is usually going to be as good as an upright. The carpet performance usually is not quite as good as you see in an upright,” said vice president of marketing for Neato Robotics, Stephane Maes.
That was definitely our experience in testing. The wood floors looked great post-test. A few of the vacuums got stuck on carpeting and were not able to clean it at all. Others took a few swipes at the carpeting but didn’t get all the messes, or they just seemed to collect carpet fuzz more than anything else.
Keeping robot vacuums out of problem areas
Robotic vacuum cleaners are meant to take one chore off of your list, but your home may not be prepared for a robot vacuum to operate smoothly. These machines can be tripped up by cords, clothing, flooring transitions and much more. Designers have tackled these problems in a number of different ways. Here are some options for keeping robot vacuums away from danger zones:
Virtual wall
Some units come with a small device that shoots an infrared beam across a threshold to keep the robot vacuum away. Usually, they offer blockage from 4 to 7 feet.
Boundary markers
These are magnetic strips that a robot vacuum’s sensors read and know to avoid. These keep the robot vac from running into objects in your home.
Smart mapping
Many modern models offer smartphone apps with mapping capabilities. You can use the app to tell the robot which rooms to clean and which to avoid.
No-go lines
Some models take it one step further and let you section off not just rooms, but portions of rooms. It’s like having a virtual boundary marker that sections off problem areas – a Christmas tree skirt or pet bowl areas. You just swipe off-limits areas in the virtual floor plan of your home on your phone’s screen. Then the robot vacuum won’t clean in that area.
Care and maintenance tips for robot vacuums
The best robot vacuum cleaners have a lot of moving parts, so they require some maintenance for optimal performance. Here are some tips on getting the most out of yours:
Do not overfill
This can be easy to do with tiny bins that are typical of these machines. Many of them do not have full-bin indicator lights, either. It is up to you to remember.
Clean the brushes
Take time to pick the hair out of brushes and wash them thoroughly on a regular basis. They will struggle to spin and pick up more hair and debris if you skip cleaning them.
Clean the wheels
Wheels also need regular cleanings. They won’t turn or grip as well if they are coated in dirt.
Update often
The best robot vacuum cleaners come with a phone app that will update itself on a regular basis, but it is still worth checking for updates from time to time to ensure optimal performance.
Is there a roomba that vacuums and mops?
Depending on the model you choose, a robot vacuum can substantially reduce how frequently you need to vacuum the normal way. But what about mopping? Can robot vacuums also mop hard floors? The answer is “sort of.” A few models allow you to attach a cleaning rag to the robot vacuum itself or a separate unit, which allows it to mop as it vacuums. In our latest comparison, there are only a couple of robot vacuums that mop, including the bObsweep bObi PetHair Plus, and the ones we tested didn’t mop very well. They didn’t even come close to cleaning as well as a person with a bucket and mop can.
Generally, the mopping feature consists of a microfiber cloth you attach to the machine so the floor gets wiped down after it is suctioned off. Roomba takes it one step further by including a separate mopping unit – the Braava – on some models, which makes its own rounds after the robot vacuum is done cleaning. We have not tested the Braava, but if it is anything like the other robot vacuums that integrate mopping, we have low expectations. Braava online user reviews are mixed.
Robot vacuum tips for allergy sufferers
Even with their smaller proportions, robot vacuums have the potential to create many of the same problems as full-sized machines. Any type of vacuum can kick up a lot of dust, which can affect those with allergies and asthma. If you have allergies or asthma, it is worth a little extra effort to make sure the cleaning process won’t make you sick.
Buying the right machine in the first place is a good starting point. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America has not certified any robot vacuum cleaners as asthma and allergy-friendly yet. There are at least a few models that boast strong filters, though, which should help in containing dust and other allergens. Some robot vacuum filters even rise to the level of HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air), which meets U.S. Department of Energy standards for containing very small particles. Look for those and also use the type of precautions that make sense with all kinds of vacuum cleaners:
Empty often
Any time a vacuum of any kind gets too full there is the potential for it to throw debris back into the air.
Empty outside
Robot vacuum cleaners have tiny dustbins but they can still create quite the cloud when you empty them.
Be thorough
When possible, set your robot vacuum to go over high traffic areas more than once.
Environmentally friendly cleaning
Environmental friendliness may not be your top consideration when choosing a robotic vacuum cleaner, but if it’s a factor that interests you, consider these aspects as you shop:
Durability
Any product that’s made of plastic and has a battery will damage the environment when it enters a landfill. Read online reviews to find the most durable robotic vacuum so that yours won’t end up in a landfill anytime soon. Look for a long warranty, which can be a good indicator of durability.
Repairs
Fixing a product rather than throwing it away will help the environment. If your robot vacuum has problems, consider sending it to the manufacturer for repairs.
Battery life
No battery lasts forever, and when your robot vacuum battery can’t recharge anymore, don’t throw it in the garbage. Instead, visit call2recycle.org to find a place to recycle it.
How long does carpeting last?
Your robot vacuum is likely just one cleaning tool you use to keep your flooring fresh and clean. Floors eventually wear down, though; experts say carpeting lasts five to 15 years. In high-traffic areas, however, carpet may not even make it to the five-year mark, even if you choose the looped/Berber style. The rotating brushes of a vacuum cleaner, including those on robot vacuums, can contribute to the breakdown of fibers over time. The decision of when to replace carpeting can be largely a matter of aesthetics, but there are a handful of health and safety issues, too. Here are a few things to consider:
Threadbare threats
When you can see the horizontal threads that run under your carpet, it’s probably time to replace your flooring. This is the case especially when that happens along room borders, which can create a tripping hazard.
Allergy awareness
Older carpets tend to retain more dust and other allergens. If you notice your allergies acting up, it might be a sign you need to get new carpets.
Flooring flatlands
Matted carpeting always looks bad, and matted carpeting in high-traffic areas looks even worse because it’s surrounded by the fluffy, newer-looking carpet. When you can’t cover up the bad spots with an area rug, it’s time for new carpeting.
Color discord
If you’ve shampooed your carpets and had them professionally cleaned but your high-traffic areas still look darker than the rest of your floors, it may be time to replace your carpets.
Off odors
The same applies to pet smells or any other odors: If you have shampooed the carpet and it still smells bad, you should consider replacing it.
