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The 5 best spring cleaning deals on robot vacuums will save you hundreds
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Spring is right around the corner, so it’s time to start thinking about what kind of cleaning you’ll tackle this season. Don’t bother with sweeping the floors or vacuuming regularly if you don’t have to. Let robot vacuums tackle that task for you instead.
These impressive pieces of smart home tech can tackle everything from dirt and debris to pet messes and tangled human hair — so you can handle more important things, like choosing a new mattress or bringing home new, clean furniture. They can even map out areas of your home that need to be cleaned while intelligently avoiding obstacles. In other words, the robot vacuums rarely get stuck under furniture.
The only catch? Robot vacuums can be spendy. Just in time to herald the arrival of spring, we searched high and low for the best robot vacuum deals available now. Whether you want an all-in-one cleaning powerhouse or a cheaper option that’s great for cleaning small areas, there’s a robot vacuum that’ll fit nicely within your budget. Now put down that stick vacuum and let the robots do the hard stuff.
The 5 best spring cleaning deals on robot vacuums
Roborock Q5+ (43% off)
Amazon
This sleek, self-emptying vacuum is an excellent pick for those newbies and experienced users alike. It uses precise LiDAR navigation to map your home, with projections you can view in 3D and then edit in real time, just in case there are other obstacles that might be in the vacuum’s way.
Its 2700 Pa suction can remove ground-in dirt, pet hair and other debris from your carpet and hard flooring in an instant, with a battery that recharges when docked. That means no sending it back manually to juice back up, or worse, carrying to the dock yourself when it’s dead.
Plus, its self-emptying dock’s dust bag holds enough to handle what Roborock claims is seven weeks worth of dirt. Add that in to intelligent routines you can set up via app, and this robot can do everything.
Sit back, relax, and let this bot take vacuuming and emptying the dustbin off of your to-do list.
iRobot Roomba 692 (9% off)
Amazon
This Roomba model is perfect for cleaning up pet debris and messes all without your intervention. It uses smart scheduling via app, and a three-stage cleaning system featuring dual, multi-surface brushes. Put it all together, and you get a robot vac that pull dirt from carpets while clearing out cobwebs and other untouchables from corners and edges.
It’s also a whiz when it comes to lifting pet dander from even the most stubborn carpets. It uses a cliff detect feature to keep it from falling down stairs or other edges in your home, and dirt-detecting sensors to figure out where the filthiest parts of your home are.
When it comes to setting up routines, it can listen to your voice and adapt for personalized cleaning schedules. Or you can manually set them up via the iRobot app.
With a runtime of 90 minutes and a complete suite of cleaning options, this is an excellent robot vacuum that’s the perfect companion for pet owners.
iRobot Roomba j7+ (29% off)
Amazon
The iRobot Roomba j7+ is one of CBS Essentials’ favorite devices, and for good reason. It’s a reliable robot vacuum at a great price, and it’s perfect for anyone who needs their hard floors kept tidy. Any robot vacuum can handle carpet, but only some are truly great at getting your hard floors sparkling clean, and if you live in a home that’s primarily carpet-free, you need a model that “gets it.”
This self-emptying robot vacuum uses smart mapping to let you control and schedule which rooms you tidy up and when. It can store a variety of maps for different areas or levels of your home, too. Set up special zones for it to avoid, as well as areas it should clean when on schedule.
It can identify obstacles, empty on its own and use 10x power-lifting suction with multi-surface rubber brushes. It can even be used when you’re away, using your phone’s location services, so you can return to a clean house.
If you need your robot vacuum to suck up hardwood floor messes and figure things out on its own, this is a great choice.
iRobot Roomba s9+ (30% off)
Amazon
If you’re a robot vacuum vet and want something heavy duty to clean your whole house, this bundle is what you’re looking for. It doesn’t get much better than this model, with two excellent functions in one product.
This premium vacuum and mop work in tandem to clean your floors together and leave them sparkling and shiny, dirt-free and spotless. It uses 40 times the suction power of less expensive models, with a three-stage cleaning system to loosen and lift dirt, a self-emptying base, mopping functionality and more.
With its intelligent navigation system, this robot vacuum and mop combo can simply learn your home’s layout and create its own maps, so you don’t have to do anything but sit back and relax while this unit works.
Especially useful is the Braava Jet m6 mop that you can use just like the vacuum to assign cleaning areas or use on demand. You’re truly getting the best of both worlds here – and while it’s still carrying a hefty price tag, a sale is always a good time to consider grabbing this unit, since it’s so good at what it does and then some.
Eufy RoboVac G32 (16% off)
Amazon
For just $100, this budget robot vacuum is an excellent buy. It can hang with just about any higher-priced option and then some. It can create intelligent navigation paths through your home, bring 2000Pa of suction, and uses BoostIQ tech to increase suction power when going from hard to carpeted floors.
You can control its cleaning schedule and paths via app, and it has an anti-collision sensor to keep it from running into things. And if you have to leave it be, its drop-sensing tech can keep it from throwing itself off of ledges or falling down the stairs.
It’s lightweight and speedy, and comes with everything you need to clean your home efficiently with a robot vacuum. The only thing it doesn’t come with is an exorbitant price tag. It’s the best budget option you’ll find on the market, with plenty of perks that land it in the mid-tier robot vacuum range.
What is the best robot vacuum?
Focusing on a few important features can help. For starters, pay attention to suction power. Strong suction is important for digging up dirt, dust and pet hair from carpets and rugs as well as hard-to-reach areas. Battery life matters, too. Some vacuums run for more than two hours per charge, and they can return to their base and charge themselves up so you don’t have to.
You’ll also want to consider navigation and mapping capabilities. Advanced systems like visual mapping let robovacs map rooms and avoid obstacles. Of course, convenient features like Wi-Fi and voice control through Alexa or Google Assistant make life easier for you. With an app, you can schedule, monitor and control cleaning remotely as well. Any time you can automate what a robot vacuum does is a bonus – leave all that hard work to the machines.
Look for large dustbins so you empty less often, especially with pets. And HEPA filters do wonders for capturing dust and allergens. Finally, match the vacuum’s brushes to your floors. Specialized brushes are good for pet hair, for instance. You may need a vacuum that handles hardwood floors better, and you don’t want to be stuck with one that can’t handle the demands of your home’s flooring.
A new Barbie has joined Mattel’s lineup of inclusive dolls. The first “Diwali doll” was announced by the toymaker on Friday, a few weeks shy of the Hindu holiday of Diwali, also known as the festival of lights.
The festival, which lasts for five days, is marked on Western calendars to begin on Nov. 1, but some celebrations start on Oct. 31.
The doll, created in collaboration with fashion designer Anita Dongre, features traditional elements including the lehenga skirt, floral print and golden shoes, according to Mattel’s website. The doll is available at major retailers for $40.
“The look is infused with beauty and symbolism to rejoice in victory of light over darkness with contemporary silhouettes,” the description reads for the Diwali doll.
Lalit Agarwal, country manager for Mattel India, said in a news release that through the Diwali doll, the brand is hoping to showcase “India’s vibrant cultural heritage on a global stage while continuing to celebrate the power and beauty of diversity.”
Earlier this year, Mattel announced the first-ever blind Barbie doll and a Black Barbie with Down syndrome.
In addition, to celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8 and Barbie’s 65th birthday on March 9, the doll brand announced it was adding new dolls to its Role Models collection, based on real-life singers and actresses from around the world. They’re not for sale – a one-of-a-kind doll was made for each of the honored women.
The dolls are meant to introduce “girls to remarkable women’s stories to show them you can be anything,” according to Mattel.
Hollywood actor Keanu Reeves made his professional auto racing debut on Saturday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“The Matrix” star, who qualified 31st out of 35 cars, ran as high as 21st before a single-car crash a little more than halfway through the 45-minute race briefly stopped him in his tracks.
Darron Cummings / AP
The 60-year-old spun into the grass without a collision on the exit of Turn 9 when he had about 21 minutes of racing left. He re-entered the course and continued driving, signaling he was uninjured.
Reeves finished 25th.
The actor is competing at Indianapolis in the Toyota GR Cup, a Toyota spec-racing series and a support series for this weekend’s Indy 8 Hour sports car event. He has a second race on Sunday.
Darron Cummings / AP
He is driving the No. 92 BRZRKR car, which is promoting his graphic novel “The Book of Elsewhere.” He is teammates with Cody Jones from “Dude Perfect.”
Reeves has previous racing experience as a former participant in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in the celebrity race. Reeves won the event in 2009.
A passenger successfully landed a small plane on Friday after the pilot had a medical emergency, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 was traveling from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada to Monterey Regional Airport in California, with a pilot and one other person on board, the FAA said.
The pilot suffered an unspecified medical emergency while flying, the FAA said, forcing the passenger to take the controls and make an emergency landing at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California.
The Kern Fire Department told CBS News affiliate KBAX that firefighters were called to a report of a medical emergency on the plane. The pilot was reported to be “incapacitated,” the fire department said. Firefighters saw the plane approach and land safely, then “chased” the plane down the runway in emergency vehicles to meet it.
The FAA did not release the passenger or pilot’s identities nor give an update on the pilot’s condition. The pilot was taken to an area hospital by ambulance. The passenger did not report any injuries.
The FAA and the National Transportation Security Board will investigate the incident, the FAA said.
