Are robotic vacuums worth the price?

Prices on robotic vacuums are dropping. According to Consumer Reports, you can now get a great one for under $300.

Robotic vacuums are mini mean cleaning machines that criss-cross your floors like street sweepers. Although robotic vacuums aren't meant to deep clean the way regular vacuums do, they are incredibly handy for inhaling surface dirt.

With three children under the age of five, Charly Ann Oddo depends on her robo vac. "I will put it on, and an hour or two later, I'll come home and the floors are clean," said Oddo.

However, users should keep in mind that they do have limits. "Robotic vacuums are best for uncluttered rooms with either bare floors or low-pile carpet," said Haniya Rae, a home editor at Consumer Reports. "Thicker rugs will make the robotic vacuum work harder, and it might not get to the rest of your room."

You can pay as much as $1,000 for a robotic vacuum, but Consumer Reports top-rated several that cost less than $300.

The Eufy RoboVac 11, priced at $250, can run an impressive two hours on bare floors and does an excellent job picking up debris on carpeting. It is also really quiet.

The iRobot Roomba 618, priced at $270, is top-notch on bare floors and is even good at getting corner dirt. It also performed well by not getting tangled in carpet fringe.

The Shark Ion 720, priced at $300, sometimes scattered Consumer Reports' test paper squares as it moved about, but it eventually picked everything up.

With the new lower prices on these little vacuums, consider picking one up so it can pick up for you. "I feel great when I walk in the house to a clean floor," said Oddo.

Remember, no matter what kind of vacuum you have, to keep them running their best, clean the filters often and replace them according to manufacturer's instructions. They'll work better and last longer!