Corine Ortiz

Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot vacuum and mop takes a bit of the burden of keeping your floors clean. It can refill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin, and swap out the dust bag.

More advanced models are able to draw a map of your home and take note of the location of furniture. They can also detect obstacles and navigate around hazards such as loose charging cables and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance functions allow your robot to avoid hitting things like toys, power cords and even clothes that could get caught up in the vacuum. These features are especially important if your family has pets or children that could leave items on the floor for your robot to search.

Depending on which model you select, your robot may have a variety of sensor options to help it navigate around obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared light across the room to spot things like furniture legs and door frames. This technology is widely used by a variety of robots available and you can see it in the top models that are priced higher than other models.

Other object avoidance technology that you may find in more expensive robots is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the amount of time that it takes for the light to reflect off an object to determine its distance, is also available. They aren't as common, but could be a great option to add to your robot should you want to have more peace of mind.

Most of the top-rated robotics can also mop your floors. Some robots come with own water tanks that let them clean up spills and messes. You'll need to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and wipe down the cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions, but these tasks will not take a lot of your time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums need to include mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate your home and avoid getting caught up against walls. They could be tripped by cords, pet toys, or furniture without mapping. This can result in them removing less space. Using sensors, most robots map out your home to identify any obstacles and help navigate around them. This way, they're able to clean the entire floor with fewer passes, saving your time. A lot of the top robot vacuums also come with this feature, which enables you to designate areas that are not accessible.

Robots equipped with LIDAR use this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests, the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to divide my home into different areas and clean each one independently, which was a huge improvement over the lesser models we tested that just had an in-front bump sensor. This was a much more precise way to navigate my home and was also easy to control with the on-device application.

While no robot vacuum is able to climb stairs, the majority of the top-rated models come with good obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect dirt from low-pile or hard floors, and to avoid falling down stairs. Some tools are equipped with sensors to stop them from falling over the edge of the stairs. Some have boundary strips to keep them from getting in.

Some robots have an enormous base tower that collects dirt. This decreases the amount of dust or allergens that are released within your home. The bases can be left for weeks or even months without having to be cleaned which is particularly beneficial for those who suffer from allergies. Certain models come with self-emptying dust bins that you can empty without opening or closing them manually.

Wi-Fi Enabled

Some robot vacuums uk vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi with their applications. This lets you control them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to a physical remote. They are more expensive, but they save you time by allowing you to schedule cleaning sessions on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. These models also let you modify floor maps and save them, as well as provide different cleaning patterns.

The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, combining with a LIDAR system to map your area with a structured light sensor that can detect objects and avoid them even if they're hidden under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to reach tight spaces, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or underneath sofas. Some robots have difficulty in these spaces. They are also more efficient in getting over obstacles and have longer run times due to larger dust bins, which makes them more suitable for large homes than entry-level robotics.

The best robot vacuums are fast efficient, smart and powerful. They are able to pick up many kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, cat litter and other messes. They are also quiet, making them an ideal option for homes with young children and pets. The majority of robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they love the convenience of having their floors cleaned with little effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners with the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping the track of spare parts). PCWorld offers a manual that offers some useful tips to keep yours running smoothly.

Larger Dust Bags

A robotic vacuum may not be as efficient in cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it is fantastic at picking up dust and dirt that regular vacuuming has left behind. It is a great tool for quick repairs to floors that are not clean and is able to traverse around cords or other obstacles in your home. If you don't want to perform the deep cleaning yourself, a robot mop vacuum will let you send it out to scour your floors on a regular schedule.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with large, easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than a single room. This will save time and money through bags that can be replaced. This feature is available on several models which includes our top pick which is the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac has an excellent performance score and includes a self-emptying bin. It also has mopping capabilities and efficient navigation. It is a close call between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with smart mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has more capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.

Another significant difference between these two models is the way they deal with hair that is long that can get caught in the rollers on some robots that vacuum and mop. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the most efficient models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with great auto empty results and excellent path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also great options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, however not as much path planing or auto empty.

The most recent robots are outfitted with sensors that can detect dirt and other debris on carpets and they are more adept at picking up pet hair. Some robots come with mopping mode, where they can use the water reservoir in order to clean up stuck-on debris and spills. This feature is a must for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum is a great help in keeping up with your home. While no robot is able to replace an upright or a canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the highest models are rated to remove pet hair, lint and other dirt that accumulates on carpets with low pile and hard floors and pick up more than you would find using the broom. They have navigational features that keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe or furniture.

Depending on the model, a highly rated robot vacuum can also be scheduled to run multiple times per day, or permit users to observe it in action using an app. They are convenient but they also clog and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the onboard dust bin (or in certain cases, the base's larger bin) as well as checking the brushes for fur that is tangled, and periodically rinsing the filters and drying them according to the manufacturer.

Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum will last for three to five years or more if it receives regular maintenance and care. She suggests regularly emptying the brush roll and bin and cutting off hair that's tangled up in the brushes and regularly cleaning and drying the filter, when your robot is also used as a mop. It's a good idea to clean the sensors and charging contacts of the robot or dock with a soft clean cloth every now and again. Then, simply recharge and refill the robot when needed for the next time you clean.