Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot vacuums with mop mop and vacuum takes a lot of the work of keeping your floors spotless. It is able to refill its own water tank, empty its larger tower bin and change out the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your home and record furniture positioning. They can also detect hazards and navigate around them, like loose charging cables or stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting objects such as cords, toys and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have kids or robot Vacuums uk pets who are prone to leaving objects on the floor, which your robot will discover them.

Depending on the model you choose, your robot may have various sensors to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared lights across the room to identify things like furniture legs and door frames. A lot of robots have adopted this technology, and you can find it in the most expensive models that cost more.

Other object avoidance technologies that are typically found in more expensive robots are 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and identify obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects to determine the distance to them. They aren't as common, but are a great option to add to your robot vacuums that mop in case you're looking to add security.

Most of the top-rated robotics are also able to mop your floors. Some robots come with their 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 its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these chores will not take a lot of your time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums must be able to map. This lets them navigate your home without bumping against things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped by furniture, cords or pet toys, and end up removing less of your space. With sensors, the majority of robots map out your home to identify any obstacles and assist them to navigate around them. This way, they're able to sweep your floors with fewer passes, saving your time. Many of the best robot vacuums also have this feature, which allows you to create no-go areas.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR system use this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. In our tests, the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to divide my home into various areas and clean each one independently it was a major improvement over the lesser models we tested, which had an in-front bump sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home and was also easy to control using the app on the device.

While there are no robot vacuums that can climb stairs, most effective models have mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools allow them to collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors that prevent them from crossing the edge of the stairs, and some have boundary strips that can stop them from entering certain areas.

Certain robots have a large base tower that collects dirt. This decreases the amount of dust or allergens released within your home. These bases can last for several weeks or even months without emptying and are especially useful if you suffer from allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying systems that let you dump out their onboard dust bins without needing to open and close them.

Wi-Fi Enabled

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

The most advanced robot vacuums employ dual sensors, which combine the LIDAR system to map your area with a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them, even if they're under furniture or power cords. Those features allow your robot to enter small spaces, like the nook under your kitchen cabinets and beneath sofas, where many other robots that vacuum and mop have difficulty. They're also quicker to get around obstacles and have longer running times thanks to bigger dust bins, making them ideal for larger homes than entry-level robots.

The best robot vacuums are fast and efficient. They are also intelligent and powerful. They can pick up an array of floor debris including pet hair, kitty litter and other messes. They can also be quiet, making them an ideal choice for homes with children and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've talked to report that they enjoy the ease of keeping their floors spotless with minimal effort, particularly when they are used often. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on the parts that need replacement) robots can last as long as a conventional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a manual with helpful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.

Larger Dust Bags

While a robotic vacuum might not clean as well as a canister or upright model, it is great in picking up dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to perform quick retouching of floors and can also navigate around cords or other obstacles in your home. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robot vacuum will let you send it out to scour your floors on a regular basis.

The top-rated robot vacuums come with large easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than a single room. This can help save time and money in the form of bags that can be replaced. Several of the models we've listed feature this feature, including our top pick one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac is a top-performing robovac that has a self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping feature and an efficient navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which is equipped with the latest technology for avoidance and smart mapping. This model has a greater capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.

The two models also differ in the way they handle long hair, which may get caught in the rollers of some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the top performing models. They all have outstanding hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores as well as excellent auto empty performance and great path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also good options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance but they don't have as much path planning or auto empty.

The latest robots are equipped with sensors that can detect dirt and debris on carpets and they are more adept at removing pet hair. Some even have a dedicated mopping mode that uses the reservoir of water to eliminate the stains and spills. This feature is essential for families with children as well as pets.

Maintenance

Having a robot vacuum can be a huge aid in keeping a close eye on your home. The top models can pick up more dirt from the surface, pet hair, and lint than a broom on low-pile or hard flooring. They have navigational features that help them avoid getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

According to the model, you can schedule the robot vacuum to run multiple times per day or even observe it in action with an app. However, these convenient machines are also susceptible to clogging and require regular maintenance, such as emptying the bin onboard (or the base's larger dust bin in certain cases) and checking the brushes for tangled hair, and then periodically washing and letting the filters dry as suggested by 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 with regular care and attention. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out any hair that has gotten caught in the brushes, and regularly washing and drying the filter, in the event that your robot acts as a mop. It's a good idea wipe the charging contacts and sensors on the robot or dock with a soft clean cloth every now and then. Then, refill and recharge the robot as needed for the next time you clean.