Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robotic vacuum and mop takes a bit of the work of keeping your floors clean. It can re-fill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin that is larger and change the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your home and note furniture positioning. They also can detect dangers and avoid them, like loose charging cables or loose socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance allows your robot vacuums best to avoid hitting things such as cords, toys and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. These features are particularly important if your family has pets or children that could leave things on the floor for your robot to discover.

Depending on the model you choose depending on the model you choose, you may have a variety of sensor options available to assist your robot vacuum cleaner best in its journey around obstacles. Some of the most sought-after include crossed IR sensor beams, which are a focused infrared light that scan across the room for things like furniture legs or door frames. This technology is widely used by a variety of robots that are available and you can get it in top models that are priced higher than others.

Other object avoidance technology that is available in more expensive robotics includes 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensor to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the duration that it takes the light to reflect off an object, to determine its distance, are also available. These aren't very common but are a great option for your robot if you're looking for extra security.

Most of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some even come with their own water tanks, allowing them to wash away water-based spills and messes. You'll need to empty the dust bin and clean its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Robot vacuums need to include mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate your home without getting caught up against walls. Without mapping, they could be tripped by furniture, cords, or pet toys and end up removing less of your space. By using sensors, many robots map your home to track any obstacles and help navigate around them. They can clean the floor in fewer passes and help you save time. Many of the best rated robot vacuum robot vacuums also come with this feature, which allows you to designate areas that are not accessible.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. In our tests, the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to separate my room into distinct areas and clean each one independently, which was a huge improvement over the less expensive models we tested that just used the front bump sensor. This was a far more precise method of navigating my home and was simple to control via the app on the device.

While no robot vacuum can climb stairs, the majority of the top-rated models come with good obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools help them to remove dirt from carpets and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Certain tools come with sensors that make sure they don't fall over the edge of stairs. Some have boundaries to keep them from getting in.

Some robots have a large tower base which holds their collected dirt, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. These bases can go several weeks or even months without emptying, and are particularly beneficial if you have allergies. Certain models come with self-emptying dust bins which you can empty without opening or closing them manually.

Wi-Fi Enabled

Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi with their applications. This lets you control them using your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive but they can save you time because they can schedule cleaning times every day, weekly, or monthly. They also permit you to modify and save floor maps, and offer different cleaning routines.

The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, combining with a LIDAR system to map your space with a structured light sensor that can detect objects and avoid them, even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to maneuver into small spaces, like the nook under the kitchen cabinets or beneath sofas, areas where other robots have trouble. They also are faster to get around obstacles, have longer runtimes and larger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for large homes than the smallest robots.

The most effective robot vacuums are quick efficient, smart and powerful. They can pick up many kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, cat litter and other messes. They're also quiet, making them an ideal option for homes with pets and young children. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've interviewed say they appreciate the convenience of having their floors clean without much effort, particularly when they are used often. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping the track of spare parts). PCWorld provides a guide that includes some helpful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

While a robotic vacuum may not be as effective as a canister or upright model, it is excellent in picking up dust and other debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used for quick repairs to floors and can maneuver around cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. You can use robots to clean your floors on a schedule in case you don't have the time to do it yourself.

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

Another major difference between the two models is the way they handle long human hair, which can tangle in the rollers on some robots. The best-performing models are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have superb hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with great path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also good options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planing or auto empty.

The most recent robots have sensors that detect dirt and debris in the carpet, and are better at removing loose pet hair. Some robots feature mopping mode, where they can use the water reservoir in order to clean up stuck-on debris and spills. This feature is crucial for families with children and pets.

Maintenance

Having a robot vacuum can be a great aid in keeping up with your home. The top models can pick up more dirt pet hair and lint, than a broom on low pile or hard floors. They also have navigational features to keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

Based on the model, a top-rated robotic vacuum can be scheduled to run multiple times per day or allow you to view it at work via an app. However, these handy vacuums are also prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance, such as emptying the bin onboard (or the base's bigger dust bin in some cases), checking brushes for hair that is tangled, and then periodically washing and letting the filters dry as recommended by the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She says that a robot vacuum can last from three to five years with proper care. She suggests regularly emptying the brush roll and bin, cutting out any hair that is tangled up in the brushes and frequently washing and drying the filter when your robot is also used as mop. It's also recommended to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or robot often with a soft, clean cloth. You can refill and recharge your robot before the next clean-up session.