Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is the best-rated in its class. It takes a lot of chore of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank, empty its tower bin that is larger and then change out the dust bag.

The most advanced models are smart enough to map your home and note furniture placement. They also can detect dangers and help you avoid them, like loose charging cables or stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance functions allow your robot to avoid crashing into things like toys, power cords and clothes that be caught in the vacuum. These features are particularly important if you have pets or children that could leave things on the floor for your robot to search.

Depending on the model you select, your robot may have a variety of sensor options to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared light across the room to identify things like doors and furniture legs. This technology has been widely adopted by numerous robots available and you can get it in top models that cost more than other models.

Other technologies for avoiding objects that can be found in higher-end robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment and detect obstacles. Also, Time of Flight (ToF) sensors which emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off objects, to determine the distance to them. Although they aren't as common, they can be a great addition to your robot if you want peace of mind knowing that it won't get caught up in cables or socks while cleaning.

The majority of the top-rated robots can also mop your floors. Some even have their own water tanks that allow them to clean up the stains and spills that are wet. You will need to empty the robot's dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

The ability to map is essential in robot vacuums because they enable them to recognize your home's layout, and avoid bumping into things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped by furniture, cords or pet toys, and end up cleaning less of your space. The majority of robots utilize sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. This way, they're able to clean the entire floor with fewer passes, saving your time. Many of the best automatic vacuum robot vacuums also have this feature, which enables you to designate areas that are not accessible.

Robots that have a built-in LIDAR system use this technology to create a map of your home quickly and efficiently. In our tests of the Eufy Clean robot made use of this feature to divide my home into distinct areas and clean each independently it was a major improvement over the lesser models we tested that utilized a front bump sensor. This was a much more precise way to navigate my home, and it was easy to control using the on-device app.

Although there aren't any robot vacuums that can scale stairs, the top models do come with mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools allow them to pick up debris from carpets and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from crossing over the edge of stairs and others have boundary strips that prevent them from certain areas.

Certain robots have a huge tower base that holds their collected dirt, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. These bases can be left for weeks or even months without having to be cleaned, which is especially helpful when you suffer from allergies. Some models also have self-emptying systems that let you empty their dust bins without having to manually open or close them.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi to their apps. This allows you to control them using your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to the physical remote. These models are more expensive, however, they can save time as you can schedule cleaning time daily, weekly or even monthly. They also often allow users to edit and save floor maps as well as offer alternative cleaning robot mop and vacuum routines.

Dual sensors are utilized by the most modern robot vacuums. They combine with a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor that can detect and avoid objects, even when they're hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features let your robot reach tight areas, like the kitchen's nook under cabinets or underneath sofas. Some robots have difficulty in these areas. They're also faster to get around obstacles and have longer running times thanks to larger dust bins, making them ideal for larger homes than entry-level robotics.

The best rated robot vacuums tend to be quick, efficient and effective and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They're also quiet, making them an excellent option for homes with pets as well as young children. The majority of robot vacuum owners we've spoken to report that they enjoy the ease of keeping their floors cleaned with little effort, especially when used frequently. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on replacement parts) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a helpful guide that provides techniques to keep yours running in good shape for the long time to come.

Dust Bags Larger

While a robotic vacuum might not clean as well as an upright or canister model, it's great in removing dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used to provide quick touch-ups on bare floors and can maneuver around cords and other obstacles in the home. If you don't want to perform the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner can be set to send it out to sweep your floors on a regular basis.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with big dust bags that can hold more dirt than a room. This can save time and money by providing bags that can be replaced. This feature is available on several models including our top model one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an excellent performance score and includes an auto-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and a streamlined navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This model is more expensive, however it has more capacity.

Another big difference between these two models is how well they handle long human hair that can get caught in the rollers of certain robots. The best-performing models include the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores along with great path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The latest robots come with sensors that detect dirt and debris on the carpet, and they're better at picking up loose pet hair. Some have a mopping mode that can use the reservoir of water to wash away spills and messes that have gotten stuck. This feature is a must for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help you keep up with your home. While no robot is able to substitute an upright or canister automatic vacuum cleaner for deep cleaning, the highest models that are rated highly pick up pet hair, lint, and other surface dirt on hard floors and low-pile carpets which can pick up more than you can using a vacuum. They have navigational features that keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

Depending on the model, a top-rated robot vacuum is also able to run multiple times a day or may allow you to view it in action using an app. They are convenient, but they can also clog and require regular maintenance. This means emptying the onboard dust bin (or in certain cases, the base's bigger bin) as well as checking the brushes for tangled fur and a regular cleaning of the filters and drying them according to the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing. She believes that a robotic vacuum can last from three to five years if it is properly maintenance. She recommends emptying the bin and the brush roll regularly, cutting free hairs that get caught in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter if your machine is also a mop. It's a good idea clean the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or the robot with a soft clean cloth every now and again. You can then refill and recharge your robot prior to the next cleaning session.