Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot vacuum and mop takes a bit of the hands-off work out of keeping your floors clean. It is able to refill its own water tank, empty its tower bin, and swap out the dust bag.

More advanced models are smart enough to trace your home's layout and note furniture placement. They can also detect hazards and navigate around them, such as loose charging cables or unintentional socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid crashing into things like toys, power cords and clothes that can be caught in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have children or pets who may be prone to leaving objects on the floor, where your robot could be able to locate them.

Based on the model you pick depending on the model you select, your robot could have several sensor options to aid in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared light throughout the room to detect things like doors and furniture legs. This technology is used by numerous robots on the market, and you can also find it in flagship models that cost more than other models.

Other object avoidance technologies that are typically found in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles. Also, Time of Flight (ToF) sensors which emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects to determine the distance to them. While these are less common, they can be beneficial to your robot if you need extra peace of mind that it will avoid getting stuck on cords or socks when cleaning.

Most of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some even come with their own water tanks that allow them to remove the stains and spills that are wet. You'll need to empty the robot's dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Robot vacuums must include mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate around your home and avoid getting caught up against walls. Without mapping, they could get tripped up by cords, furniture or pet toys and end up taking less space from your space. By using sensors, many robots that vacuum and mop map out your home to track any obstacles and help navigate around them. They can clean the floor in fewer passes and make it easier for you to save time. A lot of the top robot vacuums also come with this feature, which enables you to create areas of no-go.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests, the Eufy Clean robot made use of this feature to divide my home into various areas and clean each one independently it was a major improvement over the cheaper models we tested that just utilized an in-front bump sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home and was also easy to control with the on-device application.

While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can climb stairs, the top models do come with mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools allow to remove debris from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors that prevent them from going over the edge of the stairs, and some have boundary strips that can prevent them from certain areas.

Some robots have an enormous base tower that can collect dirt. This reduces the amount of dust or allergens that are released in your home. They can last for weeks or even months between emptying, which is especially beneficial if you have allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins that you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot cleaner with mop vacuums utilize Wi-Fi to connect with their apps which allows users to control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition to) a physical remote. These models are more expensive, but they can help you save time by allowing you to schedule cleaning times on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. These models also allow you to modify floor maps and save them for later use. They also offer alternative cleaning patterns.

Dual sensors are used by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine the LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and avoid objects, even if they're hidden beneath furniture or power cables. Those features make it easier for your robot to enter narrow spaces such as the nook underneath your kitchen cabinets and beneath sofas, where other robots struggle. They are also more efficient in getting around obstacles and have longer run times due to larger dust bins, making them ideal for larger homes than entry-level robotics.

The best robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful. They can remove many kinds of floor debris including pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They're also quiet, making them a great choice for homes with pets or young children. The majority of robot vacuum users have told us that they love the convenience of having their floors cleaned with little effort. This is especially true when used regularly. And with proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on replacement parts) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a helpful guide that provides techniques to keep your robot running efficiently for many years to come.

Larger Dust Bags

A robotic vacuum isn't as efficient in cleaning like an upright or canister vacuum, but it's excellent at removing dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to do quick touch-ups of bare floors and can also navigate around cords or other obstacles in your home. It is possible to use a robot to clean your floors according to a schedule when you don't have the time to do it yourself.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums have large easy to empty dust bags that can hold more dirt than a single room. This can save time and money by providing bags that can be replaced. This feature is available on a variety of models, including our top model, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac is a top-performing robovac that includes a self-emptying bin. It also comes with mopping functions and effective navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has the ability to avoidance and smart mapping. This model is more expensive, however it has more capacity.

The two models also differ in the way they handle long hair, which could become tangled in the rollers of certain robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the best performing models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores along with great auto empty results and great path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also good options with decent hair pickup and tangle avoidance, however not as much path planning or auto empty.

The latest robots come with sensors that can spot dirt and other debris in the carpet, and are better at removing loose pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that makes use of the water reservoir to remove the stains and spills. This feature is a must-have for families with pets and children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help keep up with your home. While no robot is able to replace an upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the top rated models pick up pet hair, lint, and other dirt that accumulates on carpets and floors with low pile and pick up more than you could using a Broom. They also come with navigation features that ensure they don't get stuck on rug fringe or power cords and can glide easily under furniture.

According to the model, you can set up a robot vacuum to run multiple times a day or observe it in action with an app. However, these convenient machines are also susceptible to clogging and require regular maintenance such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's larger dust bin in some instances) as well as checking the brushes for tangled hair, and then periodically washing and letting the filters dry as recommended by the manufacturer.

Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says a high-quality robot vacuum should last 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 any hair that has gotten caught in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter, when your robot cleaner is also used as mop. It's also recommended to wipe down the sensors and charging contacts on the robot or dock every now and then with a soft cloth. Then, recharge and refill your robot vacuum with mop for the next cleaning session.