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 has the ability to refill its own water tank as well as empty its tower bin. It can also change the dust bag.

Advanced models are smart enough to map your home and note the furniture's position. They also can detect obstacles and navigate around hazards such as loose charging cables and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features allow your robot to avoid hitting things like toys, power cords and even clothes that could be caught in the vacuum. These are especially important if you have children or pets who are inclined to leave objects on the floor where your robot can find them.

Depending on which model you pick, your robot may have a variety of sensor options to aid in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared lights across the room to detect things like doors and furniture legs. This technology is used by a variety of robots on the market, and you can also get it in top models that are priced higher than others.

Other object avoidance technologies that can be found in higher-end robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles. Also, Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit light and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off objects, to determine the distance to them. Although they aren't as common however, they are a great addition to your robot if it needs peace of mind knowing that it will avoid getting stuck on cords or socks when cleaning.

In addition to cleaning up dust and other debris on floors that are hard, most of the best-rated robots can mop your floor as well. Some come with their own water tanks that allow them to remove wet spills and messes. You'll need to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and clean its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these chores shouldn't take much of your time.

Mapping

Mapping capabilities are crucial in robot vacuums as they help them keep track of your home's layout and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped by cords, furniture or pet toys and end up taking less space from your space. By using sensors, many robots map out your home to keep track of any obstacles and assist them to navigate around them. This allows them to clean the entire floor with fewer passes, saving you time. Many of the best robot vacuums also have this feature, which allows you to create areas of no-go.

Robots with built-in LIDAR system use this technology to create a map of your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests of the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to divide my home into various areas and clean each one independently this was a significant improvement over the less expensive models we tested that just had an in-front bump sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home and was easy to control using the app that came with the device.

While no robot vacuum can climb stairs yet, the majority of the top-rated models have good obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools let them collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and avoid falling down the stairs. Certain tools come with sensors that make sure they don't fall over the edge of stairs. Others come with boundary strips to keep them from getting in.

Some robots come with large towers on the base that can collect dirt. This helps reduce the amount of dust or allergens that are released within your home. These bases can last for several weeks or even months without emptying and are especially beneficial for those with allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying systems that let you empty their dust bins without having to manually open and close them.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums utilize Wi-Fi to communicate with their apps and allow you to control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition to) a physical remote. These models are more expensive however they can save you time because they can schedule cleaning times daily, weekly or even monthly. These models also let you modify floor maps and save them, as well as provide alternative cleaning schedules.

The most advanced robot vacuums utilize dual sensors, which combine a LIDAR system to map your space with a structured light sensor that is able to see objects and avoid them, even if they're hidden under furniture or power cords. These features let your robot reach into tight spaces, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or underneath sofas. Some robots have difficulty in these kinds of spaces. They also are faster to navigate around obstacles, have longer runtimes, and bigger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for large homes compared to entry-level robots.

The best robotic mop and vacuum robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful. They are able to pick up an array of floor debris including pet hair, kitty-litter and other mess. They can also be quiet which makes them a great option for homes with children and pets. Many of the robot vacuum with mop vacuum owners have told us that they appreciate the ease of having their floors cleaned with little effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping an eye on the replacement parts) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a manual that offers some useful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

Although a robot vacuum may not be as efficient as a canister or upright model, it is excellent at picking up dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It is also a great tool for quick touch-ups on bare floors, and it can also navigate through cords and other obstacles in the home. You can employ robots to clean your floors according to a schedule if you don't have time to do it yourself.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with large, easy to empty dust bags which can hold more dirt than one room. This will help you save time and money on new bags. A number of the models we've listed have this feature, including the most popular, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an impressive performance score and comes with an auto-emptying bin. It also comes with mopping capabilities and efficient navigation. This is a close race between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which is equipped with the latest technology for avoidance and smart mapping. The robovac is more expensive but has a larger capacity.

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

The latest robots come with sensors that can detect dirt and debris on the carpet, and are better at removing loose pet hair. Some even have a dedicated mopping mode that uses the water reservoir to remove the stains and spills. This feature is essential for families with children and pets.

Maintenance

Having a robot vacuum that vacuums and mops vacuum can be a huge help in keeping up with your home. While no robot can substitute an upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the top models that are rated highly pick up pet hair, lint and other dirt on hard floors and low-pile carpets which can pick up more than you can using the Broom. They come with navigational features that keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe or furniture.

According to the model, you can set up a robot vacuum to run several times per day or even observe it in action with an app. They are convenient, but they can also clog and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin onboard (or in some 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 should last three to five years or more with regular care and attention. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll and cutting out any hair that has gotten caught up in the brushes and regularly washing and drying the filter if your robot also acts as mop. It's a good idea wipe the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or the robot with a soft clean cloth every now and then. You can refill and recharge your robot for the next cleaning session.