Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robotic vacuum and mop takes some of the work of keeping your floors clean. It has the ability to replenish its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It can also change its dust bag.

Advanced models can map your house and record furniture positioning. They can also detect obstacles and navigate around hazards like charging cables that are loose and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance functions allow your robot to avoid hitting things like toys, power cords and clothes that get caught up in the vacuum. These are especially important if you have kids or pets who may be inclined to leave objects on the floor where your robot can discover them.

Based on the model you choose, your robot may have a variety of sensor options to aid in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensor beams that are infrared-focused lights that scan across the room looking for things like furniture legs or door frames. This technology has been widely adopted by a variety of robots available, and you can also find it in flagship models that cost more than others.

Other technologies for avoiding objects that you might find in more expensive robots are 3D Structured Light, which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles; and 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 but they could be an excellent addition to your robot cleaner with mop if it needs peace of mind knowing that it won't get caught up in cables or socks while cleaning.

Most of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some even have their own water tanks, which 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 as they enable them to recognize your home's layout, and prevent them from bumping into objects like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped over by cords, furniture or pet toys and end up cleaning less of your space. By using sensors, many robots map out your space to identify any obstacles and help navigate around them. They can clean your floors in fewer steps and help you save time. A lot of the top-rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create zones that are not allowed, permitting you to define areas that you do not want the robot to get into.

Robots equipped with LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests of the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to divide my home into different areas and clean each independently, which was a huge improvement over the less expensive models we tested, which used an in-front bump sensor. This was a more accurate method to navigate my home and was simple for me to control with the app that came with the device.

Although no robot vacuum has the ability to climb stairs, the majority of the best rated models come with obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect dirt from low-pile or hard floors, and avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from crossing over the edge of the stairs and some also have boundary strips that prevent them from certain areas.

Some robots have a large tower base that houses their dirt and debris, reducing the amount of dust and allergens that are released into your home. They can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied which is particularly beneficial when you suffer from allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying systems that let you empty their dust bins without needing to open and close them.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi to their apps. This allows you to operate them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to an actual remote. Those models are more expensive, but they can save you time by allowing you to plan cleaning time on a weekly, daily or even a monthly basis. They also often allow users to edit and save floor maps as well as offer alternative cleaning routines.

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

The most effective robot vacuums are quick, intelligent and powerful. They are able to pick up many kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They also are quiet, which makes them an ideal choice for homes that have pets as well as young children. The majority of robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they love the convenience of having their floor cleaned without much effort. This is particularly true when they are used regularly. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping an eye on the replacement parts) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a guide with helpful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

A robotic vacuum isn't as good in cleaning as a canister or upright vacuum, but it is great at picking up the dust and dirt that regular vacuuming has left behind. It can be used to do quick repairs to floors that are not clean, and can maneuver around cords and other obstacles in your home. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner will let you send it out to scour your floors on a regular basis.

A few of the top-rated robotic vacuums have large dust bags which can hold more dirt than one room. This will save you time and money on bags that need to be replaced. A number of the models we've listed have this feature, including the most popular one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance score and includes 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 model, which utilizes intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac is more expensive, but it has more capacity.

The two models also differ in how they handle long hair, which could get caught in the rollers of some robots. The top-performing models include the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have outstanding hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores along with fantastic path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also good choices with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The newest robots have sensors that can detect dirt and other debris in the carpet, and they're better at removing loose pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that makes use of the reservoir of water to wash away spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is crucial for families with children and pets.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum will help you keep up with your home. The best models can remove more dirt pet hair and lint than a broom on low pile or hard flooring. They also have navigational features to keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe or furniture.

Based on the model, a top-rated robotic vacuum can also be scheduled to run several times per day or allow you to view it at work via an app. These machines are useful but they also get clogged and require regular maintenance. This means emptying the dust bin that is onboard (or in some cases, the base's larger bin), checking brushes for fur that is tangled, and a regular cleaning of the filters and allowing them to dry in accordance with the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University automatic vacuum and mop + Sewing. She believes that a robotic vacuum can last up to five years if it is properly care. She recommends emptying the bin and the brush roll regularly, cutting free hair that gets caught in the brushes, and then regularly washing and drying the filter if your robot is also a mop. It's also recommended to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the robot vacuums uk or dock every now and then with a soft cloth. Then, refill and recharge the robot when needed for the next time you clean.