Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot vacuum and mop takes some of the hands-off work out of keeping your floors tidy. It can refill its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It also has the ability to change the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your house and take note of furniture arrangement. They can also identify hazards and help you avoid them, like loose charging cables or unintentional socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features allow 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 kids or pets who may be prone to leaving objects on the floor where your robot will find them.

Based on the model you select depending on the model you choose, you may have a variety of sensors that can assist your robot in its journey around obstacles. Some of the most sought-after include crossed IR sensor beams, which are focused infrared lights which scan the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. This technology is widely used by numerous robots on the market and you can find it in flagship models that cost more than others.

Other technologies for avoiding objects that you might find in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which makes use of cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and detect obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects, to determine the distance to them. They aren't as common, but are a great addition to your robot vacuum that mops, should you want to have more peace of mind.

Apart from picking up dust and debris from hard floors, most of the best-rated robots can also mop your floors as well. Some robots come with their own water tanks that allow them to clean up messes and spills. You'll need to empty the dust bin onboard and clean its sensors and cameras in between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

The ability to map is essential in robot vacuums because they enable them to remember your home's layout and avoid bumping into things like walls. They may be tripped by cords, pet toys, or furniture without mapping. This results in them removing less 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 you time. Many of the best robot cleaner vacuums also have this feature, which allows you to create areas of no-go.

Robots equipped with LIDAR utilize this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into separate areas and cleaned each in a separate manner during our tests. This was a vast improvement over the cheaper models that only had the front bumper sensor. This was a far more precise method of navigating my home and was simple to control using the on-device app.

Although no robot vacuum has the ability to climb stairs yet, most of the best rated models come with obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and prevent 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 stop them from entering certain areas.

Some robots come with a massive tower base that holds their collected dirt, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. The bases can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied and are particularly helpful for those who suffer from allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying systems that let you dump out their onboard dust bins without having to manually open or close them.

Wi-Fi Enabled

Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi with their apps. This lets you operate them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to a physical remote. These models are more expensive however they can save you time as you can schedule cleaning sessions every day, weekly, or Robot mop even monthly. They also permit you to modify and save floor maps, and offer alternative cleaning routines.

The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, which combine the LIDAR system to map your space with a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them even if they're under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to access tight areas, like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or under your sofas. Other robots struggle to reach these kinds of spaces. They are also more efficient in getting over obstacles and have longer run times due to larger dust bins, which makes them better suited for large homes than entry-level robotics.

The best robot vacuums are fast, intelligent and powerful. They can remove many kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, kitty litter and other dirt. They can also be quite quiet, making them an ideal option for homes with young children and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've interviewed have reported that they appreciate the ease of keeping their floors spotless with minimal effort, especially when used frequently. With proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping track on the parts that need replacement) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a manual that offers some useful tips to keep yours running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

A robotic vacuum is not as good at cleaning like an upright or canister vacuum, but it's fantastic at picking up dust and dirt that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used for quick repairs to floors and can navigate through cords and other household obstacles. If you don't want to perform the deep cleaning yourself, a robot vacuum can be set to send it out to scour your floors on a regular schedule.

The top-rated robot vacuums come with large dust bags which can hold more dirt than one room. This will help you save time and money on bags that need to be replaced. Several of the models we've listed feature this feature, including the top choice model, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac has an impressive performance score and comes with an auto-emptying bin. It also has mopping functions and effective navigation. It's a close contest between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has smart mapping and avoidance technology. This model is more expensive, but it has a larger capacity.

Another major difference between the two models is how they deal with hair that is long and human, which can tangle in the rollers on some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the top performing models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores along with great auto empty results and great path planning. The eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with decent hair pickup and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The newest robots have sensors that can spot dirt and other debris in the carpet, and they're better at picking up loose pet hair. Some robots feature mopping mode, that makes use of the reservoir of water to remove stuck-on mess and spills. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help keep up with your home. The most effective models collect more dirt from the surface, pet hair and lint, than a broom on low-pile or hard floors. They come with navigational features that keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

According to the model, you can schedule the robot vacuum to run multiple times a day or watch it perform its duties using an app. They are convenient but they also be clogged and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin onboard (or in some cases, the base's bigger bin) and checking the brushes for fur that is tangled, and a regular cleaning of the filters and drying them in accordance with the manufacturer.

Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says a high-quality robot vacuum can last from three to five years or more if it receives regular maintenance and care. She suggests regularly emptying the brush roll and bin, cutting out any hair that is tangled in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter, when your robot is also used as a mop. It's a good idea to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or robot with a soft, clean cloth every now and then. Then, refill and recharge your robot for the next clean-up session.