Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is among the best-rated in its class. It takes a lot of the chore of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank as well as empty its tower bin. It also has the capability to change the dust bag.

Advanced models are able to map your home and note the furniture's position. They can also identify hazards and navigate around them, such as loose charging cables or loose socks.

Object Avoidance

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

Depending on the model you pick the robot you choose may come with several sensor options to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. Some of the most sought-after include crossed IR sensor beams, which are infrared-focused lights that scan across the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. This technology is used by many robots that are available and you can find it in flagship models that are priced higher than other models.

Other technology for avoiding objects you might find in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and identify 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 between them. While these are less common but they could be a great addition to your robot if you need extra peace of mind that it won't get caught up in cords or socks when cleaning.

Most of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some robots have their own water tanks that allow them to clean up messes and spills. You'll have to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and wipe down its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these tasks shouldn't take much of your time.

Mapping

The ability to map is essential in robot vacuums since they help them keep track of your home's layout and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped over by furniture, cords or pet toys, and end up taking less space from your space. Using sensors, most robots map your home to keep track of any obstacles and help navigate around them. This allows them to clean the entire floor in fewer passes, thereby saving your time. Many of the top robotic vacuums also come with this feature, which enables you to create no-go areas.

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

Although there aren't any robot vacuums that can climb stairs, the best models do have mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools let them collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some tools are equipped with sensors to prevent them falling over the edge of the stairs. Others come with boundaries to keep them away.

Certain robots have an enormous base tower that is able to collect dirt. This helps reduce the amount of dust or allergens that are released within your home. These bases can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied which is particularly beneficial when you suffer from allergies. Additionally, some models come with self-emptying mechanisms that let you take out the dust bins without having to manually open and close them.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums make use of Wi-Fi to connect with their apps and allow users to control them with your smartphone rather than (or in addition to) an actual remote. Those models are more expensive, but they save you time by letting you schedule cleaning times on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. These models also allow you to modify floor maps, save them and offer different cleaning patterns.

The most advanced robot vacuums employ dual sensors, which combine a LIDAR system to map your space using a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them, even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to reach tight areas, such as the kitchen's nook under cabinets or underneath sofas. Other robots struggle with these kinds of spaces. They're also faster to get over obstacles and have longer run times with larger dust bins, which makes them ideal for larger homes than entry-level robots.

The top-rated robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, cat litter and other messes. They can also be quiet which makes them a great option for homes with young children and pets. Most robot vacuum owners we've spoken to report that they enjoy the ease of keeping their floors spotless with minimal effort, particularly when they are used frequently. And with proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts) robots can last as long as a conventional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a manual with helpful suggestions to ensure your machine is running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

Although a robot vacuum may not clean as well as a canister or upright model, it is great at picking up dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used for quick touch-ups on bare floors and can maneuver around cords and other household obstacles. If you don't want to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner can be sent out to scour your floors on a regular schedule.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuum with mop vacuums have large dust bags that can store more dirt than a room. This will save time and money by providing bags that can be replaced. Several of the models we've listed feature this feature, including our top pick one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance rating and includes a self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping feature and a streamlined navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which is equipped with intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This model has a greater capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.

The two models differ in their handling of long hair, which can become tangled in the rollers of a few robots. The most efficient models include the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with excellent path planning and near perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also good options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, however not as much path planing or auto empty.

The latest robots are fitted with sensors that can identify dirt and debris on carpets, and they are more adept in removing pet hair. Some robots have a mopping mode which allows them to use the reservoir of water to get rid of stuck-on messes and spills. This feature is essential for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum best vacuum can be a great aid in keeping up with your home. The best robot hoover models can pick up more dirt from the surface, pet hair and lint than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard floors. They have 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 a day or observe it in action with an app. However, these useful devices can also be prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance, such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's bigger dust bin in some cases) and checking the brushes for hair that is tangled, and periodically rinsing and allowing the filters to dry according to the manufacturer.

Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says a good robot vacuum should last three to five years or more if it receives regular care and attention. She suggests regularly emptying the brush roll and bin, cutting out hair that's tangled in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter in the event that your robot acts as a mop. It's also recommended to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the robot or dock often with a soft, clean cloth. Then simply refill and recharge the robot whenever you need to for the next time you clean.