Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robotic hoovers mop and vacuum is the highest-rated of its kind. It takes a lot of the chore of cleaning your floors. It is able to refill its own water tank, and self-empty its larger tower bin and swap the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your house and note furniture arrangement. They can also detect obstacles and avoid hazards like loose charging cables and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance allows your robot vacuums that mop to avoid hitting things such as cords, toys and clothes that could get caught in the vacuum. This is especially important if you have children or pets who may be prone to leaving objects on the floor, which your robot could discover them.

Depending on the model you pick depending on the model you select, your robot could have various sensors to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. Some of the most well-known include crossed IR sensor beams that are infrared-focused lights that scan across the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. This technology has been widely adopted by a variety of robots on the market and you can get it in top models that are priced higher than others.

Other technology for avoiding objects that is available in higher-end robotics is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and identify obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that measure and emit the time that it takes the light to reflect off of an object to determine its distance, is also available. These aren't very common but could be a great addition to your robot, if you're looking for extra peace of mind.

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

Mapping

Robot vacuums must have mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate your home and avoid bumping against things like walls. Without mapping, they might get tripped up by cords, furniture or pet toys, and end up taking less space from your space. By using sensors, many robots map out your space to identify any obstacles and help them navigate around them. This allows them to sweep the entire floor using fewer passes, which saves you time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums also have this feature to create no-go zones which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into distinct areas and cleaned each separately during our tests. This was a huge improvement over other models that rely on sensors on the front of the vehicle. This was a more accurate way to navigate my home and it was easy to control via the app on the device.

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

Some robots come with a massive tower base which holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. They can be left for weeks or even months without emptying which is particularly beneficial if you suffer from allergies. Some models have self-emptying dust bins that you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi with their applications. This allows you to control them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to a physical remote. They are more expensive but can save you time by letting you plan cleaning time on a weekly, daily or even a monthly basis. They can also allow you to edit and save floor maps and provide alternative cleaning patterns.

The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, which combine the LIDAR system to map your area with 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 spaces, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or under sofas. Other robots struggle with these kinds of spaces. They're also quicker to get over obstacles and have longer running times thanks to larger dust bins, making them better suited for large homes than the entry-level robots.

The best automatic vacuum cleaner rated robot vacuums tend to be swift, intelligent and powerful, picking up most kinds of floor debris such as 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 owners we've spoken to report that they appreciate the ease of having their floor cleaned without much effort. This is especially true when used regularly. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping track of replacement parts). PCWorld offers a helpful guide that outlines some essential techniques to keep your robot running smoothly for long time to come.

Larger Dust Bags

A robotic vacuum is not as good at cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it is great at picking up the dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to do quick retouching of floors and is able to navigate around cords or other household obstacles. If you don't want to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner can be set to send it out to sweep your floors on a regular schedule.

The top rated robot vacuums come with large, easy-to-empty dust bags that hold more than a single room's worth of dirt. This can save you time and money on replacement bags. This feature is available on many models including our top choice which is the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one is a high-performance robovac and has a self-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and an efficient navigation. This is a close race between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which is equipped with intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has more capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.

The two models differ in the way they handle long hair, which could become tangled in the rollers of some robots. The top-performing models are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have outstanding hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores with great path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also excellent options, with respectable hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, however not as much path planing or auto empty.

The latest robots come with sensors that can spot dirt and debris on the carpet, and are better at picking up loose pet hair. Some robots have mopping mode, where they can use the water reservoir in order to clean up stuck-on debris and spills. This feature is a must-have for families with pets and children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum best vacuum will help you keep up with your home. The most effective models remove more dirt, pet hair, and lint than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard flooring. They come with navigational features that help them avoid getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

Based on the model, a highly rated robot vacuum can be scheduled to run multiple times per day or may allow you to watch it at work via an app. However, these convenient machines are also susceptible to clogging and require frequent maintenance like emptying the onboard bin (or the base's larger dust bin in certain cases), checking brushes for hair that is tangled, and periodically rinsing and allowing the filters to dry as recommended by the manufacturer.

automatic vacuum cleaner expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says a good robot vacuum should last three to five years or more with regular care and attention. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out any hair that has gotten caught up in the brushes and frequently washing and drying the filter in the event that your robot acts as a mop. It is a good idea to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or the robot with an easy, clean cloth every now and again. Then, simply refill and recharge the robot when needed for your next cleaning session.