Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robotic mop and vacuum is the top-rated product in its class. It takes a lot of work out of cleaning your floors. It is able to refill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin that is larger and then change the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your home and record furniture arrangement. They can also spot obstacles and avoid hazards like loose charging cables and loose socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting objects like cords, toys, and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. This is especially important if you have kids or pets that are likely to leave items on the floor, where your robot cleaner with mop will be able to locate them.

Based on the model you pick You may have an array of different sensors that can assist your robot in its journey through obstacles. Some of the most well-known include crossed IR sensor beams, which are infrared-focused lights which scan the room for things like furniture legs or door frames. This technology is widely used by numerous robots on the market and you can get it in top models that cost more than others.

Other object avoidance technology that you may find in higher-end robotics is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment, and identify obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the duration it takes for the light to reflect off an object to determine its distance, is also available. These are less common but are a great option for your robot should you want to have more peace of mind.

Most of the top-rated robotics can also clean your floors. Some robots come with their own water tanks which enable them to clean up spills and messes. It is necessary to empty the robot's dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Robot vacuums should include mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate your home and avoid getting caught up against walls. They could be tripped by pet toys, cords or furniture that are not marked. This results in them removing less space. By using sensors, many robots map your home to identify any obstacles and help navigate around them. They can sweep the floor in fewer passes and help you save time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums can also use this feature to create zones that are not allowed, allowing you to set specific rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.

Robots that have built-in LIDAR use this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. During our tests of the Eufy Clean robot utilized this feature to separate my room into different areas and clean each one independently, which was a huge improvement over the lesser models we tested that used an in-front bump sensor. This was a more accurate way to navigate my home, and it was easy to control via the app on the device.

While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can climb stairs, the top models do come with mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools allow them to remove dirt from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to prevent falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from going over the edge of stairs, and some have boundary strips that stop them from entering certain areas.

Certain robots have a huge tower base that holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. They can last for several weeks or even months without emptying, and are particularly beneficial for those with allergies. Some models have self-emptying dust bins which you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

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. They are more expensive but can save you time by letting you plan cleaning time on a weekly, daily or even monthly basis. They can also allow you to edit and save floor maps as well as provide 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 buried under furniture or power cords. These features make it easier for your robot to maneuver into narrow spaces like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets and under sofas, where many other robots have trouble. They also have a faster speed to get around obstacles, and have longer run times and larger dust bins. This makes them ideal for large homes than basic robots.

The top rated robot vacuums tend to be fast, smart and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, cat litter, and other messes. They can also be quite quiet, making them an ideal choice for homes with young children and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've interviewed say they appreciate the ease of keeping their floors spotless with minimal effort, particularly if they use it regularly. Robots can last just as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the proper maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts). PCWorld offers a helpful guide that provides techniques to keep yours running in good shape for the long time to come.

Larger Dust Bags

A robotic vacuum may not be as effective in cleaning like an upright or canister vacuum, but it is great at picking up the dust and other debris that regular vacuuming has left behind. It is also a great tool for quick touch-ups on bare floors and can maneuver through cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. You can employ a robot to clean your floors on a regular basis when you don't have the time to do it yourself.

The top-rated robot vacuums have huge dust bags that are easy to empty and can hold more than one room's worth of dirt. This will save time and money in the form of bags that can be replaced. Several of the models on our list feature this feature, including our top choice, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an excellent performance score and comes with self-emptying bin. It also has mopping capabilities and efficient navigation. It is a close call between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This model has a greater capacity but is slightly more expensive.

The two models also differ in their handling of long hair, which can get tangled up in the rollers of a few robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the most efficient models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores along with great auto empty performance and great path planning. The eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also excellent options with good hair pickup and tangle avoidance but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The newest robots have sensors that detect dirt and other debris in the carpet, and they're better at picking up hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some models even have a mopping mode that uses the water reservoir to remove spills and messes that have gotten stuck. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help keep up with your home. The best automatic vacuum models can remove more dirt from the surface pet hair and lint, than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard floors. They also have navigation features that ensure they don't get caught in rug fringe or power cords and are able to slide easily under furniture.

Based on the model, a highly rated robot vacuum can be scheduled to run multiple times per day or may allow you to view it in action via an app. However, these convenient vacuums are also prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance, such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's bigger dust bin in some instances) and checking the brushes for tangled hair, and then periodically washing and allowing the filters to dry as recommended by the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a autonomous vacuum expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She says that a robot vacuum mop cleaner robot can last for three to five years if it is properly care. She recommends regularly emptying the brush roll and bin and cutting out any hair that is tangled in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter if your robot also acts as a mop. It is a good idea to wipe the sensors and charging contacts of the dock or the robot with an easy clean cloth every now and then. Then simply refill and recharge the robot when needed for the next time you clean.