Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot mop and vacuum takes a lot of the work of keeping your floors clean. It can re-fill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin, and swap out the dust bag.

More advanced models are smart enough to trace your home's layout and note the furniture's position. They can also detect hazards and help you avoid them, like loose charging cables or unintentional socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid running into things such as power cords, toys and clothes that can get caught up in the vacuum. These features are especially crucial if you have pets or children who may leave items on the floor for your robot to find.

Depending on the model you pick depending on the model you select, your robot could have several sensor options to help it navigate around obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared lights across the room to identify things like furniture legs and door frames. This technology is used by numerous robots on the market, and you can also get it in top models that cost more than other models.

Other object avoidance technologies that you might find in more expensive robots are 3D Structured Light, which makes use of cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles. Also, Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit light and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects to determine the distance to them. These are less common but are a great option to add to your robot should you want to have more peace of mind.

Apart from collecting dust and debris from hard floors The majority of the top-rated robots can mop your floor as well. Some robots have their own water tanks which allow them to clean up messes and spills. You'll need to empty the robot's onboard dust bin and wipe down its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these chores should not take a lot of time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums need to have mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate your home without bumping against things like walls. Without mapping, they might get tripped up by cords, furniture or pet toys and end up removing less of your space. By using sensors, many robots map your home to keep track of any obstacles and help them navigate around them. They can clean the floor in fewer passes, and make it easier for you to save time. Many of the top-rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create no-go zones, which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to enter.

Robots that have built-in LIDAR use this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. The Eufy Clean robot vacuum cleaner best divided my room into separate areas and cleaned each one separately during our tests. This was a huge improvement over cheaper models that only had the front bumper sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home and was simple to control with the on-device application.

While there are no robot vacuums that can scale stairs, the best rated robot vacuum models do have obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools let them collect dirt from low-pile or hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some tools have sensors that prevent them falling over the edge of stairs. Others have boundary strips to keep them out.

Certain robots have a huge tower base that houses the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. These bases can go weeks or even months between emptying, and are particularly beneficial if you have allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins which you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums use Wi-Fi to connect with their apps which allows users to control them with your smartphone rather than (or in addition to) an actual remote. They are more expensive but can help you save time by allowing you to schedule cleaning sessions on a daily, weekly or even a monthly basis. They also permit you to modify and save floor maps and provide alternative cleaning routines.

The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, which combine a LIDAR system to map your space using a structured light sensor that can detect objects and avoid them, even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. Those features allow your robot to enter narrow spaces such as the nook underneath your kitchen cabinets and under sofas, where other robots have difficulty. They also are faster to maneuver around obstacles, and have longer runtimes and larger dust bins. This makes them ideal for homes with large spaces compared to basic robots.

The top rated robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful and can clean up all kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, cat litter, and other mess. They also are quiet, making them an excellent option for homes with pets and young children. Many of the robot vacuum with mop vacuum owners we've spoken to report that they enjoy the convenience of having their floors spotless with minimal effort, particularly if they use it often. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping an eye on the replacement parts) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a manual that includes some helpful tips to keep yours running smoothly.

Larger Dust Bags

A robotic vacuum may not be as effective in cleaning as a canister or upright vacuum, but it is great at picking up the dust and debris that regular vacuuming has left behind. It is a great tool for quick repairs to floors that are not clean and can also traverse around cords or other obstacles in your home. It is possible to use robotics to sweep your floors according to a schedule when you don't have the time to do it yourself.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums have large, easy to empty dust bags that can hold more dirt than a single room. This will save you time and money on bags that need to be replaced. This feature is available on a variety of models, including our top pick one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in one robovac is a high-performance robovac and includes a self-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and an efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, that has intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has more capacity, but is slightly more expensive.

Another major difference between the two models is how they deal with hair that is long and human, which can tangle in the rollers of certain 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 excellent options with decent hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much path-planning or auto empty.

The latest robots are equipped with sensors that can identify dirt and debris on carpets and they are better in removing pet hair. Some robots come with mopping mode, that makes use of the water reservoir in order to clean up stuck-on debris and spills. This feature is essential for families with children and pets.

Maintenance

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

Depending on the model, a top-rated robot vacuum can be scheduled to run several times per day, or permit you to watch it in action via an app. These devices are convenient but they also clog and require regular maintenance. This involves emptying the onboard dust bin (or in certain cases, the base's larger bin) as well as checking the brushes for tangled fur and regularly washing the filters and drying them in accordance with the manufacturer.

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