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 work out of cleaning your floors. It can re-fill its own water tank, and self-empty its tower bin that is larger and then change out the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your home and record furniture placement. They also can detect dangers and navigate around them, like loose charging cables or stray socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid crashing into things such as power cords, toys and even clothes that could be caught in the vacuum. These features are especially important if you have children or pets that may leave objects on the floor for your robot to find.
Depending on the model you pick, you might have a variety of sensors to assist your robot in its journey through obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that send focused beams of infrared lights across the room to spot things like furniture legs and door frames. Many robots have embraced this technology, and you'll see it in the top models that are more expensive.
Other technologies for avoiding objects that you might find in more expensive robots are 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment 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 between them. These aren't very common but are a great addition to your robot, in case you're looking to add peace of mind.
Most of the top-rated robots are also able to mop your floors. Some robots come with their own water tanks that enable them to clean up messes and spills. You'll have to empty the robot's onboard dust bin and wipe down its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these tasks should not take a lot of time.
Mapping
Robot vacuums should be able to map. This lets them navigate your home without getting caught up against walls. Without mapping, they may be tripped by furniture, cords, or pet toys, and end up taking less space from your space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can clean your floors in fewer steps and help you save time. Many of the best robot vacuums also come with this feature, which enables you to designate areas that are not accessible.
Robots with built-in LIDAR system make use of this technology to create a map of your home quickly and efficiently. In our tests of the Eufy Clean robot made use of this feature to separate my room into various areas and clean each one independently this was a significant improvement over the cheaper models we tested, which had an in-front bump sensor. This was a far more precise way to navigate my home, and it was easy to control via the app on the device.
While no robot vacuum can climb stairs, the majority of the top-rated models come with good obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools assist them to remove dirt from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from going over the edge of the stairs and some also have boundary strips that can keep them away from certain areas.
Some robots have a large tower base that holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. The bases can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied which is particularly beneficial when you suffer from allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying mechanisms that let you dump out their onboard dust bins without needing to open and close them.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi to their apps. This allows you to control them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to the physical remote. These models are more expensive but they can save you time since you can schedule cleaning sessions daily, weekly or even monthly. These models also allow you to modify floor maps, save them and offer alternate cleaning schedules.
Dual sensors are used by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor that can detect and block out objects, even when they are hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features allow your robot to access tight areas, like the space under your kitchen cabinets or underneath sofas. Some robots have difficulty in these areas. They're also quicker to get over obstacles and have longer running times thanks to larger dust bins, which makes them more suitable for large homes than the 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 quite quiet which makes them a great choice for homes with children and pets. Most robot vacuum owners we've spoken to say they appreciate the convenience of keeping their floors cleaned with little effort, particularly if they use it frequently. Robots can last just as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the proper maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping track of replacement parts). PCWorld provides a guide that offers some useful tips to keep yours running smoothly.
Dust Bags Larger
A robotic vacuum isn't as effective in cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it's excellent at removing dust and dirt that regular vacuuming has left behind. It is also a great tool for quick repairs to floors, and it can also navigate through cords and other obstacles in the home. You can employ robots to clean your floors according to a schedule when you don't have the time to do it yourself.
Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with large, easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than a room. This can save you time and money on replacement bags. Several of the models on our list feature this feature, including our most popular one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. Internet Page robovac all-in-one is a high-performance robovac and includes a self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping function and efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with smart mapping and avoidance technology. This model has a greater capacity, but is slightly more expensive.
Another big difference between these two models is the way they handle hair that is long and human which can get caught in the rollers of certain robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the best performing models. They both have excellent hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores along with great auto empty performance and great path planning. The eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also good choices with good hair pickup and tangle avoidance but not as much planning for paths or auto empty.
The latest robots come with sensors that detect dirt and other debris in the carpet, and they're better at removing loose pet hair. Some robots have mopping mode, which allows them to use the reservoir of water to remove stuck-on mess and spills. This feature is essential for families with children as well as pets.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum can be a great help in keeping up with your home. While no robot can substitute an upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the highest models are rated to remove pet hair, lint, and other dirt that accumulates on hard floors and low-pile carpets which can pick up more than you would find with the vacuum. They also have navigational features to help them avoid getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.
According to the model, you can set up the robot vacuum to run several times a day or watch it in action using an app. However, these handy vacuums are also prone to clogging and require regular maintenance like emptying the bin onboard (or the base's larger dust bin in some cases) as well as checking the brushes for tangled hair, and periodically rinsing and letting the filters dry as recommended by the manufacturer.
Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing. She claims that a robot vacuum can last for three to five years with proper care. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out any hair that is tangled up in the brushes and regularly cleaning and drying the filter when your robot is also used as mop. It is a good idea to wipe the sensors and charging contacts of the dock or robot with a soft clean cloth every now and then. Then, simply refill and recharge the robot whenever you need to for your next cleaning session.