Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's top-rated robotic mop and vacuum takes a lot of the work of keeping your floors clean. It has the ability to replenish its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It also has the ability to change the dust bag it uses.
More advanced models are smart enough to map your home and note furniture placement. They can also identify hazards and navigate around them, like loose charging cables or unintentional socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance allows your robot vacuums best to avoid hitting things like cords, toys, and clothes that could get caught in the vacuum. These features are particularly crucial if you have children or pets that may leave things on the floor for your robot to find.
Depending on the model you select, your robot may have various sensors to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared light across the room to identify things like furniture legs and door frames. This technology is used by numerous robots that are available, and you can also see it in the top models that are priced higher than other models.
Other technology for avoiding objects that you may find in more expensive robots is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and crossed IR sensor to map the surrounding area and identify obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the duration that it takes for the light to reflect off an object to determine its distance, are also available. These are less common but could be a great option for your robot if you're looking for extra security.
The majority of the top-rated robots are also able to mop your floors. Some even have their own water tanks, which allow them to clean up water-based spills and messes. You'll have to empty your robot's dust bin and wipe down its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these chores will not take a lot of your time.
Mapping
Robot vacuums need to have mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate your home and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they could be tripped over by cords, furniture or pet toys and end up taking less space from your space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. This way, they're able to sweep the entire floor with fewer passes, saving your time. Many of the top robotic vacuums also have this feature, which allows you to create areas of no-go.
Robots equipped with LIDAR utilize this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot vacuum that vacuums and mops separated my room into different areas and cleaned each one separately during our tests. This was a vast improvement over the cheaper models that rely on a front-bumper sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home and was simple to control via the app on the device.
While no robot vacuum can climb stairs, the majority of the top-rated models have good obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to remove debris from low-pile and hard floors, and avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from going over the edge of stairs, and some have boundary strips that prevent them from certain areas.
Some robots come with large towers on the base that can collect dirt. This reduces the amount of dust or allergens that are released in your home. They can last for several months or even weeks between emptying, and are particularly beneficial if you have allergies. Additionally, some models come with self-emptying systems that allow you to dump out their onboard dust bins without needing to open and close them.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi with their applications. This allows you to control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive, but they help you save time by letting you schedule cleaning times on a weekly, daily or even monthly basis. These models also let you modify floor maps, save them and offer alternative cleaning schedules.
Dual sensors are utilized by the most modern robot vacuum cleaner best vacuums. They combine with a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and block out objects, even when they are hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features allow your robot to enter narrow spaces like the nook under the kitchen cabinets or beneath sofas, where many other robots struggle. They also are faster to get around obstacles, have longer runtimes and larger dust bins. This makes them ideal for large homes compared to basic robots.
The best rated robot vacuums are quick, efficient and effective and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, kitty litter, and other mess. They can also be quite quiet which makes them a great choice for homes with young children and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've spoken with say that they enjoy the convenience of having their floors cleaned with little effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on replacement parts) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a helpful guide that covers some important tips to help you keep your machine running efficiently for many long time to come.
Dust Bags Larger
A robotic vacuum isn't as effective 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 is a great tool for quick repairs to floors that are not clean, and can navigate around cords or other household obstacles. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner can be sent out to sweep your floors on a regular basis.
The top rated robot vacuums come with large dust bags that are easy to empty. They can hold more than one room's worth of dirt. This can help save time and money by providing bags that are replaced. Several of the models we've listed include this feature, including our top pick, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in one robovac is a high-performance robovac and includes a self-emptying bin. It also comes with mopping functions and effective navigation. It is a close call between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has smart mapping and avoidance technology. This model is more expensive, but it has a larger capacity.
The two models also differ in how they handle long hair, which can get caught in the rollers of some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the best robotic mop and vacuum performing models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, together with excellent auto empty results and excellent path planning. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with good hair pickup and tangle avoidance, but not as much path-planning or auto empty.
The most recent robots are outfitted with sensors that detect dirt and other debris on carpets and they are better at removing pet hair. Some have a mopping mode that uses the water reservoir to remove the stains and spills. This feature is essential for families with children as well as pets.
Maintenance
Having a robot vacuum can be a huge aid in keeping up with your home. While no robot can substitute an upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the best rated models pick up pet hair, lint and other surface dirt on carpets with low pile and hard floors which can pick up more than you could using a Broom. They also have navigational features to keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe or furniture.
According to the model, you can program the robot vacuum to run multiple times per day, or watch it in action using an app. However, these handy devices can also be prone to clogging, and require regular maintenance like emptying the bin onboard (or the base's larger dust bin in some cases), checking brushes for hair that is tangled, and periodically rinsing and allowing the filters to dry as suggested 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 from three to five years with proper care. She suggests regularly emptying the bin and brush roll and cutting off any hair that has gotten caught in the brushes, and regularly washing and drying the filter, if your robot also acts as a mop. It's a good idea wipe the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or the robot vacuum best with an easy, clean cloth every now and again. Then, simply refill and recharge the robot when needed for your next cleaning session.