The Best Robot Hoover
The best robot hoover can vacuum and mop without needing your attention, and will leave your floors spotless. Its low cost and high-end features (such as dirt detection) are pluses.
Check your robot's brushes regularly for tangled debris as well as hair. Clean them as needed. Some models will also empty the onboard dust bin and place it in a larger bin at the bottom. This helps reduce the amount of fine dust that gets released into the air.
1. Roomba Q5 pro
The Q5 Pro and its sibling, the more expensive Q7 Max Series, are among the most powerful robot vacuums we've examined. They have top-of-the-line motors that can generate up to 5,500 Pascals of suction force. Like other iRobots with premium features (including the most powerful model) they employ smart mapping to produce precise floorplans that avoid obstacles like cords and furniture leg. The robots also have a feature called Carpet Boost which boosts its power when it senses dirt on the carpet.
Both the Q5 and the Q7 Max Series get very good scores in our bare floor tests and are particularly effective in cleaning pet hair. However, they do have a few flaws however, which hinder them from being our top option. One of them is that the Q5's navigation system does not have AI-powered obstacle avoidance which means it's susceptible to getting hung up on shoes and socks and can't navigate tightly packed rooms very efficiently in our tests. It also doesn't have cameras that let it see the corners of an area.
Still, it's very good to consider, particularly if you're looking to save money on an Roomba from iRobot, and you have a mostly unfinished home or office. Plus, it's very quiet and you can use it while you're at work or going to school. It lacks the edge-to-edge bare floor vacuuming that is offered in the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30. It's also less effective at mopping. It relies on disposable wet wipes that don't stick well and aren't able to deal with dried-on debris. The Q5 is self-emptying cradle however. And, if you need to, you can swap the mopping pad to dry ones in just a few just a few seconds.
2. iRobot Roomba
The iRobot Roomba X30 packs impressive vacuuming and mopping capabilities into an elegant, compact package. Its nimble navigation and intelligent cleaning maps make it simple to clean and effective at dealing with larger particles such as pet hair. It also features a self-emptying bin with powerful suction and support for virtual boundaries. It's the best robot hoover for carpets, but it lags behind some competitors in deep cleaning.
This high-performance vacuum and mop uses sensors that help it avoid obstacles and pet waste. It also learns the structure of your home over time to offer cleaner and more efficient cleaning. The app allows you to customize zones and change the cleaning schedule. It has a battery life that is comparable to other models.
It is possible to instruct the X30 Ultra to remove its mop and extend them when it's in a carpeted area, which helps prevent cross-contamination. Its flex arm is also perfect to get under furniture with low levels and along baseboards. However, it's not equipped with the same level of washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ as well as the iRobot Combo j9+.
During tests, the X30 Ultra was the fastest robot vacuum/mop to complete the entire house with only 66 percent of its battery left. It also did an excellent job cleaning a variety of floors and rooms that had different flooring types, including certain area rugs. Its obstacle detection was top-notch, and it nimbly avoided fake dog turds, socks, shoes, and bundles of cables.
It's more expensive than the iRobot Combo v9+ and iRobot Roomba j9+, however, it comes with superior suction, a built-in dust bin that automatically fills up its base, and also supports voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can also clean the floor even after it vacuums. This is something we haven't seen in other robotic vacuum/mop combos.
3. Roomba X40 from iRobot
The robot vacuum and mop combination is sleek and has a circular look that looks more like a regular Roomba model than the bulky models of the competition. It's among our most appealing looking robot vacuums. iRobot’s latest flagship model is also among its most advanced. It comes with advanced features such as Enhanced Dirt Detection and future compatibility (another company’s robot that can wash mop pads autonomously).
It's the only robot vacuum/mop that scored an exemplary 10/10 in our tests due to a mix of high-tech sensors, including cameras, a structured lighting system and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra is also the only robot we tested that can fully autonomously refill and empty its base station, and it has an the industry's highest suction of 12,000Pa and self-cleaning mop pads.
The X40 as with other iRobot products, is simple to operate. It comes with a simple mobile app interface that integrates with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only issue is that it's a noisy unit which could be an issue if you use it in the morning before work or at night as you try to sleep.
It's also quite expensive however, not as much as the Ecovacs MaxV Ultra or Roborock S8 Omni, which are both equally impressive and attractive. If you're willing to live with a little more noise and some additional cost it's a powerful two-in-one that will satisfy most people.
4. iRobot Roomba L20 Ultra
The L20 Ultra is a top-of-the-range robot vacuum and mop, with a lot of advanced features that will let you forget about your chores. The L20 Ultra is a hands-free cleaning device, similar to Ecovacs the top of the line X2 Omni or Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra. It features a multi-functional dock that can automatically emptys the bin of the vacuum, refills the water tank, as well as washes and dries mop pads.
The smart robot vacuum cleaner employs a combination of LIDAR and structured light to draw out the floor plan and detect obstacles, and navigates more effectively than its more expensive rivals. It also has a front mounted camera for real-time hazards detection, though this wasn't 100% reliable in our tests and was sometimes confused with obstructions or power cords.
Its vacuum has a high suction capacity of 7,000 Pascals, which is more than enough to get the job done. It also has "Intelligent Dirt Detection", which regulates how hard the vac works and adjusts the frequency of cleaning for various areas of the house depending on how dirty they tend to be.
If you own a larger home, it's worth selecting a robot that comes with zones or spot cleaning modes. This allows you to tell the robot which area of your home needs to be cleaned by using the app or voice control. A stair mode can be useful if you have a large furniture. Additionally the recharge and resume feature that lets your robot vacuum take over exactly where it left off is great for busy families.
5. iRobot Roomba RX3
The RX3 is more intelligent than its price suggests. It has a great vacuuming performance and was able to remove 55% of debris in our tests. (It was only second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops using only one pad and a reciprocating movement that is more efficient than most of the mop cleaners with robots that vacuum and mop that we've tested. And it's highly self-sufficient with a full-featured app and an auto-emptying, washable base.
The iRobot application is designed to help you navigate a mapping run that collects data on your floorplan and any "no go" areas that you've marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules or organize an automatic vacuum cleaner spot-clean. You can also use it to prioritize the most soiled areas for greater efficiency. The app also gives access to many features, such as seasonal suggestions, custom maps and advanced settings for your cleaning.
It can also reach corners and under furniture more easily because its shape is more rectangular. It also has a powerful 8,000 Pascal suction and combs with intelligent technology for pet hair. You can also set up a spot cleaning that thoroughly cleans a particular area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker and cheaper alternative to the iRobot Roomba. It has a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras resemble cute eyes. It is excellent at vacuuming, however it is more likely to be caught on low thresholds. It is also louder than other top robot vacuums we have tested. It also comes with an app that's not as intuitive and has a tiny base station that can't double as a bin for emptying.