Vacuuming With a Robot Hoover is the best robot floor cleaner Hands-Off Model We've Tested

This top robot vacuum cleaner-quality bot from Eufy is the most hands-free model we've tested so far. It vacuums, mops and self-empties and drys mop pads all without your intervention.

It's not equipped with the latest cleaning techniques and a bigger docking station, but provides impressive performance at a fraction of the price of top-end robot vacuums. It's compact and can reach under furniture.

Vacuuming

Vacuuming using a robot hoover is a quick, easy method to keep your floors clean and tidy. The majority of the robots we've chosen are designed to run without the involvement of you You can set them up to sweep while you're away or trigger the session using your smartphone. But, you should choose a model that has excellent navigation and obstacle detection to ensure that it won't get stuck down the stairs or beneath furniture.

Some models are better at picking up pet hairs from rugs than others, which is why it's important to select a robot that can effectively and efficiently clean all types of flooring. Choose a model that has a dust bins that can hold plenty of dirt between emptyings and the nozzle does not lose suction as it rotates to remove debris.

Most robots require minimal to no maintenance, other than taking out tangled fur from the rotating brush after each cleaning session (and wiping its camera or sensors when required) and regularly emptying the bin, or using a robot's self-emptying base. If you follow these simple maintenance steps, your robot vacuum will last as long as a regular vacuum cleaner and keep your home cleaner for longer.

Robot mops aren't as flexible than vacuums but some can also pick up puddles and spills. The iLife V3s Pro, a excellent example of this kind of machine, is a great choice for people with carpets and rugs as well as wood flooring. It is quiet and has excellent navigation capabilities, which helped it avoid obstacles during testing. The charging dock also doubles as trash bin.

Pick a robot vacuum cleaner that can also mop at the same time. That's what the Karcher RCV 5 can handle and also comes with other handy features like live cameras that stream a grainy image to your app so that you can check on your children or pets and also an easily-programmable remote control. Its navigation isn't as reliable as the other models we've reviewed however it is able to lift itself over low thresholds and has a generous 500ml trash bin that doesn't have to be emptying often.

Mopping

Robots that vacuum and mops are relatively new to the market. These machines are more expensive and require a separate tank of water, unlike standalone robots. However, they may be worth the extra expense for those with staining that is difficult to clean or pets.

Some of the top robots that mop and auto vacuum cleaner also do a great job at cleaning bare floors and carpets. Many manufacturers offer machines capable of doing both very effectively. The Combo j9+, for example, is among the top mopping machines we've tested. It comes with an impressively large dock that can hold up to 60 days of dirt. This is a huge improvement over the Qrevo Pro, which ran out of water after mopping only 30 days worth of dirt in our tests.

The Tapo RV30 Plus from networking giant TP Link is a great two-in-one. It's quiet, compact, and has a neat, easy-to-clean appearance. In our test rooms, it cleaned the floors thoroughly and precisely - it did particularly well on rugs, however it took several runs to thoroughly clean some areas of soiled wood. Its LIDAR navigation system performs well, avoiding crashing into furniture or tripping over power cords.

It's a little slow on the stairs, but that's expected from a compact robot that is designed to work around obstacles. The only drawback is its mopping pad attachment which was a challenge and wouldn't stay in the right position during our tests. It is also not capable of dealing with dried-on dust which makes it more of a vacuum than a robot mop.

Despite these shortcomings however, it's a great option for those looking for an effortless cleaning experience that can take care of bare and low-pile carpets with equal ease. It has decent suction, which helped it to pick up fine dust and pet hair from carpets. A good feature is its automatic recognition of carpets, which increases the strength of the vacuum to better tackle embedded dirt. It's also easy to use and has a handy charging dock that automatically empties the bin once it's full, which is a great benefit for flat dwellers.

Cleaning Apps

Almost every robot vacuum bot, mop, and sweeper has an app that lets you customize cleaning routines, choose rooms to clean, schedule cleaning sessions, and change settings such as suction, water level, and scrubbing power. Some robots offer intelligent dirt detection that utilizes maps and previous cleaning data to prioritize dirty areas.

A smartphone app can also allow you to set up virtual barriers and auto vacuum cleaner no-go zones to shield your robot from potentially dangerous objects like cords or pet water bowls and sharp objects. Some models come with laser navigation sensors that permit you to create virtual barriers while others come with small physical boundaries and barriers that you can place anywhere you wish to restrict your floor space.

The most effective robot vacuums and mops are smart enough to detect obstacles and navigate around them, but there are still some hazards to watch out for. For example, a robot's main brush can get stuck on long curtains or cords and stop the machine from running. You can prevent this by clearing the area of all cords and tying up any long curtains before running your robot.

Some robots automatically update their software, which controls navigation and obstacle avoidance algorithm. This improves performance and decreases the wear and tear on the robot's internal parts. It is a good idea to periodically check the website of the manufacturer or your robot broom's app for updates to the firmware.

If you have a large house, consider models that offer multiple cleaning modes. The iRobot Roomba 11S Max can clean and mop carpeted and hard floors with different suction settings. It also has the ability to automatically switch the power setting to the highest level when cleaning carpets and increase the strength of its scrubbing with SmartScrub.

A robot that has a voice assistant is a great choice for those who want to be hands-free. The iRobot Roomba 980 can be operated by Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. It is equipped with a compact self-emptying docking system and a powerful cleaning motor that makes your floors sparkling.