Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robotic mop and vacuum is among the best robot vacuum and mop-rated in its class. It takes a lot of work out of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank as well as empty its tower bin. It also has the capability to change the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your home and record furniture positioning. They also can detect obstructions and avoid dangers like loose charging cables and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid running into things like toys, power cords and clothes that be caught in the vacuum. This is especially important if you have kids or pets who are prone to leaving objects on the floor where your robot will discover them.

Depending on the model you choose, you might have a variety of sensors to assist your robot in its journey through obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared light across the room to spot things like doors and furniture legs. This technology is used by a variety of robots on the market, and you can also get it in top models that are priced higher than others.

Other technology for avoiding objects you might find in higher-end robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment and identify obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off objects, to determine the distance to them. These are less common but could be a great option for 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 even have their own water tanks, which allow them to clean up the stains and spills that are wet. You'll need to empty the robot vacuums with mop's onboard dust bin and wipe down its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these tasks will not take a lot of your time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums should have mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate your home and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped by furniture, cords or pet toys and end up cleaning less of your space. The majority of robots utilize sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can clean your floors in fewer passes and help you save time. A lot of the top-rated robot vacuums also have this feature to create zones that are not allowed, permitting you to define areas that you do not want the robot to get into.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR system use this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into separate areas and cleaned each one separately during our tests. This was an enormous improvement over cheaper models that rely on a front-bumper sensor. This was a much more precise method to navigate my home and it was simple for me to control using the app on the device.

While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can climb stairs, the top models do come with obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools assist to remove debris from carpets and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the steps. Certain tools come with sensors that prevent them falling over the edge of stairs. Some have boundary strips to keep them from getting in.

Some robots have a large tower base which holds their collected dirt, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. The bases can be left for weeks or months without being emptied, which is especially helpful when you suffer from allergies. Some models have self-emptying dust bins which you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi Enabled

Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi with their apps. This lets you control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive however they can save you time because you can schedule cleaning sessions each week, daily or even monthly. They also permit you to modify and save floor maps, and provide alternative cleaning schedules.

Dual sensors are used by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine the 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 let your robot access tight spaces, such as the kitchen's nook under cabinets or under sofas. Other robots struggle with these areas. They also are faster to navigate around obstacles, and have longer runtimes, and bigger dust bins. This makes them ideal for large homes than basic robots.

The most effective robot vacuums are quick efficient, smart and powerful. They can pick up an array of floor debris, including pet hair, cat litter and other messes. They also are quiet, making them an excellent choice for homes that have pets as well as young children. Most robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they enjoy the convenience of having their floors cleaned without much effort. This is especially true when used regularly. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners with the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts). PCWorld provides a guide with helpful tips to keep yours running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

A robotic vacuum isn't as efficient in cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it's excellent at removing dust and debris that regular vacuuming has left behind. It can also be used to provide quick repairs to floors and can navigate through cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. You can employ a robot to clean your floors according to a schedule in case you don't have the time to do it yourself.

The top-rated robot vacuums come with large dust bags that are easy to empty and hold more than a single room's worth of dirt. This can help save time and money in the form of replacement bags. This feature is available on several models including our top pick one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance rating and includes self-emptying bin. It comes with a mopping function and a streamlined navigation. It's a close contest between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, that has the ability to avoidance and smart mapping. This robovac has more capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.

Another big difference between these two models is how they handle long human hair that can get caught in the rollers on some robots. The most efficient models are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have superb hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores along with fantastic path planning and near perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also great options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The latest robots are equipped with sensors that detect dirt and debris on carpets, and they are more adept in removing pet hair. Some have a mopping mode that can use the water reservoir to remove spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.

Maintenance

Having a robot vacuum is a great help in keeping up with your home. The top models can remove more dirt pet hair and lint, than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard floors. They also have navigation features that prevent them from getting caught in rug fringe or power cords and can glide easily under furniture.

According to the model, you can program a robot mop vacuum to run several times per day or even observe it in action with an app. These machines are useful but they also get clogged and require regular maintenance. This involves emptying the dust bin that is onboard (or in some cases, the base's larger bin), checking brushes for tangled fur, and periodically rinsing the filters and drying them according to the specifications of the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and Best Rated Robot Vacuum store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing. She says that a robot vacuum can last up to five years with proper care. She suggests emptying the bin and the brush roll regularly, cutting free any hair tangled in the brushes, and then regularly rinsing and drying the filter if your robot is a mop as well. It is a good idea to clean the charging contacts and sensors on the robot or dock with an easy clean cloth every now and then. You can recharge and Best Rated Robot Vacuum refill your robot vacuum cleaner reviews before the next cleaning session.