Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot mop and vacuum takes a lot of the work of keeping your floors spotless. It can refill its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It can also change its dust bag.

Advanced models can map your home and take note of furniture positioning. They can also spot obstacles and avoid hazards like loose charging cables and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

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

Depending on which model you pick the robot you choose may come with a variety of sensor options to help it navigate around obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared light across the room to spot things like doors and furniture legs. This technology is widely used by numerous robots that are available, and you can also find it in flagship models that cost more than other models.

Other technologies for avoiding objects that you might find in more expensive robots are 3D Structured Light, which makes use of cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles. Also, Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit light and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects, to determine the distance to them. Although they aren't as common, they can be an excellent addition to your robot if it needs additional security knowing that it won't get caught up in power cords or socks when cleaning.

Most of the top-rated robotics can also mop your floors. Some even have their own water tanks, allowing them to wash away the stains and spills that are wet. You'll need to clean the robot's dust bin and clean its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Mapping capabilities are crucial in robot vacuum with mop vacuums as they enable them to remember your home's layout and avoid bumping into things like walls. They can be tripped up by cords, pet toys or furniture that are not marked. This can result in them taking up less space. The majority of robots utilize sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can sweep the floor in fewer passes and save you time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create zones that are not allowed, which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to enter.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home efficiently and quickly. In our tests with the Eufy Clean robot utilized this feature to separate my room into different areas and clean each independently, which was a huge improvement over the cheaper models we tested, which utilized the front bump sensor. This was a much more accurate way of navigating my home and was also easy to control via the app on the device.

While no robot vacuum can climb stairs yet, the majority of the top-rated models have good obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools assist them to remove dirt from carpets with low pile and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from crossing the edge of stairs and some also have boundary strips that can prevent them from certain areas.

Some robots have an enormous base tower that can collect dirt. This helps reduce the amount of dust or allergens that are released in your home. These bases can go several months or even weeks between emptying, which is especially beneficial if you have allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins that you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi to their apps. This lets you operate them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to a physical remote. These models are more expensive however they can save you time as you can schedule cleaning sessions each week, daily or even monthly. They can also allow you to modify and save floor maps and provide alternative cleaning patterns.

The most advanced robot vacuum best vacuums use dual sensors, which combine with a LIDAR system to map your area with a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them, even if they're under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to reach into tight areas, such as the space under your kitchen cabinets or under your sofas. Other robots struggle with these areas. They are also more efficient in getting 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 best rated robot vacuums are fast, smart and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, cat litter and other messes. They can also be quiet which makes them a great choice for homes with young kids and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners have told us that they love the convenience of having their floors cleaned with minimal effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a helpful guide that provides techniques to keep your robot running in good shape for the years to come.

Larger Dust Bags

Although a robot vacuum may not be as efficient as an upright or canister model, it is great in removing dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It is a great tool for quick touch-ups of bare floors, and can traverse around cords or other obstacles in your home. You can employ robotics to sweep your floors on a regular basis if you don't have time to do it yourself.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums have large, easy to empty dust bags that can hold more dirt than one room. This can save time and money in the form of bags that can be replaced. A number of the models we've listed feature this feature, including our top choice one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an excellent performance score and comes with a self-emptying bin. It comes with a mopping function and efficient navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this model, which utilizes the latest technology for avoidance and smart mapping. This robovac has more capacity, but is slightly more expensive.

Another significant 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, the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have superb hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores with great path planning and near perfect auto empty results. 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 can detect dirt and other debris on carpets and they are more adept in removing pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that makes use of the water reservoir to remove the stains and spills. This feature is essential for families with pets and children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help keep up with your home. The best models can remove more dirt, pet hair and lint than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard flooring. They also have navigation features which prevent them from getting caught on rug fringe or power cords and are able to slide easily under furniture.

Based on the model, a highly rated robot vacuum can also be scheduled to run multiple times per day or may allow you to watch it in action via an app. These machines are useful but they also clog and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin that is onboard (or in some cases, the base's bigger bin), checking brushes for tangled fur and periodically rinsing the filters and allowing them to dry according to the manufacturer.

Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum cleaner uk vacuum will last for three to five years or more with regular maintenance and care. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll and cutting off any hair that has gotten caught up in the brushes and frequently washing and best rated Robot vacuum drying the filter when your robot is also used as mop. It is a good idea to wipe the charging contacts and sensors on the robot or dock with a soft clean cloth every now and again. You can refill and recharge your robot before the next cleaning session.