Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is among the best-rated in its class. It takes a lot of the chore of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank, and Best Rated Robot Vacuum self-empty its tower bin, and swap the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your house and note furniture positioning. They can also spot obstructions and Best Rated Robot Vacuum avoid dangers like charging cables that are loose and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance helps your robot to avoid hitting objects like toys, cords, and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have children or pets that are likely to leave items on the floor where your robot can find them.

Depending on the model you pick depending on the model you select, your robot could have various sensors to help it navigate around obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensor beams that are infrared-focused lights that scan the room for things like furniture legs or door frames. Many robots have adopted this technology, and you'll find it in the flagship models that cost more.

Other object avoidance technologies that can be found in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which makes use of cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment and detect obstacles. Also, 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. While they are not as popular however, they are a great addition to your robot if it needs additional security knowing that it won't get caught up in power cords or socks when cleaning.

The majority of the top-rated robots are also able to mop your floors. Some come with their own water tanks, which allow them to clean up water-based spills and messes. You'll need to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these chores shouldn't take much of your time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums must be able to map. This lets them navigate around your home and avoid getting caught up against walls. They can be tripped up by pet toys, cords or furniture without mapping. This can result in them cleaning less space. With sensors, the majority of robots map out your home to track any obstacles and help them navigate around them. This allows them to sweep your floors using fewer passes, which saves you time. Many of the top robotic hoovers vacuums also come with this feature, which allows you to create no-go areas.

Robots with built-in LIDAR system make use of this technology to create a map of your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into distinct areas and cleaned each independently during our tests. This was a vast improvement over the cheaper models that only used the front bumper sensor. This was a more accurate way to navigate my home and it was easy to control using the app on the device.

While no robot vacuum can climb stairs yet, most of the best robotic mop and vacuum rated models come with obstacle avoidance and mapping capabilities. These tools allow them to collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and avoid falling down the stairs. Some tools are equipped with sensors to make sure they don't fall over the edge of the stairs. Others have boundaries to keep them away.

Some robots have a large base tower that can collect dirt. This reduces the amount of dust or allergens that are released in your home. These bases can go several months or even weeks between emptying and are especially beneficial for those with allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins that you can empty without opening or closing them manually.

Wi-Fi Enabled

Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi with their apps. This lets you control them using your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive, however, they can save time because you can schedule cleaning sessions every day, weekly, or even monthly. They also permit you to edit and save floor maps as well as offer different cleaning schedules.

Dual sensors are utilized by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine the LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor that can detect and avoid objects, even when they are hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features let your robot access tight areas, such as the space under your kitchen cabinets or under your sofas. Other robots struggle to reach these areas. They also are faster to maneuver around obstacles, and have longer run times and larger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for homes with large spaces compared to the smallest robots.

The top-rated robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, kitty litter, and other dirt. They are also quite quiet, making them an excellent choice for homes with pets as well as young children. The majority of robot vacuum owners we've interviewed say they appreciate the convenience of keeping their floors spotless with minimal effort, particularly if they use it often. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping track on replacement parts) robots can last as long as a conventional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld provides a guide that includes some helpful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.

Larger Dust Bags

Although a robot vacuum may not clean as well as a canister or upright model, it is great in picking up dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It is a great tool for quick touch-ups of bare floors and can also traverse around cords or other household obstacles. If you don't want to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robot cleaner will let you send it out to sweep your floors on a regular basis.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with big, easy to empty dust bags which can hold more dirt than a single room. This can help you save time and money on replacement bags. This feature is available on several models including our top model one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an excellent performance score and includes a self-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and an efficient navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which is equipped with the latest technology for avoidance and smart mapping. This robovac has a larger capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.

Another significant difference between these two models is how well they deal with hair that is long and human that can get caught in the rollers of certain robots. The best robot vacuum that mops-performing models include the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with great path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoidance but not as much path-planning or auto empty.

The most recent robots have sensors that can spot dirt and debris on the carpet, and are better at removing hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some have a mopping mode that uses the reservoir of water to eliminate spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is essential for families with children as well as pets.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help you keep up with your home. The top models can pick up more dirt from the surface, pet hair and lint than a broom on low-pile or hard floors. They have navigational features that prevent them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

Based on the model, a top-rated robot vacuum is also able to run multiple times per day or may allow you to watch it in action using an app. However, these handy devices can also be prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance like emptying the onboard bin (or the base's larger dust bin in certain cases), checking brushes for hair that has become tangled and regularly rinsing and letting the filters dry according to the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University autonomous vacuum + Sewing. She says that a robot vacuum can last up to five years if it is properly maintenance. She recommends regularly emptying the brush roll and bin, cutting out hair that's tangled in the brushes, and frequently washing and drying the filter, in the event that your robot acts as a mop. It's also a good idea to wipe down the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or robot often with a soft, clean cloth. Then, recharge and refill your robot before the next clean-up session.