Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is among the top-rated product in its class. It takes a lot of the work out of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank, self-empty its larger tower bin and change the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your home and take note of furniture positioning. They can also spot obstacles and avoid hazards such as loose charging cables and loose socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting things such as cords, toys and clothes that could get caught in the vacuum. These are especially important if you have children or pets who may be likely to leave items on the floor, where your robot will find them.
Depending on the model you choose, you might have a variety of sensors to aid your robot in navigating through obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared lights across the room to identify things like doors and furniture legs. This technology is used by a variety of robots available and you can find it in flagship models that are priced higher than others.
Other technology for avoiding objects can be found in higher-end robots include 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 which emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects, to determine the distance to them. They aren't as common, but could be a great addition to your robot, should you want to have more peace of mind.
Most of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some even have their own water tanks, which allow them to clean up wet spills and messes. You'll need to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and clean its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these tasks will not take a lot of your time.
Mapping
Robot vacuums should include mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate your home without hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they may be tripped over by furniture, cords, or pet toys and end up removing less of your space. With sensors, the majority of robots map out your space to keep track of any obstacles and assist them to navigate around them. They can sweep the floor in fewer passes and save you 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.
robotic hoovers that have a built-in LIDAR system use this technology to map out your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into distinct areas and cleaned each one separately during our tests. This was an enormous improvement over cheaper models that only used a front-bumper sensor. This was a more accurate method to navigate my home and it was easy for me to control using the app that came with the device.
While there are no robot vacuums that can climb stairs, top models do come with obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect dirt from low-pile or hard floors, and prevent falling down stairs. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from crossing over the edge of stairs and others have boundary strips that prevent them from certain areas.
Some robots come with a massive tower base which holds their collected dirt, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. They can be left for weeks or even months without being emptied and are particularly helpful when you suffer from allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins that can empty without opening or closing them manually.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi with their applications. This allows you to control them using your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to an actual remote. Those models are more expensive, but they can help you save time by letting you schedule cleaning sessions on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis. These models also let you modify floor maps, save them and offer different cleaning schedules.
Dual sensors are employed by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and avoid objects, even when they're hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features make it easier for your robot to enter tight spaces like the nook under your kitchen cabinets and beneath sofas, where other robots struggle. They also are faster to navigate around obstacles, and have longer runtimes and larger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for large homes compared to basic robots.
The top rated robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They can also be quiet, making them an ideal option for homes with children and pets. Most robot vacuum owners we've interviewed say they appreciate the convenience of having their floors spotless with minimal effort, especially when used often. Robots can last just as long as traditional vacuum cleaners with the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping track of replacement parts). PCWorld has a helpful guide that outlines some essential techniques to keep your robot running smoothly for long time to come.
Larger Dust Bags
While a robotic vacuum may not clean as well as a canister or upright model, it is excellent in removing dust and other debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. My Source is a great tool for quick retouching of floors, and can traverse around cords or other obstacles in your home. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robot cleaner can be set to send it out to sweep your floors on a regular basis.
Some of the top-rated robot vacuums have large easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than one room. This can save time and money through replacement bags. This feature is available on several models including our top choice which is the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance rating and has an auto-emptying bin. It also has mopping functions and effective navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has the ability to avoidance and smart mapping. This model has a greater capacity, but it is a bit more expensive.
Another big difference between these two models is how they handle long human hair which can get caught in the rollers of some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the top performing models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores, together with excellent auto empty performance and great path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also great options with decent hair pickup and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planing or auto empty.
The newest robots have sensors that can spot dirt and debris in the carpet, and they're better at picking up hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some robots come with a mopping mode where they can use the water reservoir in order to get rid of stuck-on messes and spills. This feature is crucial for families with children and pets.
Maintenance
Having a robot vacuum can be a great aid in keeping a close eye on your home. The most effective models pick up more dirt, pet hair and lint, than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard flooring. They come with navigational features that help them avoid getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.
According to the model, you can schedule a robot vacuum to run multiple times a day or watch it perform its duties using an app. However, these handy vacuums are also prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's bigger dust bin in certain cases), checking brushes for hair that is tangled, and regularly rinsing and letting the filters dry as suggested by the manufacturer.
Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum will last for three to five years or more with regular care and attention. She suggests regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out hair that's tangled in the brushes, and frequently washing and drying the filter, when your robot is also used as a mop. It is a good idea to wipe the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or robot with an easy clean cloth every now and again. Then, refill and recharge your robot for the next clean-up session.