Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot vacuum and mop takes a bit of the burden of keeping your floors spotless. It can refill its own water tank as well as empty its tower bin. It also has the ability to change the dust bag it uses.

Advanced models can map your house and note furniture arrangement. They can also detect hazards and navigate around them, such as loose charging cables or loose socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting objects like toys, cords, and clothing that could be caught in the vacuum. This is especially important if you have children or pets who are likely to leave items on the floor, where your robot vacuum cleaners best can discover them.

Based on the model you pick, you might have an array of different sensors to aid your robot in navigating around obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that send focused beams of infrared light across the room to spot things like doors and furniture legs. This technology is used by numerous robots on the market, and you can also see it in the top models that cost more than other models.

Other technologies for avoiding objects that are typically found in higher-end robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and identify obstacles; and 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 can be an excellent option to add to your robot if you're looking for extra peace of mind.

In addition to cleaning up dust and other debris on hard floors, most of the best-rated robots can also mop your floors as well. Some even have their own water tanks, allowing them to wash away wet spills and messes. You will need to clean the robot's dust bin onboard and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Mapping capabilities are crucial in robot vacuums because they help them remember your home's layout and avoid bumping into things like walls. Without mapping, they might get tripped up by furniture, cords or pet toys, and end up removing less of your space. By using sensors, many robots map your home to track any obstacles and assist them to navigate around them. This allows them to clean the entire floor with fewer passes, saving you time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums also have this feature to create no-go zones permitting you to define rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.

Robots equipped with LIDAR utilize this technology to map your home efficiently and quickly. The Eufy Clean robot separated my room into different areas and cleaned each independently during our tests. This was a huge improvement over other models that only had a front-bumper sensor. This was a much more accurate way of navigating my home and was simple to control using the on-device application.

While no robot vacuum is able to climb stairs, the majority of the best rated models have good obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools let them collect dirt from low-pile or hard floors, and prevent falling down stairs. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from crossing the edge of stairs, and some have boundary strips that prevent them from certain areas.

Some robots have a large tower base that holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. These bases can go several weeks or even months without emptying and are especially beneficial if you have allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins that can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

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

Dual sensors are employed by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine with a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and block out objects, even if they are hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features allow your robot to reach tight spaces, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or under your sofas. Other robots struggle with these spaces. They're also faster to get over obstacles and have longer running times thanks to larger dust bins, which makes them better suited for large homes than the entry-level robots.

The most effective robot vacuums are quick, intelligent and powerful. They are able to pick up an array of floor debris including pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They can also be quiet making them a good choice for homes with young kids and pets. The majority of robot vacuum owners we've interviewed report that they enjoy the convenience of having their floors cleaned with little effort, particularly if they use it frequently. With proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping track on the parts that need replacement) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a helpful guide that covers some important 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 an upright or canister model, it is excellent in removing dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used to provide quick repairs to floors and can navigate through cords and other obstacles in the home. If you don't want to perform the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner can be sent out to scour your floors on a regular schedule.

A few of the top-rated robotic vacuums have large easy to empty dust bags that can hold more dirt than one room. This can help you save time and money on new bags. This feature is available on many models which includes our top pick which is the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one is a high-performance robovac and has a self-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and efficient navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this model, which utilizes intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This model has a greater capacity, but is slightly more expensive.

Another big difference between these two models is the way they handle long human hair that can get caught in the rollers on some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the best performing models. They both have excellent hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores as well as excellent auto empty results and great path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also great options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, however not as much path planning or auto empty.

The most recent robots have sensors that can detect dirt and debris in the carpet, and are better at removing loose pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that can use the reservoir of water to eliminate the stains and spills. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can help you keep up with your home. While no robot is able to replace an upright or a canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the top models are rated to remove pet hair, lint and other surface dirt on carpets with low pile and hard floors, picking up much more than you could using a Broom. They also have navigation capabilities which prevent them from getting caught on rug fringe or power cords and can glide easily under furniture.

Based on the model, a top-rated robot vacuum can be scheduled to run multiple times a day, or permit users to observe it in action via an app. However, these convenient machines are also susceptible to clogging and require regular maintenance such as emptying the bin onboard (or the base's larger dust bin in some instances), checking brushes for hair that is tangled, and regularly rinsing and letting the filters dry according to the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She believes that a robotic vacuum can last up to five years if it is properly maintenance. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll and cutting out any hair that is tangled up in the brushes and regularly cleaning and drying the filter if your robot also acts as mop. It's also a good idea to clean the charging contacts and sensors on the robot vacuum cleaner uk or dock occasionally with a soft cloth. Then, simply recharge and refill the robot whenever you need to for your next cleaning session.