Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robotic vacuum and mop takes some of the work of keeping your floors clean. It can refill its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It can also change the dust bag it uses.

Advanced models can map your house and take note of furniture placement. They can also identify hazards and avoid them, like loose charging cables or unintentional socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid running into things like toys, power cords and clothes that can be caught in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have kids or pets who may be likely to leave items on the floor, which your robot can find them.

Based on the model you pick, you might have a variety of sensor options available to aid your robot in navigating through obstacles. Some of the most sought-after include crossed IR sensor beams, which are focused infrared lights that scan across the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. A lot of robots have adopted this technology, and you'll see it in the flagship models that cost more.

Other object avoidance technology that you may find in more expensive robotics includes 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and detect obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that measure and emit the duration that it takes for the light to reflect off an object, to determine its distance, are also available. Although they aren't as common but they could be an excellent addition to your robot if it needs additional security knowing that it will avoid getting stuck on power cords or socks when cleaning.

Most of the top-rated robotics can also mop your floors. Some robots come with own water tanks that let them clean up messes and spills. You'll have to empty your robot's dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these chores should not take a lot of time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums should have mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate around your home and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they may be tripped over by furniture, cords or pet toys, and end up cleaning less of your space. With sensors, the majority of robots map your home to track any obstacles and assist them to navigate around them. They can clean the floor in fewer passes, and help you save time. A lot of the top robot vacuums also have this feature, which allows you to create areas of no-go.

Robots that have a built-in LIDAR system make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests with the Eufy Clean robot utilized this feature to separate my room into various areas and clean each independently it was a major Best Rated Robot Vacuum improvement over the less expensive models we tested that had a front bump sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home, and it was easy to control with the app on the device.

Although no robot vacuum has the ability to climb stairs yet, most of the best rated models come with good obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to pick up debris from hard floors and low-pile carpets, and to avoid falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from crossing over the edge of the stairs and others have boundary strips that can stop them from entering certain areas.

Some robots come with a massive tower base which holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens that are released into your home. They can last for weeks or even months between emptying, which is especially useful if you suffer from allergies. Some models have self-emptying dust bins that can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi to their apps. This allows you to control them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to the physical remote. These models are more expensive however, they can save time as you can schedule cleaning time every day, weekly, or monthly. These models also allow you to modify floor maps and save them for later use. They also offer alternative cleaning schedules.

The most advanced robot vacuum that vacuums and mops vacuums utilize dual sensors, which combine the 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 vacuum cleaner best to get into small spaces, such as the nook underneath your kitchen cabinets and under sofas, where other robots struggle. They are also faster to maneuver around obstacles, have longer runtimes and larger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for large homes than the smallest robots.

The top-rated robot vacuums tend to be swift, intelligent and powerful and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They can also be quiet which makes them a great choice for homes with young kids and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've talked to have reported that they appreciate the convenience of keeping their floors spotless with minimal effort, particularly if they use it often. With proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on the parts that need replacement) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a useful guide that covers some important techniques to keep your robot running efficiently for many long time to come.

Larger Dust Bags

While a robotic vacuum may not be as efficient as an upright or canister model, it is excellent in removing dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to do quick repairs to floors that are not clean and can also maneuver around cords and other household obstacles. You can use a robot to clean your floors on 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. They can hold more than one room's worth of dirt. This will save you time and money on replacement bags. This feature is available on several models including our top model which is the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one is a high-performance robovac and includes a self-emptying bin. It also has mopping functions and effective 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 is more expensive but has a bigger capacity.

The two models differ in how they handle long hair, which could get tangled up in the rollers of a few robots. The best-performing models are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have superb hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores with excellent path planning and near perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also excellent options, with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planing or auto empty.

The latest robots are fitted with sensors that can detect dirt and debris on carpets and they are better at picking up pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that makes use of the water reservoir to remove spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is essential for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum will help you keep up with your home. The most effective models collect more dirt, pet hair and lint than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard floors. They also come with navigation features that ensure they don't get caught in rug fringe or power cords and are able to glide effortlessly under furniture.

According to the model, you can set up a robot vacuum to run several times per day or even watch it in action using an app. These machines are useful, but they can also clog and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin that is onboard (or in some cases, the base's larger bin) and checking the brushes for tangled fur, and a regular cleaning of the filters and allowing them to dry in accordance with the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing. She says that a robot vacuum can last for three to five years with proper maintenance. She suggests emptying the bin and brush roll frequently cutting out hair that gets caught in the brushes, and then regularly cleaning and drying the filter if your machine is a mop as well. It's also an excellent idea to wipe down the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or robot every now and then with a soft cloth. Then, refill and recharge your robot hoover prior to the next clean-up session.