Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robot automatic vacuum cleaner and mop takes some of the hands-off work out of keeping your floors tidy. It is able to refill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin, and swap the dust bag.

The most advanced models are smart enough to trace your home's layout and note the location of furniture. They also can detect dangers and help you avoid them, like loose charging cables or loose socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance helps your robot to avoid hitting things like toys, cords, and clothes that could get caught in the vacuum. These features are especially important if your family has pets or children who may leave objects on the floor for your robot to find.

Depending on the model you select You may have an array of different sensor options available to aid your robot in navigating through obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared light throughout the room to detect things like furniture legs and door frames. This technology is used by numerous robots that are available and you can see it in the top models that cost more than others.

Another object avoidance technology is available in higher-end robotics is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and identify obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that measure and emit the duration it takes for the light to reflect off of an object to determine its distance, is also available. While these are less common, they can be a great addition to your robot if it needs peace of mind knowing that it won't get caught up in 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, allowing them to remove wet spills and messes. You'll have to empty the robot vacuums with mop's onboard dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these tasks will not take a lot of your time.

Mapping

Mapping capabilities are crucial in robot vacuums because they allow them to keep track of your home's layout and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they may be tripped by cords, furniture or pet toys, and end up removing less of your space. The majority of robots utilize sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can clean your floors in fewer steps and help you save time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create zones that are not allowed, allowing you to set specific rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR use this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot separated my room into different areas and cleaned each one separately during our tests. This was a vast improvement over cheaper models that only used a front-bumper sensor. This was a more precise method to navigate my home and it was simple for me to control via the app on the device.

Although there aren't any robot vacuums that can climb stairs, most effective models have obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools assist them to remove dirt from hard floors and low-pile carpets, and to avoid falling down the steps. Some tools have sensors that prevent them falling over the edge of stairs. Some have boundary strips to keep them away.

Certain robots have a huge tower base that holds their dirt and debris, reducing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. These bases can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied, which is especially helpful when you suffer from allergies. Some models have 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 allows you to control them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive but can save you 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 alternative cleaning schedules.

The most advanced robot vacuums employ dual sensors, which combine the LIDAR system to map your area with a structured light sensor that is able to see objects and avoid them even if they're hidden under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to reach into tight spaces, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or underneath sofas. Other robots struggle to reach these spaces. They're also quicker to get over obstacles and have longer run times with larger dust bins, making them ideal for larger homes than entry-level robots.

The best robot vacuums are swift and efficient. They are also intelligent and powerful. They are able to pick up many kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, cat litter and other messes. They're also quiet, making them an excellent choice for homes with pets as well as young children. Most robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they appreciate the ease of having their floors cleaned with minimal effort. This is especially true when used regularly. With proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on the parts that need replacement) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld has a helpful guide that outlines some essential tips to keep yours running in good shape for the long time to come.

Larger Dust Bags

Although a robot vacuum may not clean as well as a canister or upright model, it is great at picking up dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used for quick touch-ups on bare floors and can maneuver around cords and other household obstacles. You can employ a robot to clean your floors on a regular basis if you don't have time to do it yourself.

The top-rated robot vacuums have huge, easy-to-empty dust bags that hold more than a single room's worth of dirt. This will help you save time and money on replacement bags. Many of the models we've listed have this feature, including the most popular one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an impressive performance score and has self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping function and efficient navigation. It's a close contest between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with smart mapping and avoidance technology. This model has a greater capacity, but is slightly more expensive.

Another big difference between these two models is how well they deal with hair that is long that can get caught in the rollers of certain robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the top performing models. They both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with great auto vacuum and mop empty results and excellent path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also excellent options, with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The most recent robots are outfitted with sensors that detect dirt and debris on carpets, and they are more adept at removing pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that uses the reservoir of water to eliminate spills and messes that have gotten stuck. This feature is a must-have for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum is a great aid in keeping a close eye on your home. The best models can collect more surface dirt, pet hair, and lint than a broom on low-pile or hard floors. They also come with navigation features that prevent them from getting stuck on cords for power or rug fringe and are able to glide effortlessly under furniture.

Depending on the model, a top-rated robotic hoovers vacuum can also be scheduled to run multiple times a day or may allow you to watch it in action using an app. However, these convenient machines are also susceptible to clogging, and require regular maintenance, such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's larger dust bin in certain cases) and checking the brushes for hair that has become tangled and regularly rinsing and letting the filters dry as recommended by the manufacturer.

Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum can last from three to five years or more with regular care and attention. She suggests regularly emptying the brush roll and bin, cutting out any hair that has gotten caught in the brushes, and regularly washing and drying the filter, when your robot is also used as mop. It's a good idea wipe the sensors and charging contacts of the dock or the robot with a soft clean cloth every now and again. Then, recharge and refill your robot before the next cleaning session.