Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robotic mop and vacuum takes a lot of the work of keeping your floors clean. It can refill its own water tank, and self-empty its tower bin, and then change out the dust bag.

Advanced models can map your house and record furniture positioning. They can also spot obstacles and navigate around hazards like charging cables that are loose and stray socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features enable your robot cleaner with mop to avoid running into things like power cords, toys and even clothes that could get caught up in the vacuum. These features are particularly important if your family has children or pets that may leave items on the floor for your robot hoover and mop to search.

Depending on which model you choose, your robot may have various sensors to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that send focused beams of infrared light throughout the room to identify things like doors and furniture legs. Many robots have adopted this technology, and you can find it in the flagship models that cost more.

Other technology for avoiding objects you might find in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which makes use of cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and detect obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects, to determine the distance to them. Although they aren't as common, they can be a great addition to your robot if you want additional security knowing that it won't get stuck on cables or socks while cleaning.

Most of the top-rated robots are also able to mop your floors. Some robots come with their very own water tanks that enable them to clean up spills and messes. You'll need to clean the robot's dust bin onboard and clean its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Robot vacuums must be able to map. This allows them to navigate your home without bumping against things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped by cords, furniture or pet toys, and end up cleaning less of your space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. This way, they're able to sweep the entire floor with fewer passes, saving your time. Many of the top robotic vacuums also come with this feature, which allows you to create areas of no-go.

Robots with built-in LIDAR system make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot separated my room into different areas and cleaned each separately during our tests. This was an enormous improvement over cheaper models that only had the front bumper sensor. This was a much more precise method to navigate my home, and it was easy to control using the app on the device.

Although no robot automatic vacuum cleaner has the ability to climb stairs yet, the majority of the top-rated models come with good obstacle avoidance and mapping capabilities. These tools assist them to remove dirt from carpets with low pile and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some tools are equipped with sensors to stop them from falling over the edge of stairs. Others have boundary strips to keep them away.

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

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi to their apps. This lets you control them using your smartphone instead (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive however, they can save time since they can schedule cleaning times daily, weekly or monthly. They can also allow you to modify and save floor maps as well as offer different cleaning schedules.

The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, combining the LIDAR system to map your space using a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them, even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. These features make it easier for your best robot vacuum and mop to enter narrow spaces such as the nook underneath your kitchen cabinets and beneath sofas, where many other robots have difficulty. They also are faster to navigate around obstacles, have longer run times and larger dust bins. This makes them ideal for homes with large spaces compared to basic robots.

The top-rated robot vacuums are fast, smart and powerful, picking up most kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, cat litter and other mess. They are also quite quiet, which makes them a great choice for homes with pets or young children. Most robot vacuum cleaner best vacuum owners we've talked to report that they enjoy the convenience of keeping their floors cleaned with little effort, particularly if they use it regularly. And with proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on the parts that need replacement) robots can last as long as a conventional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a manual that offers some useful tips to keep yours running smoothly.

Larger Dust Bags

A robotic vacuum may not be as good in cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it's great at picking up the dust and other debris that regular vacuuming has left behind. It is also a great tool for quick touch-ups on floors and can navigate around cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. If you don't want to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner will let you send it out to sweep your floors on a regular basis.

Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with large easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than a single room. This can save time and money in the form of replacement bags. This feature is available on many models, including our top choice one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an excellent performance score and comes with a self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping feature and efficient navigation. It is a close race between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this model, which utilizes intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This model is more expensive, but it has more capacity.

The two models also differ in the way they handle long hair, which could get caught in the rollers of some robots. The most efficient models include 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 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 are outfitted with sensors that can detect dirt and debris on carpets, and they are more adept at picking up pet hair. Some even have a dedicated mopping mode that uses the reservoir of water to wash away the stains and spills. This feature is a must for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum will help you keep up with your home. The most effective models pick up more dirt from the surface, pet hair and lint, than a broom on low-pile or hard floors. They also have navigation capabilities that prevent them from getting stuck on rug fringe or power cords and are able to slide easily under furniture.

Based on the model, a top-rated robot vacuum is also able to run multiple times per day or allow you to view it at work via an app. These devices are convenient however they can get clogged and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin onboard (or in some cases, the base's bigger bin) and checking the brushes for fur that is tangled, and regularly washing the filters and drying them in accordance with the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She believes that a robotic vacuum can last from three to five years with proper care. She suggests emptying the bin and brush roll frequently, cutting free any hair tangled in the brushes, and regularly rinsing and drying the filter, especially if it is also a mop. It's a good idea clean the sensors and charging contacts of the dock or the robot with a soft clean cloth every now and then. Then, simply refill and recharge the robot whenever you need to for the next time you clean.