Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is among the best-rated in its class. It takes a lot of work out of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin, and swap out the dust bag.
Advanced models are smart enough to map your home and note the furniture's position. They can also spot obstacles and navigate around hazards like charging cables that are loose and stray socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting things like cords, toys, and clothing that could be caught in the vacuum. These features are particularly crucial if you have children or pets that may leave things on the floor for your robot to search.
Depending on the model you select, you might have a variety of sensor options available to aid your robot in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that send focused beams of infrared light across the room to identify things like doors and furniture legs. A lot of robots have adopted this technology, and you'll find it in the flagship models that cost more.
Other technology for avoiding objects that is available in more expensive robotics includes 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensor to map the surroundings and detect obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the amount of time that it takes for the light to reflect off an object, in order to determine its distance, is also available. These aren't very common but are a great option to add to your robot in case you're looking to add peace of mind.
In addition to picking up dust and debris on hard floors, most of the best-rated robots can also mop your floors as well. Some robots come with their own water tanks which let them clean up messes and spills. You will need to empty the robot's dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions.
Mapping
Robot vacuums need to include mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate your home and avoid getting caught up against walls. They may be tripped by pet toys, cords or furniture without mapping. This can result in them cleaning less space. By using sensors, many robots map out your home to track any obstacles and help navigate around them. This allows them to sweep your floors in fewer passes, thereby saving you time. Many of the best robot vacuums also have this feature, which enables you to designate areas that are not accessible.
Robots equipped with LIDAR utilize this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into separate areas and cleaned each separately during our tests. This was an enormous improvement over the cheaper models that only used a front-bumper sensor. This was a much more accurate way of navigating my home, and it was easy to control with the on-device application.
While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can scale stairs, the best models do have obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools assist them to remove dirt from carpets with low pile and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the steps. Certain tools come with sensors that make sure they don't fall over the edge of stairs. Some have boundary strips to keep them out.
Some robots come with large towers on the base that collects dirt. This decreases the amount of dust or allergens released in your home. They can be kept for weeks or months without emptying which is particularly beneficial for those who suffer from allergies. Certain models come with self-emptying dust bins that can empty without opening or closing them manually.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums utilize Wi-Fi to connect with their apps which allows users to control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition to) an actual remote. Those models are more expensive but can help you save time by allowing you to schedule cleaning sessions on a weekly, daily or even monthly basis. These models also let you edit floor maps and save them, as well as provide alternate cleaning schedules.
Dual sensors are utilized by the most modern robot vacuums. They combine with 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 small spaces, such as the nook underneath your kitchen cabinets and beneath sofas, where many other robots struggle. They're also quicker to get over obstacles and have longer run times due to larger dust bins, which makes them ideal for larger homes than entry-level robotics.
The top rated robot vacuums tend to be quick, efficient and effective, picking up most kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, kitty litter, and other dirt. They can also be quiet, making them an ideal option for homes with children and pets. The majority of robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they enjoy the convenience of having their floors cleaned with minimal effort. This is especially true when used regularly. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping track on replacement parts) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a guide that offers some useful suggestions to ensure your machine is running smoothly.
Larger Dust Bags
A robotic vacuum is not as effective at cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it is excellent at removing dust and other debris that regular vacuuming has left behind. It can be used to do quick touch-ups of bare floors and is able to maneuver around cords and other obstacles in your home. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner will let you send it out to scour your floors on a regular basis.
A few of the top-rated robotic vacuums come with big dust bags that can store more dirt than a single room. This will help you save time and money on new bags. This feature is available on many models, including our top choice one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance rating and includes self-emptying bin. It comes with a mopping function and efficient navigation. It's a close contest between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has a larger capacity but is slightly more expensive.
Another significant difference between these two models is the way they handle hair that is long, which can tangle in the rollers of some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the most efficient models. They all have outstanding hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores, together with excellent auto empty performance and great path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also excellent options, with decent hair pickup and tangle avoidance but not as much path planning or auto empty.
The latest robots come with sensors that can detect dirt and debris in the carpet, and are better at removing hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some models even have a mopping mode that makes use of the reservoir of water to eliminate spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum is a great aid in keeping up with your home. While no robot is able to replace an upright or a canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the best models are rated to remove pet hair, lint and other dirt that accumulates on carpets with low pile and hard floors, picking up much more than you can with the Broom. They also have navigation features that prevent them from getting caught on cords for power or rug fringe and are able to slide easily under furniture.
According to the model, you can program the robot vacuum to run several times per day or even watch it perform its duties using an app. However, these convenient devices can also be prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance like emptying the onboard bin (or the base's larger dust bin in some cases), checking brushes for tangled hair, and regularly rinsing and letting the filters dry according to the manufacturer.
Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says a good robot vacuum can last from three to five years or more with regular maintenance and care. She recommends emptying the bin and brush roll frequently cutting out hair that gets caught in the brushes, and regularly washing and drying the filter if your machine is also a mop. It's also a good idea to wipe down the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or the robot often with a soft, clean cloth. Then, simply refill and recharge the robot whenever you need to for the next time you clean.