Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is among the top-rated product in its class. It takes a lot of the work out of cleaning your floors. It can re-fill its own water tank, self-empty its larger tower bin and then change the dust bag.

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

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance functions allow your robot to avoid hitting things such as power cords, toys and clothes that get caught up in the vacuum. These features are particularly important if your family has pets or children who may leave objects on the floor for your robot to find.

Depending on which model you select depending on the model you select, your robot could have several sensor options to assist it in its quest to avoid obstacles. Some of the most well-known include crossed IR sensor beams that are infrared-focused lights that scan the room for things like furniture legs or door frames. This technology is used by many robots on the market, and you can also find it in flagship models that are priced higher than other models.

Other object avoidance technology that can be found in more expensive robots is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area 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, are also available. These are less common but could be a great option for your robot if you're looking for extra peace of mind.

Apart from cleaning up dust and other debris on hard floors, most of the best-rated robots can sweep your floors as well. Some robots have their own water tanks that allow them to clean up messes and spills. It is necessary to clean the robot's dust bin and clean its sensors and cameras in between cleaning sessions.

Mapping

Mapping capabilities are crucial in robot vacuums as they help them recognize your home's layout, and prevent them from bumping into objects like walls. Without mapping, they may be tripped by furniture, cords, or pet toys, and end up cleaning less of your space. By using sensors, many robots map out your home to track any obstacles and help 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, allowing you to set specific rooms that you don't want the robot to enter.

Robots that have a built-in LIDAR system use this technology to map out your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests, the Eufy Clean robot utilized this feature to divide my room into various areas and clean each one independently, which was a huge improvement over the cheaper models we tested, which had a front bump sensor. This was a much more precise method of navigating my home and it was easy for me to control with the app that came with the device.

Although there aren't any robot vacuums that can scale stairs, the best robot cleaner models do have obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools assist to remove debris from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from going over the edge of stairs, and some have boundary strips that can stop them from entering certain areas.

Certain robots have a huge tower base which holds their dirt and debris, reducing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. They can be left for weeks or Best Rated Robot Vacuum even months without emptying which is particularly beneficial for those who suffer from allergies. Additionally, some models come with self-emptying mechanisms that let you take out the dust bins without having to manually open or close them.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi to their apps. This lets you operate them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to a physical remote. Those models are more expensive, but they can help you save time by letting you schedule cleaning times 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 use dual sensors, combining a LIDAR system to map your area with a structured light sensor that can detect objects and avoid them, even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. These features let your robot access tight areas, like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or underneath sofas. Other robots struggle with these kinds of spaces. They're also quicker to get over obstacles and have longer run times due to larger dust bins, which makes them better suited for large homes than the entry-level robots.

The best rated robot vacuums tend to be fast, smart and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, kitty litter, and other messes. They are also quiet which makes them a great option for homes with young children and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've spoken to say they appreciate the convenience of keeping their floors cleaned with little effort, especially when used frequently. With proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping track on replacement parts) robots can last as long as a conventional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld provides a guide that includes some helpful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.

Dust Bags Larger

A robotic vacuum isn't as effective at cleaning as a canister or upright vacuum, but it is great at picking up the dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to do quick touch-ups of bare floors, and can navigate around cords or other obstacles in your home. You can employ robots to clean your floors on a schedule if you don't have time to do it yourself.

The top rated robot vacuums come with large dust bags that are easy to empty. They hold more than a single room's worth of dirt. This will save you time and money on bags that need to be replaced. A number of the models on our list feature this feature, including our most popular one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance rating and includes self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping feature and efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, that has the ability to avoidance and smart mapping. This robovac is more expensive but has more capacity.

The two models also differ in how they handle long hair, which can get tangled up in the rollers of a few robots. The most efficient models are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with fantastic path planning and close to perfect auto vacuum and mop empty results. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with decent hair pickup and tangle avoidance, but not as much planning for paths or auto vacuum and mop empty.

The latest robots are equipped with sensors that can identify dirt and debris on carpets and they are more adept in removing pet hair. Some have a mopping mode that makes use of the reservoir of water to wash away spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is essential for families with pets and children.

Maintenance

A robot vacuum can be a great aid in keeping up with your home. The top models can pick up more dirt, pet hair and lint, than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard flooring. They have navigational features that help them avoid getting stuck on power cords, rug fringes or furniture.

Depending on the model, a top-rated robot vacuum is also able to run multiple times a day or may allow you to view it in action via an app. They are convenient but they also clog and require regular maintenance. This involves emptying the onboard dust bin (or in certain cases, the base's larger bin) as well as checking the brushes for tangled fur and periodically rinsing the filters and allowing them to dry according to the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a automatic vacuum cleaner expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She claims that a robot vacuum can last up 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 cleaning and drying the filter if your robot is also a mop. It is a good idea to wipe the sensors and charging contacts of the dock or the robot with a soft, clean cloth every now and then. Then, refill and recharge your robot before the next cleaning session.