Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's robot vacuum and mop is the highest-rated of its kind. It takes a lot of the work out of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It also has the capability to change the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your house and note furniture arrangement. They also can detect dangers and navigate around them, like loose charging cables or loose socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance features allow your robot to avoid hitting things like toys, power cords and even clothes that could get caught up in the vacuum. This is especially important if you have kids or pets that are prone to leaving objects on the floor, where your robot can discover them.
Based on the model you select the robot you choose may come with several sensor options to help it navigate around obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that beam focused beams of infrared light across the room to identify things like furniture legs and door frames. More methods have adopted this technology, and you can find it in the top models that cost more.
Other object avoidance technology that can be found in higher-end robotics is 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensors to map the surrounding area and identify obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the time that it takes the light to reflect off an object, to determine its distance, is also available. While they are not as popular however, they are an excellent addition to your robot if you need extra peace of mind that it will avoid getting stuck on cords or socks when cleaning.
Besides picking up dust and debris on floors that are hard, most of the best-rated robots can sweep your floors as well. Some robots come with their very own water tanks that enable them to clean up spills and messes. You will need to empty the dust bin onboard and clean its sensors and cameras in between cleaning sessions.
Mapping
Robot vacuums should have mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate around your home and avoid getting caught up against walls. They can be tripped up by pet toys, cords, or furniture without mapping. This will result in them cleaning less space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can clean your floors in fewer passes and save you time. Many of the best robot vacuums also have this feature, which allows you to designate areas that are not accessible.
Robots that have built-in LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into separate areas and cleaned each independently during our tests. This was a vast improvement over the cheaper models that rely on the front bumper sensor. This was a more accurate method to navigate my home and was easy for me to control with the app on the device.
While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can climb stairs, the best models do have mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools allow to remove debris from carpets and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors that prevent them from crossing over the edge of stairs and others have boundary strips that stop them from entering certain areas.
Some robots have a large tower base that holds their dirt and debris, reducing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. The bases can be left for weeks or even months without emptying and are particularly helpful if you suffer from allergies. Additionally, some models come with self-emptying systems that allow you to take out the dust bins without having to manually open or close them.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums utilize Wi-Fi to communicate with their apps which allows you to control them using your smartphone instead of (or in addition to) the physical remote. These models are more expensive, however they can save you time since you can schedule cleaning time each week, daily or even monthly. These models also let you modify floor maps, save them and offer different 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 can see objects and avoid them even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. These features let your robot access tight areas, such as the space under your kitchen cabinets or under sofas. Other robots struggle to reach these areas. They also are faster to maneuver around obstacles, and have longer run times and larger dust bins. This makes them ideal for large homes than entry-level robots.
The top rated robot vacuums tend to be fast, smart and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, cat litter and other dirt. They are also quite quiet, which makes them an ideal option for homes with pets or young children. The majority of robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they appreciate the ease of having their floors cleaned with minimal effort. This is particularly true when they are used regularly. Robots can last just as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the proper maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping the track of spare parts). PCWorld has a helpful guide that covers some important tips to keep your robot running in good shape for the years to come.
Larger Dust Bags
Although a robot vacuum may not be as effective as a canister or upright model, it's great in 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 robotics to sweep your floors on a schedule when you don't have the time to do it yourself.
A few of the top-rated robotic vacuums come with large, easy to empty dust bags which can hold more dirt than a room. This can help save time and money in the form of bags that can be replaced. A number of the models on our list feature this feature, including the top pick one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an impressive performance score and includes a self-emptying bin. It also comes with mopping capabilities and efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, that has intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has more capacity, but is slightly more expensive.
The two models differ in how they handle long hair, which can become tangled in the rollers of some robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the best performing models. They all have top hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, as well as excellent auto empty results and excellent path planning. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also good options with respectable hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planning or auto empty.
The newest robots have sensors that can spot dirt and debris in the carpet, and are better at removing hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some have a mopping mode that can use the water reservoir to remove spills and messes that have gotten stuck. This feature is essential for families with children as well as pets.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum can help keep up with your home. The most effective models collect more dirt from the surface, pet hair and lint than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard floors. They also have navigation capabilities which prevent them from getting caught in cords for power or rug fringe and can glide easily under furniture.
According to the model, you can set up a robot vacuum to run several times per day, or watch it perform its duties using an app. However, these handy vacuums are also prone to clogging and require frequent maintenance, such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's bigger dust bin in certain cases) as well as checking the brushes for hair that has become tangled and regularly rinsing and allowing the filters to dry as suggested by the manufacturer.
Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She claims that a robot vacuum can last up to five years with proper maintenance. She recommends emptying the bin and the brush roll regularly cutting out hair that gets caught in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter if your machine is a mop as well. It's also a good idea to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the dock or robot occasionally with a soft cloth. Then, simply recharge and refill the robot whenever you need to for the next time you clean.