Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's top-rated robotic mop and vacuum takes a lot of the burden of keeping your floors tidy. It can refill its own water tank, and self-empty its tower bin that is larger and then change out the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your home and take note of furniture placement. They can also spot obstructions and avoid dangers such as loose charging cables and unintentional socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid hitting things like power cords, toys and clothes that be caught in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have kids or pets who are inclined to leave objects on the floor, where your robot will find them.
Depending on the model you pick depending on the model you select, your robot could have various sensors to help it navigate around obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensor beams that are a focused infrared light that scan across the room for things like furniture legs or door frames. A lot of robots have adopted this technology, and you'll see it in the flagship models that cost more.
Other technologies for avoiding objects that are typically found in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and detect obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off objects, to determine the distance between them. These are less common but can be an excellent option for your robot in case you're looking to add peace of mind.
Most of the top-rated robotics can also mop your floors. Some robots come with very own water tanks that let them clean up spills and messes. You'll have to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and wipe down its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these chores should not take a lot of time.
Mapping
The ability to map is essential in robot vacuums as they enable them to keep track of 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 taking less space from your space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. This allows them to sweep the entire floor with fewer passes, saving your time. Many of the best robot vacuums also have this feature, which enables you to create no-go areas.
best automatic vacuum cleaner with a built-in LIDAR system make use of this technology to map out your home quickly and efficiently. In our tests with the Eufy Clean robot made use of this feature to divide my room into various areas and clean each one independently, which was a huge improvement over the less expensive models we tested, which had the front bump sensor. This was a more precise way to navigate my home and it was easy for me to control with the app on the device.
Although there aren't any robot vacuums that can scale stairs, the best models do have obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect dirt from low-pile or hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors that prevent them from crossing the edge of stairs and some also have boundary strips that can prevent them from certain areas.
Some robots come with a massive tower base that houses the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. These bases can go several weeks or even months without emptying, which is especially beneficial for those with allergies. Some models come with self-emptying dust bins that can empty without opening and closing them manually.
Wi-Fi Enabled
Some robot vacuums utilize Wi-Fi to connect with their apps and allow you to control them using your smartphone rather than (or in addition to) an actual remote. These models are more expensive, but they can save you time because you can schedule cleaning sessions each week, daily or even monthly. These models also allow you to modify floor maps and save them for later use. They also offer alternate cleaning patterns.
The most advanced robot vacuums utilize dual sensors, which combine 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. Those features make it easier for your robot to get into narrow spaces like the nook beneath the kitchen cabinets or beneath sofas, where many other robots have trouble. They also are faster to maneuver around obstacles, and have longer runtimes and larger dust bins. This makes them ideal for large homes than entry-level robots.
The best rated robot vacuums are fast, smart and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, cat litter and other mess. They're also quiet, which makes them an ideal choice for homes that have pets as well as young children. Most robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they appreciate the ease of having their floor cleaned with little effort. This is especially true when used regularly. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the proper maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping track of replacement parts). PCWorld offers a useful guide that covers some important tips to help you keep yours running smoothly for long time to come.
Dust Bags Larger
A robotic vacuum is not as effective in cleaning as an upright or canister vacuum, but it is fantastic at picking up dust and dirt that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used for quick touch-ups on bare floors and can navigate around cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. It is possible to use a robot to clean your floors on a regular basis in case you don't have the time to do it yourself.
The top-rated robot vacuums have large dust bags that are easy to empty and can hold more than one room's worth of dirt. This will save time and money in the form of bags that can be replaced. A number of the models on our list include this feature, including our top choice one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac has an excellent performance rating and has self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping feature and an efficient navigation. It is a close call between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has smart mapping and avoidance technology. The robovac is more expensive, but it has more capacity.
Another significant difference between these two models is how well they deal with hair that is long which can get caught in the rollers of certain robots. The best-performing models, the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores along with great path planning and near perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also excellent options, with respectable hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, however they don't have as much path planning or auto empty.
The most recent robots have sensors that can spot dirt and other debris in the carpet, and they're better at picking up hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some robots come with mopping mode, which allows them to use the reservoir of water to clean up stuck-on debris and spills. This feature is a must for families with pets as well as children.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum can help keep up with your home. While no robot can replace an upright or a canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the highest rated models pick up pet hair, lint and other dirt on carpets and floors with low pile and pick up more than you could using the vacuum. They come with navigational features that help them avoid getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe or furniture.
Based on the model, a top-rated robotic vacuum can also be scheduled to run multiple times per day or allow you to watch it at work via an app. These machines are useful, but they can also be clogged and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the onboard dust bin (or in certain cases, the base's larger bin) as well as checking the brushes for tangled fur, and a regular cleaning of the filters and allowing them to dry according to the specifications of the manufacturer.
Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says a high-quality robot vacuum should last three to five years or more with regular maintenance and care. She recommends regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out hair that's tangled in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter, if your robot also acts as a mop. It's a good idea clean the sensors and charging contacts on the robot or dock with a soft clean cloth every now and then. You can then refill and recharge your robot for the next cleaning session.