Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's robotic mop and vacuum is among the top-rated product in its class. It takes a lot of work out of cleaning your floors. It can re-fill its own water tank, empty its tower bin, and change the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your house and record furniture positioning. They also can detect dangers and help you avoid them, such as loose charging cables or loose socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance helps your robot to avoid hitting things such as cords, toys and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. These features are especially important if your family has pets or children who may leave objects on the floor for your robot to find.
Based on the model you choose depending on the model you choose, you may have a variety of sensor options available to assist your robot in its journey through obstacles. Some of the most popular are crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared lights across the room to spot things like furniture legs and door frames. Many robots have adopted this technology, and you'll see it in the top models that cost more.
Another object avoidance technology can be found in more expensive robotics includes 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 duration it takes for the light to reflect off an object, to determine its distance, is also available. These aren't very common but could be a great addition to your robot, in case you're looking to add security.
Besides cleaning up dust and other debris on hard floors, most of the best-rated robots can sweep your floors as well. Some robots come with own water tanks that allow them to clean up spills and messes. You'll have to empty your robot's dust bin and clean the cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions, but these chores should not take a lot of time.
Mapping
The ability to map is essential in robot vacuums because they enable them to recognize your home's layout, and prevent them from bumping into objects like walls. They could be tripped by cords, pet toys, or furniture without mapping. This results in them taking up less space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can clean your floors in fewer passes and help you save time. A lot of the top-rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create zones that are not allowed, which allows you to designate areas that you do not want the robot to enter.
Robots with a built-in LIDAR use this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. In our tests, the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to separate my room into distinct areas and clean each independently, which was a huge improvement over the less expensive models we tested, which utilized 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 that came with the device.
While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can climb stairs, top models do come with obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from going over the edge of the stairs and others have boundary strips that keep them away from certain areas.
Some robots have a large tower base which holds their collected dirt, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. They can last for several weeks or even months without emptying, and are particularly useful if you suffer from allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying systems that let you take out the dust bins without having to manually open or close them.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums use 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. Those models are more expensive but can save you time by letting you plan cleaning time on a weekly, daily or even monthly basis. These models also allow you to edit floor maps and save them for later use. They also offer alternate cleaning schedules.
The most advanced robot vacuums employ dual sensors, combining the LIDAR system to map your space with a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them, even if they're under furniture or power cords. These features allow your Robot Vacuum Mops to reach into tight areas, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or under your sofas. Other robots struggle to reach these kinds of spaces. They're also quicker to get over obstacles and have longer run times due to larger dust bins, making them ideal for larger homes than the entry-level robots.
The top rated robot vacuums are quick, efficient and effective, picking up most kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, kitty litter and other messes. They are also quite quiet, making them a great choice for homes that have pets and young children. Most robot vacuum owners we've spoken to have reported that they appreciate the convenience of keeping their floors clean without much effort, particularly if they use it frequently. With proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on replacement parts) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a guide that offers some useful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.
Larger Dust Bags
Although a robot vacuum may not be as efficient as an upright or canister model, it is excellent in removing dirt and dust that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It is a great tool for quick retouching of floors, and can maneuver around cords and other household obstacles. If you don't want to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robot cleaner will let you send it out to scour your floors on a regular schedule.
Some of the top-rated robot vacuums come with large easy to empty dust bags which can hold more dirt than a room. This can help you save time and money on replacement bags. This feature is available on a variety of models including our top choice one, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in one robovac is a top-performing robovac that comes with a self emptying bin. It also has a mopping function and efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which has smart mapping and avoidance technology. This model has a greater capacity, but is slightly more expensive.
The two models also differ in their handling of long hair, which can become tangled in the rollers of a few robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the top performing models. They both have excellent hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores along with great auto empty results and excellent path planning. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoidance, but not as much planning for paths or auto empty.
The newest robots have sensors that can spot dirt and other debris in the carpet, and are better at removing hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some 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 and pets.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum will help you keep up with your home. The best models can remove more dirt from the surface pet hair and lint, than a broom on low-pile or hard floors. They also have navigation capabilities that ensure they don't get caught in rug fringe or power cords and are able to glide effortlessly under furniture.
Based on the model, a top-rated robotic vacuum can be scheduled to run several times per day, or permit you to view it in action using an app. However, these useful vacuums are also prone to clogging, and require regular maintenance such as emptying the bin onboard (or the base's larger dust bin in certain cases) and checking the brushes for hair that has become tangled and regularly rinsing and allowing the filters to dry according to the manufacturer.
Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum will last for three to five years or more with regular maintenance and care. She suggests emptying the bin and brush roll frequently and cutting off any hair tangled in the brushes, and regularly washing and drying the filter if your robot is also a mop. It's also a good idea to clean the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or robot often with a soft, clean cloth. Then, recharge and refill the robot whenever you need to for the next time you clean.