Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's robotic mop and vacuum is among the highest-rated of its kind. It takes a lot of work out of cleaning your floors. It is able to refill its own water tank, self-empty its tower bin, and then change the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your house and take note of furniture placement. They also can detect obstructions and avoid dangers like loose charging cables and stray socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid running into things like power cords, toys and clothes that can be caught in the vacuum. These features are particularly important if you have children or pets that may leave things on the floor for your robot to discover.
Depending on the model you pick, you might have an array of different sensors to aid your robot in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most popular include crossed IR sensor beams, which are a focused infrared light that scan the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. This technology has been widely adopted by numerous robots on the market and you can see it in the top models that are priced higher than others.
Other technologies for avoiding objects that can be found in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and identify obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that emit light and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects, to determine the distance between them. While these are less common however, they are a great addition to your robot if you need additional security knowing that it will avoid getting hung up on cords or socks when cleaning.
Most of the top-rated robotics are also able to mop your floors. Some robots have their own water tanks which allow them to clean up spills and messes. You'll need to empty the robot's onboard dust bin and clean its sensors and cameras between cleaning sessions, but these tasks will not take a lot of your time.
Mapping
Robot vacuums should have mapping capabilities. This lets them navigate your home without bumping against things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped by cords, furniture or pet toys, and end up cleaning less of your space. By using sensors, many robots map your home to keep track of any obstacles and assist them to navigate around them. They can sweep the floor in fewer steps and help you save time. A lot of the top-rated robot vacuums also have this feature to create zones that are not allowed, which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to enter.
Robots that have built-in LIDAR use this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. best automatic vacuum cleaner divided my room into distinct areas and cleaned each in a separate manner during our tests. This was an enormous improvement over other models that only had the front bumper sensor. This was a far more precise way to navigate my home and was simple to control with the on-device application.
While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can scale stairs, the best models do have mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools assist to remove debris from carpets and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from crossing over the edge of the stairs and some also have boundary strips that can keep them away from certain areas.
Certain robots have a huge tower base that houses the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens emitted into your home. They can be kept for weeks or 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 needing to open and close them.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums utilize Wi-Fi to communicate with their apps and allow you to control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition to) an actual remote. These models are more expensive, but they help you save time by allowing you to schedule cleaning sessions on a weekly, daily or even monthly basis. They also often allow users to edit and save floor maps and provide alternative cleaning routines.
Dual sensors are used by the most modern robot vacuums. They combine a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and avoid objects, even if they're hidden beneath furniture or power cables. Those features make it easier for your robot to maneuver into tight spaces like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets and under sofas, where many other robots have difficulty. They're also faster to get around obstacles and have longer run times due to bigger dust bins, making them more suitable for large homes than entry-level robotics.
The best robot vacuums are fast and efficient. They are also intelligent and powerful. They are able to pick up many kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, cat litter and other mess. They can also be quiet, making them an ideal option for homes with young children and pets. Most robot vacuum users have told us that they appreciate the ease of having their floor cleaned with minimal effort. This is particularly true when they are used regularly. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts). PCWorld offers a guide with helpful tips to keep yours running smoothly.
Larger Dust Bags
A robotic vacuum isn't as effective in cleaning like an upright or canister vacuum, but it's fantastic at picking up dust and other debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used for quick touch-ups on bare floors and can maneuver through cords and other obstacles in the home. If you don't want to perform the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner will let you send it out to sweep your floors on a regular schedule.
Some of the best rated robot vacuums have large dust bags that are easy to empty. They can hold more than one room's worth of dirt. This can save time and money by providing bags that are replaced. This feature is available on several models including our top choice, the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in one robovac is a top-performing robovac that has a self-emptying bin. It also has a mopping feature and an efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with smart mapping and avoidance technology. The robovac is more expensive, however it has more capacity.
The two models differ in the way 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 superb hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores, along with fantastic path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also excellent options with good hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much path-planning or auto empty.
The most recent robots have sensors that detect dirt and debris on the carpet, and are better at removing hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some have a mopping mode that can use the reservoir of water to eliminate the stains and spills. This feature is a must for families with pets and children.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum can help you keep up with your home. While no robot is able to replace an upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the top rated models pick up pet hair, lint and other dirt on carpets with low pile and hard floors and pick up more than you can using the vacuum. They also come with navigation features which prevent them from getting caught on power cords or rug fringe and are able to glide effortlessly under furniture.
According to the model, you can set up the robot vacuum to run multiple times per day or even watch it in action using an app. However, these convenient machines are also susceptible to clogging, and require regular maintenance like emptying the onboard bin (or the base's larger dust bin in some cases) as well as checking the brushes for tangled hair, and then periodically washing and allowing the filters to dry according to the manufacturer.
Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing. She believes that a robotic vacuum can last up to five years with proper maintenance. She recommends emptying the bin and the brush roll regularly and cutting off hair that gets caught in the brushes, and regularly rinsing and drying the filter if your machine is a mop as well. It's also an excellent idea to wipe down the charging contacts and sensors on the robot or dock often with a soft, clean cloth. You can then recharge and refill your robot prior to the next cleaning session.