Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's robot mop and vacuum is the top-rated product in its class. It takes a lot of the chore of cleaning your floors. It is able to refill its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It also has the ability to change the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your home and take note of furniture arrangement. They also can detect obstacles and avoid hazards such as loose charging cables and stray socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance functions allow your robot to avoid crashing into things such as power cords, toys and even clothes that could get caught up in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have children or pets that are prone to leaving objects on the floor where your robot could discover them.
Based on the model you pick, you might have a variety of sensors to aid your robot in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most sought-after include crossed IR sensor beams, which are focused infrared lights which scan the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. This technology has been widely adopted by many robots that are available, and you can also get it in top models that cost more than others.
Other technology for avoiding objects you might find in more expensive robots include 3D Structured Light, which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment and detect obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors which emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off of objects, to determine the distance between them. Although they aren't as common, they can be a great addition to your robot if it needs peace of mind knowing that it will avoid getting caught up in power cords or socks when cleaning.
Most of the top-rated robots can also mop your floors. Some robots come with very own water tanks that allow them to clean up spills and messes. You'll need to empty the dust bin onboard and clean its cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions.
Mapping
Robot vacuums should include mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate around your home and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they might get tripped up by furniture, cords or pet toys and end up removing less of your space. Most robots employ sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. This allows them to sweep the entire floor in fewer passes, thereby saving your time. Many of the top robotic vacuums also come with this feature, which enables you to designate areas that are not accessible.
Robots that have built-in LIDAR utilize this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into separate areas and cleaned each one in a separate manner during our tests. This was a vast improvement over other models that rely on the front bumper sensor. This was a far more precise way to navigate my home and was also easy to control via the on-device app.
Although there aren't any robot vacuums that can climb stairs, most effective models have obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools help them to pick up debris from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to prevent falling down the steps. Certain tools come with sensors that stop them from falling over the edge of the stairs. Some have boundaries to keep them away.
Some robots have a large tower base which holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. They can last for several months or even weeks between emptying, and are particularly beneficial if you have allergies. Alternatively, some models have self-emptying systems that let you dump out their onboard dust bins without having to manually open and close them.
Wi-Fi Enabled
Some robot vacuums use Wi-Fi to communicate with their apps and allow you to control them with your smartphone rather than (or in addition to) the physical remote. These models are more expensive however, they can save time because you can schedule cleaning time every day, weekly, or even monthly. These models also let you edit floor maps and save them for later use. They also offer alternate cleaning schedules.
Dual sensors are utilized by the most modern robot vacuums. They combine a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and block out objects, even when they are hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features make it easier for your robot to enter small spaces, like the nook under your kitchen cabinets and under sofas, where other robots have trouble. They also are faster to navigate around obstacles, have longer runtimes, and bigger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for large homes compared to entry-level robots.
The top-rated robot vacuums tend to be fast, smart and powerful, picking up most kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, kitty litter and other messes. They are also quite quiet, making them an excellent option for homes with pets as well as young children. Most robot vacuum users we've spoken with say that they appreciate the ease of having their floors cleaned without much effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners with the proper maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts). PCWorld has a helpful guide that covers some important techniques to keep your robot running efficiently for many long time to come.
Dust Bags Larger
While a robotic vacuum may not be as effective as an upright or canister model, it is great in picking up dust and other debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used to provide quick repairs to floors and can maneuver around cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. You can employ a robot to clean your floors on a schedule when you don't have the time to do it yourself.
Some of the best rated robot vacuums have large, easy-to-empty dust bags that hold more than a single room's worth of dirt. This can help you save time and money on bags that need to be replaced. Many of the models on our list have this feature, including the most popular one, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance score and includes a self-emptying bin. It comes with a mopping function and an efficient navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has a larger capacity, but is slightly more expensive.
autonomous vacuum between these two models is the way they deal with hair that is long, which can tangle in the rollers of certain 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 together with excellent auto empty results and great 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 planing or auto empty.
The latest robots are fitted with sensors that detect dirt and debris on carpets and they are better at picking up pet hair. Some robots have mopping modes which allows them to use the reservoir of water to clean up stuck-on debris and spills. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.
Maintenance
Having a robot vacuum is a great aid in keeping up with your home. The best models can remove more dirt from the surface, pet hair, and lint than the broom that is used on low-pile or hard flooring. They also have navigational features to keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe, or furniture.
Based on the model, a highly rated robot vacuum can also be scheduled to run multiple times a day, or permit you to view it in action via an app. These devices are convenient however they can get clogged and require regular maintenance. This means emptying the dust bin that is onboard (or in certain cases, the base's larger bin), checking brushes for tangled fur and a regular cleaning of the filters and allowing them to dry according to the manufacturer.
Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum can last from three to five years or more with regular maintenance and care. She suggests emptying the bin and brush roll frequently cutting out hairs that get caught in the brushes, and regularly washing and drying the filter, especially if it is also a mop. It's also recommended to wipe down the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or robot every now and then with a soft cloth. Then simply refill and recharge the robot whenever you need to for the next time you clean.