Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robotic vacuum and mop takes a bit of the hands-off work out of keeping your floors tidy. It can re-fill its own water tank, empty its tower bin, and swap out the dust bag.

The most advanced models are able to map your home and note the location of furniture. They can also detect hazards and navigate around them, like loose charging cables or loose socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance helps your robot to avoid hitting objects such as cords, toys and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. These features are especially important if you have pets or children that could leave objects on the floor for your robot vacuums uk to search.

Depending on the model you select You may have an array of different sensor options available to assist your robot in its journey around obstacles. Some of the most sought-after include crossed IR sensor beams that are a focused infrared light that scan across the room to look for furniture legs or door frames. Many robots have adopted this technology, and you'll find it in the flagship models that cost more.

Other object avoidance technology that is available 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 for the light to reflect off of an object, to determine its distance, are also available. These aren't very common but can be an excellent option to add to your robot should you want to have more peace of mind.

Most of the top-rated robots are also able to mop your floors. Some even have their own water tanks, allowing them to remove wet spills and messes. You'll need to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and wipe down its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these tasks should not take a lot of time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums need to be able to map. This lets them navigate your home without bumping against things like walls. They may be tripped by pet toys, cords or furniture that are not marked. This will result in them taking up less space. By using sensors, many robots map out your space to track any obstacles and help them navigate around them. They can clean your floors in fewer passes and help you save time. Many of the top-rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create zones that are not allowed, which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.

Robots with a built-in LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests, the Eufy Clean robot utilized this feature to divide my room into different areas and clean each independently, which was a huge improvement over the lesser models we tested that just used an in-front bump sensor. This was a more accurate method of navigating my home and was easy for me to control with the app that came with the device.

While there are no robot vacuums that can scale stairs, the Best robot vacuum uk models do have mapping and obstacle avoidance features. These tools let them collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors to stop them from crossing over the edge of the stairs and others have boundary strips that keep them away from certain areas.

Some robots come with a massive tower base that holds the dirt they collect, minimizing the amount of dust and allergens that are released into your home. The bases can be left for weeks or months without being emptied which is particularly beneficial when you suffer from allergies. Certain models come with self-emptying dust bins which you can empty without opening or closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi to their apps. This lets you control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to the physical remote. These models are more expensive, but they can save you time as you can schedule cleaning sessions each week, daily or monthly. They also often allow you to modify and save floor maps as well as offer alternative cleaning schedules.

The most advanced robot vacuums utilize dual sensors, which combine a LIDAR system to map your space using a structured light sensor that is able to see objects and avoid them, even if they're hidden under furniture or power cords. Those features allow your robot to maneuver into small spaces, like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets and under sofas, where many other robots have trouble. They are also more efficient in getting over obstacles and have longer run times with larger dust bins, making them more suitable for large homes than entry-level robots.

The top-rated robot vacuums are swift, intelligent and powerful and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, including pet hair, kitty litter and other messes. They can also be quiet making them a good choice for homes with young kids and pets. 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 as long as traditional vacuum cleaners with the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping track of replacement parts). PCWorld offers a helpful guide that covers some important techniques to keep your machine running in good shape for the years to come.

Larger Dust Bags

While a robotic vacuum may not be as efficient as a canister or upright model, it is great at picking up dust and other debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can also be used to provide quick touch-ups on floors, and it can also navigate through cords and other obstacles in the home. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robot vacuum will let you send it out to sweep your floors on a regular schedule.

The top-rated robot vacuums come with big, easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than a room. This will save you time and money on replacement bags. A number of the models we've listed have this feature, including the most popular model, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This robovac all-in-one has an excellent performance rating and includes an auto-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and efficient navigation. It is a close call between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, which comes with the ability to avoidance and smart mapping. This model has a greater capacity, but is slightly more expensive.

Another big difference between these two models is how they handle hair that is long that can get caught in the rollers of certain robots. The Roborock Q5 Max+, SwitchBot K10S Plus and Roborock Q5 Max+ are the most efficient models. They both have excellent hair pickup and tangle-avoidance scores, as well as excellent auto empty results and excellent path planning. The eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also good choices with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much path-planning or auto empty.

The most recent robots are outfitted with sensors that can identify dirt and other debris on carpets and they are better in removing pet hair. Some have a mopping mode that can use the water reservoir to remove spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is a must-have for families with pets as well as children.

Maintenance

A robot automatic vacuum and mop robot can help keep up with your home. The best models can remove more dirt, pet hair and lint than a broom on low-pile or hard floors. They also come with navigation features that prevent them from getting caught in cords for power or rug fringe and are able to slide easily under furniture.

According to the model, you can schedule a robot vacuum to run several times per day or even watch it in action using an app. However, these handy machines are also susceptible to clogging, and require regular maintenance, such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's bigger dust bin in some cases) as well as checking the brushes for tangled hair, and periodically rinsing and allowing the filters to dry as recommended by the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a automatic vacuum cleaner expert and store owner apprentice from University Vacuum + Sewing. She says that a robot vacuum can last from three to five years with proper maintenance. She suggests regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out any hair that is tangled up in the brushes and regularly cleaning and drying the filter in the event that your robot hoover and mop acts as a mop. It's also a good idea to wipe down the charging contacts and sensors on the robot or dock every now and then with a soft cloth. Then simply recharge and refill the robot as needed for your next cleaning session.