Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop

Eufy's top-rated robotic vacuum and mop takes a bit of the burden of keeping your floors spotless. It can refill its own water tank, self-empty its larger tower bin and then change the dust bag.

The most advanced models are smart enough to draw a map of your home and take note of the furniture's position. They can also detect hazards and navigate around them, such as loose charging cables or unintentional socks.

Object Avoidance

Object avoidance features enable your robot to avoid hitting things such as power cords, toys and clothes that can be caught in the vacuum. These features are particularly important if your family has children or pets that may leave items on the floor for your robot to find.

Depending on the model you select depending on the model you choose, you may have a variety of sensor options available to help your robot navigate through obstacles. A few popular ones include crossed IR sensors that focus beams of infrared light throughout the room to identify things like furniture legs and door frames. A lot of robots have adopted this technology, and you can find it in the top models that are more expensive.

Other object avoidance technology that you may find in more expensive robotics includes 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the surroundings and detect obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF) sensors that measure and emit the duration that it takes the light to reflect off an object, to determine its distance, are also available. These are less common but could be a great option for your robot in case you're looking to add security.

The majority of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some even come with their own water tanks, allowing them to clean up water-based 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 shouldn't take much of your time.

Mapping

Robot vacuums should be able to map. This lets them navigate your home without hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they may be tripped by cords, furniture 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 with fewer passes, saving you time. A lot of the top-rated robot vacuums also have this feature to create zones that are not allowed, permitting you to define areas that you do not want the robot to get into.

Robots that have a built-in LIDAR system make use of this technology to map out your home quickly and efficiently. During our tests with the Eufy Clean robot utilized this feature to divide my room into distinct areas and clean each independently it was a major improvement over the less expensive models we tested, which used a front bump sensor. This was a much more accurate way of navigating my home, and it was easy to control with the app on the device.

While there aren't any robotic vacuums that can climb stairs, the top models do come with obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools help them to pick up debris from hard floors and low-pile carpets, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from crossing the edge of stairs and some also have boundary strips that can keep them away from certain areas.

Some robots come with large towers on the base that can collect dirt. This helps reduce the amount of dust or allergens that are released within your home. These bases can go weeks or even months between emptying and are especially beneficial if you have allergies. Certain models come with self-emptying dust bins which you can empty without opening and closing them manually.

Wi-Fi enabled

Some robot vacuums connect via Wi-Fi with their applications. This allows you to control them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to a physical remote. They are more expensive but can help you save time by allowing you to schedule cleaning sessions on a weekly, daily or even a monthly basis. They also permit you to edit and save floor maps and provide alternative cleaning routines.


Dual sensors are employed by the most modern robot vacuums. They combine with a LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor that can detect and avoid objects, even when they're hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features let your robot access tight areas, such as the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or under sofas. Other robots struggle with these spaces. They also have a faster speed to maneuver around obstacles, have longer run times and larger dust bins. This makes them more suitable for homes with large spaces compared to basic robots.

The top-rated robot vacuums are fast, smart and powerful and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, cat litter, and other mess. They can also be quite quiet which makes them a great option for homes with young kids and pets. Many of the robot vacuum owners we've spoken to report that they appreciate the ease of having their floor cleaned without much effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping tabs on the parts that need replacement) robots can last as long as a conventional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a helpful guide that provides tips to keep your machine running efficiently for many long time to come.

Dust Bags Larger

A robotic vacuum may not be as effective in cleaning as a canister or upright vacuum, but it is great at picking up the dust and debris that regular vacuuming has left behind. It can also be used for quick touch-ups on floors, and it can also navigate around cords and other obstacles that are common to household use. It is possible to use robots to clean your floors on a schedule if you don't have time to do it yourself.

The top-rated robot vacuums come with large dust bags that can store more dirt than a single room. This can save time and money in the form of replacement bags. A number of the models on our list feature this feature, including our top choice model, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac has an excellent performance score and includes a self-emptying bin. It also comes with mopping functions and effective navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which is equipped with the latest technology for avoidance and smart mapping. This robovac is more expensive, but it has more capacity.

The two models also differ in how they handle long hair, which could get tangled up in the rollers of certain robots. robot vacuum best are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have outstanding 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 great options, with good hair pickup and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planning or auto empty.

The latest robots are equipped with sensors that can detect dirt and debris on carpets and they are better at removing pet hair. Some models even have a mopping mode that can use the reservoir of water to eliminate the stains and spills. This feature is a must-have for families with pets and children.

Maintenance

Having a robot vacuum can be a great aid in keeping up with your home. The top models can remove more dirt pet hair and lint, than a broom on low pile or hard floors. They come with navigational features that prevent them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe or furniture.

According to the model, you can set up the robot vacuum to run several times per day or even observe it in action with an app. These devices are convenient, but they can also get clogged and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin onboard (or in some cases, the base's larger bin), checking brushes for tangled fur, and regularly washing the filters and allowing them to dry according to the specifications of the manufacturer.

Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing. She claims that a robot vacuum can last up to five years if it is properly care. She recommends emptying the bin and brush roll frequently and cutting off any hair tangled in the brushes, and then regularly rinsing and drying the filter if your machine is also a mop. It is a good idea to clean the charging contacts and sensors on the robot or dock with an easy, clean cloth every now and again. Then, recharge and refill your robot prior to the next clean-up session.