Best Rated Robot Vacuum and Mop
Eufy's top-rated robot vacuum and mop takes a bit of the hands-off work out of keeping your floors spotless. It is able to replenish its own water tank as well as empty its tower bin. It also has the ability to change the dust bag it uses.
More advanced models are smart enough to draw a map of your home and take note of furniture placement. They also can detect obstacles and navigate around hazards such as loose charging cables and stray 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 you have pets or children that could leave items on the floor for your robot to discover.
Depending on which model you choose, your robot may have several sensor options to aid in navigating around obstacles. Some of the most well-known include crossed IR sensor beams, which are focused infrared lights which scan the room looking for things like furniture legs or door frames. Many robots have adopted this technology, and you'll see it in the top models that cost more.
Other technology for avoiding objects that can be found in more expensive robotics includes 3D Structured Light which uses cameras and a crossed IR sensors to map the environment, and identify obstacles. Time of Flight (ToF), sensors that measure and emit the duration it takes for the light to reflect off of an object, in order to determine its distance, are available. Although they aren't as common however, they are a great addition to your robot if it needs peace of mind knowing that it won't get stuck on power cords or socks when cleaning.
Most of the top-rated robotics are also able to mop your floors. Some even have their own water tanks, which allow them to remove the stains and spills that are wet. You'll need to clean the robot's dust bin onboard and clean its cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions.
Mapping
Robot vacuums need to have mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate your home and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they might get tripped up by furniture, cords, or pet toys and end up cleaning less of your space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. This allows them to clean the entire floor using fewer passes, which saves you time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums also have this feature to create no-go zones, which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.
Robots equipped with LIDAR make use of this technology to map your home quickly and effectively. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into distinct areas and cleaned each separately during our tests. This was a vast improvement over other models that rely on sensors on the front of the vehicle. This was a much more accurate way of navigating my home and was simple to control via the on-device app.
While there are no robot cleaner with mop vacuums that can climb stairs, top models do come with obstacles avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to pick up debris from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to keep them from falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from going over the edge of the stairs, and some have boundary strips that stop them from entering certain areas.
Some robots come with an enormous base tower that can collect dirt. This helps reduce the amount of dust or allergens that are released within your home. These bases can be left for weeks or even months without emptying, which is especially helpful if you suffer from allergies. Some models also have self-emptying mechanisms that let you empty their dust bins without having to manually open and close them.
Wi-Fi enabled
Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi to their apps. This lets you control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to an actual remote. These models are more expensive however, they can save time since you can schedule cleaning time daily, weekly or even monthly. These models also allow you to edit floor maps and save them, as well as provide alternative cleaning schedules.
Dual sensors are used by the most advanced robot vacuums. They combine the LIDAR mapping system with a structured-light sensor which can detect and avoid objects, even if they're hidden beneath furniture or power cables. These features allow your robot hoover to reach into tight areas, like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets or under your sofas. Other robots struggle to reach these areas. They're also faster to get around obstacles and have longer running times thanks to larger dust bins, making them ideal for larger homes than the entry-level robots.
The Best robot vacuum cleaner UK rated robot vacuums tend to be swift, intelligent and powerful and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They are also quite quiet, making them a great choice for homes with pets or young children. Most robot vacuum users we've spoken to report that they appreciate the ease of having their floors cleaned with little effort. This is especially true if they are used frequently. And with proper maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping an eye on the parts that need replacement) robots can last as long as a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld offers a useful guide that provides tips to help you keep yours running efficiently for many long time to come.
Dust Bags Larger
A robotic vacuum isn't as effective in cleaning as a canister or upright vacuum, but it's fantastic at picking up dust and debris that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to perform quick repairs to floors that are not clean and is able to maneuver around cords and other obstacles in your home. If you don't wish to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robotic cleaner can be sent out to sweep your floors on a regular schedule.
Some of the top-rated robot vacuums have large easy to empty dust bags that can hold more dirt than a single room. This can help you save time and money on bags that need to be replaced. This feature is available on many models, including our top pick which is the Ecovacs T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an excellent performance score and has an auto-emptying bin. It also has mopping functions and effective navigation. It's a close match between this and the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+, that has intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. This robovac has a larger capacity, but is slightly more expensive.
The two models also differ in how they handle long hair, which may become tangled in the rollers of a few robots. The top-performing models, the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have superb hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores along with great path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much planning for paths or auto empty.
The latest robots come with sensors that can spot dirt and debris on the carpet, and they're better at removing loose pet hair. Some even have a dedicated mopping mode that can use the reservoir of water to eliminate spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is a must-have for families with pets and children.
Maintenance
Having a robot vacuum is a great aid in keeping a close eye on your home. While no robot can replace an upright or a canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the highest rated models pick up pet hair, lint and other dirt on hard floors and low-pile carpets which can pick up more than you would find using a Broom. They come with navigational features that keep them from getting stuck on power cords, rug fringe, or furniture.
Depending on the model, a highly rated robot vacuum is also able to run several times per day or allow you to view it in action via 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 some cases), checking brushes for tangled hair, and regularly rinsing and allowing the filters to dry as recommended by the manufacturer.
Emily Rairdin is a vacuum expert and store owner apprentice from University automatic vacuum and mop + Sewing. She believes that a robotic vacuum can last for three to five years with proper maintenance. She recommends regularly emptying the brush roll and bin, cutting out any hair that has gotten caught in the brushes, and frequently washing and drying the filter, in the event that your robot acts as a mop. It's a good idea to clean the charging contacts and sensors on the dock or robot with a soft, clean cloth every now and again. You can then recharge and refill your robot for the next cleaning session.