Eufy's robotic mop and vacuum is among the highest-rated of its kind. It takes a lot of the work out of cleaning your floors. It can refill its own water tank, empty its larger tower bin and change the dust bag.
Advanced models can map your home and take note of furniture placement. They can also identify hazards and avoid them, such as loose charging cables or stray socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting objects such as cords, toys and clothes that could get caught in the vacuum. These are particularly important if you have children or pets who may be inclined to leave objects on the floor, where your robot could discover them.
Depending on the model you pick, your robot may have various sensors to help it navigate around obstacles. Some of the most well-known include crossed IR sensor beams that are a focused infrared light that scan across the room for things like furniture legs or door frames. This technology has been widely adopted by many robots that are available and you can find it in flagship 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 uses cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment and identify obstacles; and Time of Flight (ToF) sensors which emit and measure the time it takes for light to reflect off objects, to determine the distance to them. While these are less common however, they are beneficial to your robot if it needs peace of mind knowing that it will avoid getting hung up on power cords or socks when cleaning.
The majority of the top-rated robots can also mop your floors. Some robots come with very own water tanks that let them clean up spills and messes. It is necessary to clean the robot's dust bin onboard and clean its cameras and sensors in between cleaning sessions.
Mapping
Robot vacuums should be able to map. This allows them to navigate your home and avoid hitting things like walls. Without mapping, they might be tripped over by cords, furniture or pet toys, and end up taking less space from your space. Most robots use sensors to map your home and navigate around obstacles. They can sweep the floor in fewer passes, and make it easier for you to save time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums can also utilize this feature to create zones that are not allowed, allowing you to set specific rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.
Robots with a built-in LIDAR utilize this technology to map your home efficiently and quickly. During our tests with the Eufy Clean robot used this feature to divide my room into various areas and clean each one independently, which was a huge improvement over the less expensive models we tested that used the front bump sensor. This was a much more accurate way of navigating my home and was also easy to control using the on-device app.
While no robot vacuum can climb stairs, the majority of the top-rated models come with good obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to remove dirt from carpets with low pile and hard floors and also to prevent falling down the steps. Some have cliff sensors that stop them from crossing the edge of the stairs and some also have boundary strips that can prevent them 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. The bases can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied which is particularly beneficial when you suffer from allergies. Some models have self-emptying dust bins that can empty without opening or closing them manually.
Wi-Fi Enabled
Some robot cleaner with mop vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi to their apps. This lets you operate them with your smartphone instead (or in addition) to a physical remote. These models are more expensive but can help you save time by letting you schedule cleaning times on a weekly, daily or even a monthly basis. These models also allow you to modify floor maps and save them for later use. They also offer alternative cleaning patterns.
The most advanced robot vacuums use dual sensors, which combine a LIDAR system to map your space using a structured light sensor that can detect objects and avoid them even if they're hidden under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to reach into tight spaces, such as the kitchen's nook under cabinets or under your sofas. Some robots have difficulty in these kinds of spaces. They're also faster to get around obstacles and have longer running times thanks to larger dust bins, which makes them ideal for larger homes than the entry-level robots that vacuum and mop.
The top rated robot vacuums tend to be quick, efficient and effective and can clean up all kinds of floor debris, such as pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They're also quiet, which makes them an ideal choice for homes that have pets and young children. The majority of robot vacuum users we've spoken to report that they love the convenience of having their floors cleaned with little effort. This is particularly true when they are used regularly. If you take care of maintenance (cleaning the rotating brushes and keeping track on the parts that need replacement) robots can last longer than a traditional full-size vacuum cleaner. PCWorld has a helpful guide that outlines some essential techniques to keep yours running smoothly for long time to come.
Larger Dust Bags
A robotic vacuum is not as good in cleaning like an upright or canister vacuum, but it's fantastic at picking up dust and dirt that regular vacuuming leaves behind. It can be used to perform quick retouching of floors and can also navigate around cords or other household obstacles. If you don't want to do the deep cleaning yourself, a robot cleaner can be set to send it out to sweep your floors on a regular schedule.
The top-rated robot vacuums have large dust bags that are easy to empty and hold more than a single room's worth of dirt. This can save you time and money on replacement bags. Many of the models on our list include this feature, including our most popular, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac boasts an impressive performance score and has an auto-emptying bin. It also has a mopping function and efficient navigation. This is a close race between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this model, which utilizes intelligent mapping and avoidance technology. The robovac is more expensive but has a bigger capacity.
Another big difference between these two models is how they deal with hair that is long that can get caught in the rollers on some robots. The top-performing models are the Roborock Q5 Max+ and SwitchBot K10S Plus, both have excellent hair pickup and tangle avoidance scores with great path planning and close to perfect auto empty results. The Shark Matrix Plus and eufy are also good options with decent hair pick-up and tangle avoidance, but not as much path planing or auto empty.
The most recent robots have sensors that can 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 makes use of the reservoir of water to wash away spills and stuck-on mess. This feature is a must for families with pets and children.
Maintenance
A robot automatic vacuum and mop robot can be a great help in keeping up with your home. The best models can collect more dirt from the surface, 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.
Depending on the model, a top-rated robotic vacuum is also able to run several times per day, or permit users to observe it in action via an app. However, these useful devices can also be prone to clogging and require regular maintenance, such as emptying the onboard bin (or the base's bigger dust bin in certain cases), checking brushes for tangled hair, and periodically rinsing and letting the filters dry as suggested by 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 with proper maintenance. She suggests regularly emptying the bin and brush roll, cutting out hair that's tangled up in the brushes and regularly washing and drying the filter when your robot is also used as a mop. It's a good idea clean the sensors and charging contacts of the robot or dock with an easy, clean cloth every now and then. Then, recharge and refill your robot before the next clean-up session.