Eufy's top-rated robotic vacuum and mop takes a bit of the hands-off work out of keeping your floors tidy. It has the ability to replenish its own water tank and empty its tower bin. It also has the capability to change its dust bag.
Advanced models can map your home and record furniture positioning. They can also identify hazards and navigate around them, like loose charging cables or unintentional socks.
Object Avoidance
Object avoidance allows your robot to avoid hitting objects such as cords, toys and even clothes that might get caught in the vacuum. This is especially important if you have kids or pets who may be likely to leave items on the floor, where your robot can be able to locate them.
Depending on the model you select depending on the model you choose, you may have a variety of sensor options available to assist your robot vacuum with mop in its journey around obstacles. Some of the most well-known include crossed IR sensor beams that are infrared-focused lights that scan across the room looking for things like furniture legs or door frames. A lot of robots have adopted this technology, and you'll find it in the top models that cost more.
Other technology for avoiding objects are typically found in higher-end robots include 3D Structured Light, which utilizes cameras and crossed IR sensors to map the environment and detect obstacles. Also, 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. These are less common but are a great option to add to your robot should you want to have more peace of mind.
Most of the top-rated robots can also clean your floors. Some come with their own water tanks, allowing them to wash away water-based spills and messes. You'll have to empty your robot's onboard dust bin and clean its cameras and sensors between cleaning sessions, but these tasks will not take a lot of your time.
Mapping
Robot vacuums must include mapping capabilities. This allows them to navigate around your home and avoid bumping against things like walls. They could be tripped by cords, pet toys, or furniture without mapping. This results in them cleaning less space. With sensors, the majority of robots map out your home to keep track of any obstacles and help them navigate around them. This way, they're able to clean the entire floor with fewer passes, saving your time. Many of the top rated robot vacuums with mop vacuums can also utilize this feature to create no-go zones which allows you to designate rooms that you don't want the robot to get into.
Robots with a built-in LIDAR system use this technology to create a map of your home quickly and efficiently. The Eufy Clean robot divided my room into distinct areas and cleaned each separately during our tests. This was an enormous improvement over other models that only had sensors on the front of the vehicle. This was a more accurate way to navigate my home, and it was simple for me to control with the app on the device.
While no robot vacuum can climb stairs yet, most of the best rated models come with good obstacle avoidance and mapping features. These tools allow them to collect debris from low-pile and hard floors, and to avoid falling down the stairs. Some have cliff sensors that prevent them from crossing over the edge of stairs and others have boundary strips that stop them from entering certain areas.
Some robots have a large tower base that houses their dirt and debris, reducing the amount of dust and allergens released into your home. These bases can be kept for weeks or months without being emptied, which is especially helpful for those who suffer from allergies. Some models also have self-emptying systems that let you dump out their onboard dust bins without having to manually open or close them.
Wi-Fi Enabled
Some robot vacuums communicate via Wi-Fi with their applications. This allows you to control them with your smartphone instead of (or in addition) to a physical remote. These models are more expensive, however, they can save time because you can schedule cleaning time each week, daily or even monthly. They also often allow you to edit and save floor maps and offer alternative cleaning schedules.
The most advanced robot vacuums utilize dual sensors, combining with a LIDAR system to map your space using a structured light sensor that can see objects and avoid them even if they're buried under furniture or power cords. These features allow your robot to maneuver into small spaces, like the nook beneath your kitchen cabinets and beneath sofas, where other robots have trouble. They're also faster to get over obstacles and have longer running times thanks to bigger dust bins, making them more suitable for large homes than entry-level robots.
The top-rated robot vacuums tend to be swift, intelligent and powerful cleaning up all kinds of floor debris such as pet hair, kitty litter and other mess. They can also be quite quiet which makes them a great option for homes with young kids and pets. Most robot vacuum owners we've talked to say they appreciate the convenience of keeping their floors clean without much effort, especially when used frequently. Robots can last as long as traditional vacuum cleaners, provided they have the right maintenance (cleaning rotating brushes and keeping an eye on replacement parts). PCWorld offers a guide that offers some useful tips to ensure that your robot is running smoothly.
Larger Dust Bags
A robotic vacuum may not be as efficient in cleaning as a canister or upright vacuum, but it's fantastic at picking up dust and dirt that regular vacuuming has left behind. It is a great tool for quick repairs to floors that are not clean and is able to navigate around cords or other obstacles in your home. You can use robots to clean your floors on a regular basis in case you don't have the time to do it yourself.
A few of the top-rated robotic vacuums come with big, easy to empty dust bags that can store more dirt than a single room. This can help save time and money through replacement bags. Many of the models we've listed include this feature, including our top choice, the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. This all-in-one robovac has an excellent performance rating and has self-emptying bin. It has a mopping feature and a streamlined navigation. It's a close contest between the iRobot Roomba Combo j9+ and this one, which uses the latest technology for avoidance and smart mapping. The robovac is more expensive, but it has more capacity.
The two models also differ in their handling of long hair, which may become tangled in the rollers of some 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 eufy and Shark Matrix Plus are also great options, with respectable hair pickup and tangle avoiding, but not as much path planning or auto empty.
The most recent robots have sensors that detect dirt and other debris in the carpet, and they're better at picking up hairs that have fallen off of pets. Some robots feature mopping mode, that makes use of the reservoir of water to remove stuck-on mess and spills. This feature is crucial for families with children as well as pets.
Maintenance
A robot vacuum is a great aid in keeping a close eye on your home. While no robot is able to replace an upright or canister vacuum for deep cleaning, the top models are rated to remove pet hair, lint, and other surface dirt on carpets and floors with low pile and pick up more than you could with the broom. They also have navigation features that prevent them from getting caught in rug fringe or power cords and can glide easily under furniture.
According to the model, you can program the robot vacuum to run multiple times per day or even watch it in action using an app. They are convenient, but they can also clog and require regular maintenance. This includes emptying the dust bin that is onboard (or in certain cases, the base's bigger bin) as well as checking the brushes for fur that is tangled, and regularly washing the filters and allowing them to dry according to the specifications of the manufacturer.
Vacuum expert Emily Rairdin, a store owner apprentice at University Vacuum + Sewing, says that a quality robot vacuum cleaners reviews vacuum can last from three to five years or more with regular care and attention. She recommends regularly emptying the brush roll and bin and cutting out any hair that is tangled in the brushes, and regularly cleaning and drying the filter when your robot is also used as mop. It's also a good idea to clean the sensors and charging contacts on the robot or dock every now and then with a soft cloth. You can refill and recharge your robot prior to the next cleaning session.