The Best Robot Hoover
The best robot vacuum will sweep and vacuum your floors without your involvement. It will also leave them spotless. Its affordable price and high-end features (such as dirt detector) are positives.
Be sure to examine the brushes of your robot for hair that is tangled as well as large debris and clean them as required. Some models can also automatically empty their dust bin on board into a larger bin in the base, which decreases the amount of fine dust that is released into the air.
1. Roomba Q5 pro
The Q5 Pro and its sibling the more expensive Q7 Max Series, are among the most powerful robot vacuums we've test. Robot Vacuum Mops feature motors that are top-of-the line and can suction up to 5,500 Pascals. Like other premium iRobot models (including the top pick) they utilize smart mapping technology to design precise floor plans and eliminate common obstacles like cords and furniture legs. They also come with carpet boost, a feature which boosts the robot's power when it spots the presence of dirt on the carpet, allowing it cleaned quickly.
Both the Q5 as well as the Q7 Max Series get very excellent scores in our floor tests that test for bare floors, and they're particularly adept in cleaning pet hair. There are some issues, however, that prevent them from being our top option. For instance, the Q5's navigation doesn't have AI-powered obstacle avoidance and is therefore prone to getting hung up on shoes and socks and can't navigate rooms with a lot of people efficiently in our tests. It also doesn't have a camera that can see around corners.
It's still a good value, especially if your home or office has lots of unfinished flooring and you're looking to save some money. It's also very quiet and operates while you're at work or in school. It lacks the edge-to-edge bare floor vacuuming feature that's available in the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30. And it's less effective at mopping, using disposable wet wipes that don't hold on for long and don't deal with dried-on debris. The Q5 comes with a self-emptying cradle, however. If you want to, you can swap the mopping pad for dry ones in a matter of just a few seconds.
2. iRobot Roomba
The iRobot Roomba X30 is a compact elegant vacuum cleaner that can also mop floors. Its agile navigation and intelligent cleaning maps make it quick to clean and efficient in tackling larger particles like pet hair. It also has a powerful suction and a self-emptying bin. It's the most efficient robotic hoover for carpets, however it's not as good as other hoovers in terms of deep cleaning.
This high-performance vacuum and mops utilizes sensors that help it avoid obstacles and pet waste. It also learns the structure of your home over time and offer cleaner and more efficient cleaning. You can alter its cleaning schedule and set up zones using the app that is well-designed. Its battery life is average when compared to other models.
You can instruct the X30 Ultra to remove its mop and extend them when it's in a carpeted room, which helps prevent cross-contamination. The flex arm is great for getting under low-lying furniture and along baseboards. It's not as efficient on the washboard as our other Editors' Choice Picks, the Ecovacs Ozmo N8Pro+ and the iRobot Combo j9+.
During tests, X30 Ultra was the most efficient robot vacuum/mop which could sweep the entire house, with 66 per cent of its battery remaining. It did a good cleaning job on different flooring and rooms with different kinds of flooring, including some area rug. Its obstacle detection was top-notch and it was nimbly avoiding fake dog socks, turds, shoes, and bundles of cables.
It's a bit more expensive than the iRobot Combo v9+ and iRobot Roomba j9+, but it has superior suction, an onboard dustbin that automatically empties into its base, and also supports voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can even clean the floor after vacuuming it, something we haven't seen in other robot vacuum/mop combinations.
3. Roomba X40 from iRobot
With an elegant circular design that appears more like a regular Roomba than the competitors' boxes, this mop and robot vacuum is among the most attractive looking models in our evaluations. The latest model from iRobot is also its smartest. It features advanced features, like enhanced dirt detection and future compatibility (another company's robot that is able to wash mop pads in a self-cleaning manner).
It's also the sole robot vacuum/mop that scored a perfect 10 out of 10 in our testing. This is due to a combination modern sensors, including a restructured light system, a camera, and a variety of lasers. The X40 Ultra is also the only robot in our tests that is fully self-refill and empty its base station, and it boasts the industry's highest suction of 12,000Pa and self-cleaning mop pads.
The X40 as with other iRobot products, is easy to operate. It has a simple mobile app interface that is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only downside is that the X40 is still a loud unit. This could be a problem in the mornings prior to work or during the night when you're trying to fall asleep.
It's also a bit expensive, although it's not as pricey as the Ecovacs X2 Omni or the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra both of which are equally powerful and more attractive. If you're willing with a little more noise and some additional cost this is a powerful two-in-one that will satisfy most people.
iRobot L20 Ultra
The L20 Ultra is a top-of-the-range robot vacuum and mop, with many advanced features that will let you forget about your chores. The L20 Ultra is a hands-free cleaning machine like Ecovacs the top of the line X2 Omni or Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra. It comes with a multi-function dock that will automatically emptys the bin of the vacuum and refills the water tank, and cleans and drys mop pads.
The smart robot employs a combination of LIDAR and structured light to draw out floor plans and spot obstacles, making it more efficient than its more expensive competitors. It also has a front-mounted camera for real-time detection of hazards, although this wasn't quite reliable in our tests and was sometimes confused by power cords or other obstructions.
The vacuum cleaner has a maximum suction of 7,000 Pascals which is more than sufficient to complete the task. It also comes with "Intelligent Dirt Detection", which regulates how hard the vac works and alters the frequency of cleaning for different areas of the home depending on the amount of dirt they are.
If you have a bigger home, it is worth choosing a model that has the option of cleaning zones or spots. This allows you to inform the robot of which area of your home needs to be cleaned by using the app or voice command. A stairway mode is useful if you own a large furniture. Finally, a recharge and resume feature that allows your robot vacuum to take over exactly where it left off is ideal for busy families.
5. iRobot Roomba RX3
The RX3 is more sophisticated than the price suggests. It is a great job vacuuming, picking up 55% of the debris we found in our tests (it was second only to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mopses using a single pad and a rotating motion that cleans better that most of the robot mop cleaners that we've tried. It's self-sufficient too, with a fully-featured app as well as an auto-emptying, washable base.
The iRobot app is designed to guide you through the mapping process, which gathers information on your floorplan and any "no go" areas you've marked on the map. You can use it to create cleaning schedules, set up a spot clean or to prioritize your most filthy rooms to ensure better performance. The app also grants access to a variety of features like seasonal suggestions, custom maps and advanced settings for your cleaning.
Its shape is more rectangular than other robot vacuums, which means it is able to reach corners and under furniture more easily. It also has strong 8000 Pascal suction and combs with intelligent technology for pet hair. You can also set up a spot-clean that will thoroughly clean the area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker and more affordable alternative to the iRobot Roomba. It's more appealing, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras appear like cute eyes. It's good at vacuuming, but is more prone to getting caught on low thresholds and is louder than the other top robot vacuums we've tried. It also comes with an app that's less intuitive, and a smaller base station that does not double as a bin to empty.