The Best Robot Hoover
The best robot vacuum can vacuum and mop your floors without having to be involved. It will also leave them spotless. Its price is surprisingly low and features that are high-end (such as dirt detection) are a plus.
Be sure to examine the brushes of your robot for hair tangled and large debris and clean them as required. Some models can also self-empty the onboard dustbin and deposit it in an additional bin located at the base. This can reduce the amount of fine dust that gets 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 examined. robot vacuums cheap have motors that are top of the line and can suction up to 5,500 Pascals. Similar to other iRobots that are premium (including the top model), they use smart mapping to create detailed floorplans that avoid obstacles like furniture legs. They also have carpet boost that increases the robot's power when it sees the presence of dirt on the carpet, allowing it clean quickly.
Both the Q5 and the Q7 Max Series get very good scores in our floor tests that test for bare floors, and they're particularly adept in cleaning pet hair. There are some issues however, which hinder them from being our top option. For one, the Q5's navigation doesn't have AI-powered obstacle avoidance, so it's prone to get caught up in shoes and socks and can't navigate rooms with a lot of people well in our tests. It doesn't also come with a camera to look around corners.
However, it's a good choice to consider, particularly if you're looking to save money on a Roomba from iRobot, and you have a bare-floored home or office. It's also very quiet and can be used when you're at work or going to school. It doesn't have the edge-to-edge floor vacuuming feature that's offered by the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30. It's also less effective at mopping, as it relies on disposable wet wipes, which don't stick on well and aren't able to handle dried-on debris. The Q5 comes with a self-emptying cradle that can be emptied by itself. If you need to, the mopping pad can be changed for one that is wet in just a few just a few seconds.
2. iRobot Roomba
The iRobot Roomba X30 packs impressive mopping and vacuuming capabilities into a compact, sleek package. Its agile navigation and intelligent cleaning maps make it simple to clean and efficient in tackling larger particles like pet hair. It also has a self-emptying dustbin, powerful suction, and support for virtual boundaries. It's the most efficient robotic hoover for carpets but it falls behind some competitors in terms of deep cleaning.
This high-performance vacuum and mop uses sensors to keep away from obstacles and pet waste. It also learns the structure of your home over time and provide better cleaning. You can alter the schedule of cleaning and even customize zones with the well-designed app. Its battery life is average when compared to similar models.
When the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted space, you can tell it to pull back and extend its mops. This helps prevent cross contamination. Its flex arm is also ideal to get under furniture with low levels and along baseboards. It doesn't offer the same washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ and the iRobot Combo j9+.
In tests during testing, the X30 Ultra was the fastest robot vacuum/mop in the market to clean an entire home, and it did so with the battery at 66 percent left. It also did a great job cleaning a variety of floors and rooms that had mixed flooring types, including certain area rugs. Its obstacle detection was excellent and it was able to avoid fake dog turds, socks, shoes, and bundles of cables.
It's a little more expensive than iRobot Combo v9+ or iRobot Roomba j9+ but offers superior suction and an onboard bin that automatically empties into the base. It also supports voice commands using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It is able to clean floors even after it vacuums. This is a feature that we haven't seen in other robotic vacuum/mop combos.
3. iRobot Roomba X40
With an elegant circular design that appears more like a normal Roomba than the competition's boxes, this mop and robot vacuum is one of the most attractive looking models in our tests. iRobot’s latest flagship model is also the most intelligent. It features advanced features like enhanced dirt detection and future compatibility (another company’s robot that can wash mop pads autonomously).
It's also the sole robot vacuum/mop to score a perfect 10 out of 10 in our tests. This is due to a combination modern sensors, including a restructured light system, a camera and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra was the only robot we tested that could refill and empty its basestation on its own. It also boasted an industry-leading suction of 12,000Pa as well as self-cleaning mop mops.
As with other iRobot models as well, the X40 is user-friendly, with an intuitive mobile app interface, and integration with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant. The only downside is that the X40 still a noisy unit. This can be a problem in mornings prior to work or at night when you're trying to fall asleep.
It's also quite expensive, though it's not as expensive as the Ecovacs X2 Omni or Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra both of which are equally capable and look better. It's a dual-purpose vacuum that's very capable however, it will cost you more and create more noise.
iRobot L20 Ultra
The L20 Ultra is a top-of-the-range robot vacuum and mop with many advanced features that let you forget about your chores. Like Ecovacs the range-topping X2 Omni and Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra, the L20 is designed to be a hands-off cleaning machine that can take the care of vacuuming and mopping, with a multifunction dock that automatically emptys the vacuum's dust bin, fills its water tank, washes and dries its mop pads.
The smart robot makes use of LIDAR and structured lighting to map out floor plans and detect obstacles. It is more efficient in its navigation than its premium competitors. It also comes with a front-mounted camera that can detect hazards in real-time, though this wasn't completely foolproof in our tests, and was often confused with power cords or obstructions.
The vacuum cleaner has a maximum suction of 7,000 Pascals which is more than enough to complete the task. It also has a feature known as "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the vacuum's power and adjusts cleaning frequency for various areas of the home based on how dirty these areas are.
For bigger homes, it's worth opting for a model with zone or spot cleaning modes that allow you to tell the robot to clean one specific area of your home using the app or voice controls. If you have furniture, a stair-mode is also useful. For families that are busy recharge functions and resume feature that permits your robot vacuum to pick up where it left off could be very useful.
5. iRobot Roomba RX3
The RX3 is more intelligent than its price suggests. It vacuums well and picked up 55% debris in our tests. (It was second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops using one pad and a reciprocating movement that cleans better that most mop cleaners for robots that we've tested. It's self-sufficient too, with a fully-featured app as well as an auto-emptying, washable base.
The well-designed iRobot application guides you through an initial mapping session that collects data about your floorplan and any "no-go" areas you have marked on the map. It can be used to design cleaning schedules or to create a spot-clean. You can also use it to rank your most filthy areas for greater efficiency. The app also provides access to a host of options, including seasonal suggestions, custom maps, and advanced settings for your cleaning.
It can also reach corners and under furniture better because its shape is more rectangular. It is equipped with a powerful 8,000 Pascal suction as well as intelligent combs to remove pet hair. And you can set up a spot clean that intensely cleans a localized area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker, cheaper alternative to iRobot Roomba. It's got a more attractive design, akin to Dolce & Gabbana. The twin cameras are designed to resemble cute little eyes. It is capable of vacuuming, but is more prone to be caught by low thresholds and is louder than the other top robotic vacuums we've tried. It also has an app that's less intuitive and has a tiny base station that does not double as a bin to empty.