The
Best Robot HooverThe best robot hoover can mop and vacuum without needing your attention, and will leave your floors spotless. Its surprisingly affordable price and high-end features (such as dirt detection) are pluses.
Make sure to check your robot's brushes regularly for tangled debris and hair. Clean them as needed. Some models can also self-empty the onboard dust bin and place it in a larger bin at the bottom. This helps 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 tested. They feature top-of-the-line motors that can pull up to 5,500 Pascals of suction force. Like other iRobots with premium features (including the top model), they use smart mapping to produce precise floorplans and avoid household obstacles like cords and furniture leg. The robots also have Carpet Boost, a feature which boosts its power when it senses dirt on the carpet.
Both the Q5 and the Q7 Max Series get very excellent scores in our bare floor tests They're also particularly adept in removing pet hair. However, they have some flaws that prevent them from being our top choice. One of them is that the Q5's navigation system does not feature AI-powered obstacle avoidance technology and is therefore prone to getting hung up on shoes and socks and can't navigate tight spaces very well in our tests. It also doesn't have a camera that can see around corners.
Still, it's very good, especially if you want to save money on an Roomba from iRobot and have a mostly bare-floor home or office. It's also quiet and operates when you're at work or in school. It doesn't have the edge-to-edge floor vacuuming feature that's offered by the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30. And it's less effective at mopping, using disposable wet wipes, which don't stick on very well and can't deal with dried-on debris. The Q5 has an auto-emptying dock, however. And, if you need to, you can switch the mopping pad for dry ones in a matter of just a few seconds.
2. IRobot Roomba X30
The iRobot Roomba X30 packs impressive mopping and vacuuming into a sleek, compact package. Its agile navigation and intelligent cleaning maps make it quick to clean and effective at dealing with larger particles such as pet hair. It also comes with self-emptying dustbins as well as powerful suction, and support for virtual boundaries. It's the most efficient
robot hoover for carpets, but it's not as effective as some rivals in deep cleaning.
This high-performing mop and vacuum combination makes use of advanced sensors to avoid obstacles and pet waste and it will learn the layout of your home over time to provide more efficient cleaning. The app lets you modify zones and alter the cleaning schedule. It comes with a battery life that is comparable to other models.
When the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted area, you can instruct it to pull back and extend its mops. This will help prevent cross contamination. Its flex arm can also be used to reach beneath furniture with low levels and along baseboards. It's not as effective on the washboard as our other Editors' Choice Picks, the Ecovacs Ozmo N8Pro+ and the iRobot Combo j9+.
During testing, X30 Ultra was the fastest robot vacuum/mop to complete the task of cleaning a whole home, with 66 per cent of its battery remaining. It did a good cleaning job on different floors and rooms with different kinds of flooring, including some area rug. Its obstacle detection was superb, and it avoided fake dog turds and socks, shoes, and bundles of cables.
It's a little more expensive than the iRobot Combo v9+ and iRobot Roomba j9+, but it has superior suction, a dustbin on board that automatically emptys into its base, and supports voice commands via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can even clean the floor after vacuuming this feature, which we haven't seen in other robot
automatic vacuum and mop robot/mop combos.
3. Roomba X40 from iRobot
With an elegant, circular design that looks more like a regular Roomba rather than the boxy units, this mop and robot vacuum is one of the most attractive designs in our tests. The newest model from iRobot is its most advanced, with advanced features including Enhanced Dirt Detection Technology as well as future compatibility with Matter (another company's robot that is able to wash mop pads).
It's also the sole robot vacuum or mop that scored an absolute 10 out of 10 in our evaluations. This is thanks to a combination modern sensors, including a restructured light system, a camera, and a variety of lasers. The X40 Ultra was the only robot we tested that could fill and empty its basestation in a self-contained manner. It also boasted a suction of 12,000Pa as well as self-cleaning mop mops.
Like other iRobot models as well, the X40 is user-friendly, offering an easy mobile app interface, and integration with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. The only issue is that it's still quite loud which could be problematic if you run it in the morning before work, or at night when you try to fall asleep.
It's also a bit expensive but not as much as the Ecovacs MaxV Ultra or the Roborock S8 Omni, which are both equally impressive and attractive. This is a dual-purpose vacuum that is very efficient, but it's more expensive and create more noise.
iRobot L20 Ultra
The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the best robot mop and vacuum. It comes with a variety of features that are advanced and will help you forget your chores. Like Ecovacs' 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 empties the vacuum's dust bin, fills its water tank and washes and dries its mop pads.
The smart
robot vacuum cleaner best makes use of a combination of LIDAR and structured light to map out floor plans and spot obstacles, navigating more intelligently than its top rivals. It also comes with a front-mounted camera for real-time detection of hazards but this wasn't completely foolproof in our tests, and was often confused with power cords or obstructions.
The vacuum cleaner has the capacity to suction up to 7,000 Pascals which is more than sufficient to do the job. It also has a feature called "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the vacuum's power and adjusts the frequency of cleaning for different areas of the home based on how dirty those areas tend to be.
For larger homes it's recommended to choose a model that has zone or spot cleaning modes that let you tell the robot to clean one particular area of your home by using the app or via voice commands. A stair mode can be beneficial if you have lot furniture. For busy families, a recharge function and resume feature that permits your robot vacuum to resume where it left off could be very useful.
iRobot RX3
The RX3 is a more efficient cleaner than you would expect from its price tag. It does a stellar 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 with a single pad that uses a reciprocating motion, which cleans better than most of the other mop cleaners for robots we've examined. It's also extremely self-sufficient, with a fully-featured app, and a self-emptying base that is washable.
The well-designed iRobot application guides you through an initial mapping run that gathers information about your floorplan and any "no-go" areas you have marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules, arrange the perfect spot for cleaning or prioritise your dirtiest rooms to ensure better performance. The app offers a variety of features, such as seasonal suggestions, customized mapping, and advanced cleaning settings.
Its shape is more rectangular than most other robot vacuums, which means it can reach corners and underneath furniture better. It is equipped with an impressive 8000 Pascal suction as well as intelligent combs to remove pet hair. And you can set up a spot clean that scours a specific area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a more sleek and more affordable alternative to the iRobot Roomba. It is more appealing in its style, much like Dolce & Gabbana. The twin cameras are shaped like cute eyes. It is great at vacuuming, but it's more likely to get stuck on low thresholds. It is also louder than other top robot vacuums that we've examined. It also has a less intuitive app and a tiny base station that doesn't double as an emptying bin.