The Best Robot Hoover
The best robot vacuum can vacuum and mop your floors without your involvement. It also leaves the floors spotless. Its low cost and features that are high-end (such as dirt detection) are pluses.
Make sure to check your robot's brushes regularly for tangled debris and hair. Clean them as needed. Certain models also automatically empty the onboard dust bin and place it in a larger bin located at the base. This reduces the amount 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. They are equipped with motors that are top-of-the line and can suction up to 5,500 Pascals. Like other iRobots with premium features (including the most powerful model) they utilize smart mapping to produce precise floorplans that avoid obstacles like cords and furniture leg. They also feature a feature called carpet boost which boosts the robot's power when it detects a lot of dirt on the carpet, allowing it clean quickly.
The Q5 and Q7 Max Series both scored excellently in our tests on bare floors and are especially adept at cleaning hair from dogs. There are some issues however, which prevent them from being our top option. One of the Q5's shortcomings is its navigation system does not have AI-powered obstacles avoidance. It's thus susceptible to get stuck on socks and shoes, and it couldn't navigate through rooms with a lot of people well during our tests. It also doesn't have cameras that let it see the corners of a room.
It's still a great option to consider, particularly if you're looking to save money on an Roomba from iRobot, and you have a bare-floored home or office. It's also quiet and operates while you are at work or school. The only thing it doesn't have that you don't get in the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30 is edge-to-edge vacuuming on floors that aren't clean. It's also less effective in mopping, as it relies on disposable wet wipes that don't hold on for long and don't deal with dried-on debris. The Q5 does come with a self-emptying dock, though. And, if you need to, you can switch the mopping pad for a dry one in just a few seconds.
2. iRobot Roomba
The iRobot Roomba X30 packs impressive mopping and vacuuming into a sleek, compact package. Its intelligent cleaning maps and nimble navigation make it easy to clean and effective in dealing with larger particles like pet hair. It also features a powerful suction and a self-emptying bin. It's the most efficient robot hoover for carpets, but it isn't as efficient as some of its competitors in deep cleaning.
This high-performance vacuum and mops utilizes sensors that help it keep away from obstacles and pet waste. It also learns the structure of your home over time to provide more efficient cleaning. You can change the schedule of cleaning and even customize zones using the app that is well-designed. Its battery life is average compared to other models.
When the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted space, you can tell it to remove and extend its mop. This helps prevent cross-contamination. cheap robot vacuum is also 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 testing, X30 Ultra was the quickest robot vacuum/mop that could sweep the entire house and had 66 percent of its battery remaining. It did a great cleaning job on various flooring and rooms with different kinds of flooring, including certain area rug. Its obstacle detection was top-of-the-line and it was nimbly avoiding fake dog socks, turds, shoes and cables.
It's 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 also supports voice commands using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can even clean the floor after vacuuming, a feature that we haven't seen in other robot vacuum/mop combos.
3. Roomba X40 from iRobot
With a sleek circular design that appears more like a regular Roomba than the competitors' compact models this mop and robot vacuum is among the most attractive designs in our tests. The latest model from iRobot is its most advanced model, with features that are cutting-edge like enhanced dirt detection technology and future compatibility with Matter (another company's robot that can autonomously wash mop pads).
It's also the only robotic vacuum/mop to score a perfect 10 out of 10 in our testing. This is due to a combination modern sensors, including a restructured lighting system, a camera and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra is also the only robot we tested that is fully autonomously refill and empty its base station, and it boasts industry-leading 12,000Pa suction and self-cleaning mop pads.
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 real drawback is that it's still quite loud which could be a problem if you run it in the morning before work, or at night when you attempt to sleep.
It's also a bit expensive, but not as much as the Ecovacs MaxV Ultra or the Roborock S8 Omni, which are both equally capable and better looking. If you're willing to live with a little more noise and a little more cost, this is a very powerful two-in-one that will please almost everyone.
4. iRobot Roomba 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. Similar to 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 care of both mopping and vacuuming, with a multi-function dock that automatically empties the vacuum's dustbin, refills its water tank and cleans and dry its mop pads.
The smart robot utilizes LIDAR and structured lighting to draw out floor plans and detect obstacles. It can navigate more efficiently than its competitors with premium features. It also has a front mounted camera for real-time detection of hazards but this wasn't foolproof in our tests and could be confused with power cords or obstructions.
The vacuum cleaner comes with a maximum suction of 7,000 Pascals which is more than sufficient to complete the task. It also comes with an option called "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the vacuum's power and adjusts cleaning frequency for different areas in the house based on how dirty these areas are.
For larger houses it's worth looking for a model with zone or spot cleaning modes that let you tell the robot to clean one specific area of your home using the app or via voice commands. If you have furniture, a stair mode is also a good option. For families with busy schedules, a recharge feature and resume feature that allows your robot vacuum to continue from where it left off could be very useful.
iRobot RX3
The RX3 is a cleaner with more intelligence than you would imagine from its price. It is a good vacuum cleaner, picking up 55% debris in our tests. (It was only second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops with one pad that has a reciprocating motion, which is cleaner than the other robot mop cleaners we've tried. And it's highly self-sufficient with a fully-featured app as well as a self-emptying, washable base.
The well-designed iRobot application guides you through an initial mapping exercise that collects information about your floorplan and any "no-go" areas you have marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules or create an automatic spot-clean. It can also be used to it to prioritize your dirtiest areas for greater efficiency. The app offers a variety of features, including seasonal suggestions, custom mapping and advanced cleaning settings.
It also has the ability to reach corners and under furniture better because its shape is more rectangular. It features a powerful 8,000 Pascal suction and sophisticated combs that remove pet hair. budget robot vacuum can also create a spot-clean that intensely cleans a localized area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a more sleek more affordable alternative to iRobot Roomba. It has a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras resemble cute eyes. It is great at vacuuming, however it is more likely to be caught on low thresholds. It also has a higher noise than other top robot vacuums we have tested. It also has a less user-friendly app and a tiny base station that doesn't double as an emptying bin.