Best Robot Vacuums and Mop Combos
The best budget robot vacuum For pet hair way to keep your home clean is to use a robot vacuum & mop vacuum. It can pick up dust, pet hair, and other debris on surfaces.
Certain robots can connect to smart assistants such as Alexa or Google Assistant to provide a hands-free experience. Look for models that can recharge and pick up where they left off.
1. iRobot S8
This smart robot mop and vacuum combo is a fantastic option for a wide range of households. It vacuums and mops well and has a great navigation system that includes both GPS and laser sensors and has a wide range of features and controls that are accessible via the app. It comes with a useful feature that lets you create Cleaning zones in areas that require more attention, and also to create Keep Out zones in areas that you don’t wish it to go. And, like all Roomba devices, it is updated with new software updates that make it better over time.
It’s costly, but it’s also one of the most advanced robot vacuums that ZDNet has evaluated. It comes with a powerful battery that can vacuum all of your home in less than two hours. It can also switch between vacuuming and mopping at the push of the button. And unlike other self-emptying robots that require you to empty the bin after each run, it automatically emptys itself into an even larger waste container on top of its charging dock.
It also comes with a variety of other features, including intelligent obstacle avoidance, which utilizes a camera along with processor-powered smarts to identify obstacles. It’s not often tripped or stuck during a cleaning cycle. In my tests, it was the best at avoiding objects like power cables. However, it’s not as reliable at detecting pet waste or other dangers.
2. Eufy RoboVac Hybrid X8
Although Anker-owned Eufy has earned its name in low-cost robot vacuums it hasn’t previously offered an all-in-one model that could also mop. This is changing with the X8 Hybrid, which has an impressive set of modern features and is able to compete with more expensive models.
Laser navigation is the main selling point of this machine. Previous Eufy devices have created a rough map of your home using infrared sensors and bumping into things however the X8’s laser mapping system is more precise. It takes less time to build an accurate map of your home and can store multiple maps. This is perfect for homes with multiple floors.
The X8 is still a decent vacuum on bare floors, slinging debris under its side brushes and into the 400ml dust bin with ease. The X8’s tyres, despite having a circular shape, are very good at grabbing edges and corners. It’s not the best cat litter scooper, however our tests have shown it can only remove about 90 percent of the fur off hard floors.
There’s a mopping mode which uses the same water tank as the vacuuming one. This is ideal for spills that are not too serious, but you can’t limit the amount of water it consumes. It does a good job of removing pet hair. It has a higher pick-up rate than the Roborock S7.
3. Miele RX2
Awarded for its quiet and efficient home appliances Miele’s RX2 robot vacuum comes with outstanding cleaning power, beautiful design and great navigation. It has a few oddities in its operation that keep it from being ranked as the top smart robot vacuum.
The RX2 comes with a dual-sensor mapping technology that makes use of LIDAR to map the space and a pair of 3D scanning cameras for detecting and staying clear of obstacles (such as furniture legs or pet waste). Once the room has been defined it is possible to assign virtual no go areas and sections that you would like to be the robot. You can also manually change cleaning modes, start cleaning manually, or view a live feed of the cameras onboard from the main screen.
The RX2 has superior sensors that can identify furniture and other obstructions in a flash. The suction and sweeping abilities are excellent, removing surface litter from carpets with medium pile as well as embedded dust on bare floors. It’s not the fastest robot available. Like many other robots it’s not a great climber and has trouble with things like metal threshold transition strips.
Many people purchase robot vacuums because of the ease of setting up a schedule using an app, and then forgetting about them for weeks. It is essential for a robot capable of the task so our ZDNet staff has tested and looked over some of the most popular models in order to help you select the right one for your home.
4. Shark ION
This budget robovac that looks just like the other, but it has some extra features and a better performance. Its smart mapping system creates 3D and 2D maps of your home, and uses them to navigate around obstacles and avoid them. It is able to detect common obstacles like furniture legs and power cords in real-time. The combination of sensors with a bump detector and an infrared sensor best budget robot vacuum for pet hair to keep the vacuum away from steps makes it one our most agile vacuums.
In our tests, it easily could climb over the thick shag rug and didn’t end up stuck on them (like the RoboVac 11s or Roomba 690). Its navigation capabilities were impressive. Its composite score for carpet and bare flooring beat the competition, and it picked up 98.5 percent of the dirt and embedded dog hair from our laboratory test samples.
The controls are simpler than the competitors. There’s a round cleaning button on the top and you can start it from the app, or by voice commands using Alexa or Google Assistant. You can also schedule weekly or daily cleanings, designate no-go zones, and look up the history of cleaning. Ion is clad in a stylish dark gray plastic that is both attractive and beautiful in your home. The dust bin on the rear is easy to empty and removing the filter is just as simple.
5. Eufy 11S
If you’re looking for a basic robotic vacuum that is simple and has no frills for a reasonable price, the Eufy 11S might be your best bet. It lacks some of the smart features, such as digital mapping and Alexa integration, found in more expensive models, but if you’re not looking for those functions you can save cost with this model.
This robot is simple to set up and use. It does not require a smartphone app or Wi-Fi pairing, but it does have the ability to control the remote with a remote that lets you choose between different modes and adjust the suction level. You can also manually assign the robotvac to a cleaning schedule.
In our tests during our tests, the 11S was extremely efficient in removing pet hair and dirt from hard floors and in carpets with low pile. Its slim profile helped it get under furniture and other objects that larger robots could not reach. It was also able to traverse door thresholds and change from one type of floor to another.
Like other robots, the 11S will be able to suck up objects such as cords, drawstrings on hoodies, and cat toys. The manufacturer says that you can stop this by keeping these items off the floor and by using the possibility of a cord organizer. It also recommends cleaning the dustbin on a regular basis, replacing the filters and washing or changing the brushes when needed.
6. IRobot Roomba 980
The Roomba 980 is iRobot’s flagship robot vacuum. It’s expensive but it’s the most powerful robot vacuum you can buy. Its self-navigation as well as environmental mapping is a marvel to behold. It also comes with more advanced automation features than most competitors, including the ability to set virtual boundary lines with its mobile app. While its app is a little sluggish, and the 980 does spin a bit when crossing cables, it’s an extremely efficient robot vacuum.
One thing we love about the 980 is that it uses its iAdapt 2.0 navigation sensors and visual simultaneous localisation and mapping technology (or vSLAM) to memorise the floor plan of your home. It will use this data to create a consistent, efficient cleaning path in every cycle. The result is cleaner floors, and a more efficient vacuum than the majority of high-end robot vacuums.
Other features of the 980 include dual multi-surface brushes that capture dirt on hard floors and carpets, as well as an ejector brush that spins to sweep debris into the robotic vacuum’s bin. Its floor tracking sensors help it navigate across furniture and along edges, while Cliff Detect prevents the Roomba from falling down stairs. It also automatically returns to the base station for simple recharges between sessions. Although the 980’s battery lifespan and bin size isn’t as efficient as other robot vacuums, it’s a sturdy and reliable machine that can keep your floors spotless for hours and hours.