The Best Robot Hoover
The best robot hoover can vacuum and mop without needing your attention. It will leave your floors spotless. Its surprisingly affordable price and high-end features (such as dirt detection) are great features.
Be sure to regularly check your robot's brushes for hair that is tangled as well as large debris and wash them if required. Some models can also self-empty the onboard dustbin and deposit it in an additional bin at the bottom. This helps reduce the amount of fine dust 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. They feature top-of-the-line motors that can produce up to 5,500 Pascals of suction force. Like other premium iRobots (including the top model) they employ intelligent mapping to design precise floorplans that avoid obstacles like furniture legs. They also have a feature called carpet boost that increases the robot's power when it detects a lot of dirt on the carpet in order to get it clean quickly.
Both the Q5 and the Q7 Max Series get very high scores on our bare floor tests They're also particularly adept at cleaning pet hair. However, they do have several flaws that prevent them from being our top choice. For one, 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 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 mostly bare-floor home or office. Additionally, it's quiet and can work while you're at work, or school. The only thing it lacks that you can't find in the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30 is edge-to-edge vacuuming on bare floors. It's also less effective in mopping. It is dependent on disposable wet wipes that don't stick very well and cannot handle dried-on debris. The Q5 has a self-emptying cradle however. If you're required to, the mopping pad can be swapped for one that is wet in 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 easy to clean and efficient at dealing with larger particles such as pet hair. It also has a self-emptying dustbin as well as powerful suction, and support for virtual boundaries. It's the best robotic hoover for carpets, but it isn't as effective as some of its competitors in terms of deep cleaning.
This highly efficient mop and vacuum combo uses advanced sensor technology to dodge obstacles and pet waste, and it learns the layout of your home over time to provide more efficient cleaning. The app lets you customize zones and change the cleaning schedule. Its battery life is average when compared to other models.
When the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted space, you can tell it to remove and extend its mop. This will help prevent cross-contamination. The flex arm is great for getting under furniture that is low 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 tests, X30 Ultra was the most efficient robot vacuum/mop which could sweep the entire house and had 66 percent of its battery remaining. It did a decent cleaning job on various rooms and floors with various kinds of flooring, including some area rugs. Its obstacle detection was great, 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, an onboard dustbin that automatically fills up its base, and also supports voice commands using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can even clean the floor after it vacuums it, something hasn't been seen in other robot vacuum/mop combos.
3. iRobot Roomba X40
This mop and vacuum combination features a sleek, circular look that looks more like the regular Roomba unit than the boxy units of the competitors. It's among our most attractive looking robot vacuums. The latest flagship model from iRobot is also the most intelligent. It comes with 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 only robot vacuum or mop that scored the perfect 10/10 out of 10 in our testing. This is thanks to a mix of modern sensors, including a restructured light system, a camera and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra is also the only robot in our tests that can fully self-refill and empty its base station, and it has an industry-leading 12,000Pa suction and self-cleaning mop pads.
The X40, like other iRobot products, is easy to use. It comes with a simple mobile app interface that integrates with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only downside is that the X40 still a loud unit. This can be a problem in mornings before work, or during the night when you're trying to sleep.
It's also a bit expensive, but it's not as expensive as the Ecovacs Omni or the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, both of which are equally powerful and more attractive. If you're willing some more volume and some additional cost, this is a very capable two-in-one that should satisfy most people.
iRobot L20 Ultra
The L20 Ultra is a top-of-the-range robot vacuum and mop with a lot of advanced features to help you forget about your chores. best budget robot vacuum cleaner is a hands-free cleaning machine that is similar to Ecovacs' top-of-the-range X2 Omni or Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra. It features a multi-functional dock that can automatically emptys the vacuum's bin and fills up the water tank, and washes and drys the mop pads.
The smart robot uses a combination of LIDAR and structured light to create floor plans and identify obstacles, navigating more intelligently than some of its premium rivals. It also comes with a front-mounted camera for real-time hazards detection, though this wasn't completely foolproof in our tests, and could be confused with power cords or obstructions.
best budget robot vacuum has a suction capacity of 7,000 Pascals, which is more than enough to complete the task. It also features "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the amount of time the vacuum works and alters the frequency of cleaning for different areas of the home depending on how dirty they tend to be.
If you own a larger home, it's worth selecting a robot that comes with zones or spot cleaning modes. This lets you instruct the robot on which part of your home needs to be cleaned by using the app or voice control. If you have furniture, a stairway mode is also useful. For busy families, a recharge function and resume feature that permits your robot vacuum to continue from where it left off could be very useful.
iRobot RX3
The RX3 is more intelligent than the price suggests. It does a stellar job vacuuming, removing 55% of the debris that was found in our tests (it was second only to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops using only one pad and a reciprocating movement that is more efficient than most of the mop cleaners with robots that we've tested. And it's highly self-sufficient with a full-featured application and an auto-emptying washable base.
The well-designed iRobot app will guide you through a mapping session that collects data about your floorplan and any "no-go" areas you set on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules, arrange an area for cleaning or to sort out your rooms with the most dirt to improve performance. The app also grants access to a host of features, such as seasonal suggestions, custom maps, and advanced settings for your cleaning.
It is also able to reach corners and under furniture better because its shape is more rectangular. It also has a strong 8,000 Pascal suction and combs with intelligent technology for hair of pets. You can also create a spot-cleaner that thoroughly cleans the area.
The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a more sleek and less expensive alternative to iRobot Roomba. It's got a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras appear like cute eyes. It does a good job vacuuming but is more prone to be caught by low thresholds and is a bit louder than the other top robotic vacuums we've examined. It also has a less intuitive app and a small base station that doesn't double as a bin for emptying.