10 Things We All Hate About Robot Hoover

The Best Robot Hoover

The best robot hoover can vacuum and mop without needing your attention, and will leave your floors spotless. Its surprisingly affordable price and high-end features (such as dirt detection) are great features.

Check your robot's brushes regularly for tangled debris and hair. Wash them when necessary. Some models also self-empty their onboard dustbin into a larger one at the base, which decreases the amount of fine dust released into the air.

1. Roomba Q5 Pro

The Q5 Pro and its sibling, the pricier 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. Similar to other iRobots that are premium (including the most powerful model), they use intelligent mapping to design precise floor plans and eliminate household obstacles like cords and furniture legs. They also come with a feature called carpet boost which boosts the robot's power when it spots the presence of dirt on the carpet to get it cleaned up quickly.

Both the Q5 as well as the Q7 Max Series get very good scores in our floor tests that test for bare floors and are particularly effective in removing pet hair. There are some issues however, which prevent them from being our first choice. One of the weaknesses of the Q5 is its navigation system does not have AI-powered obstacles avoidance. It's also prone to become stuck on shoes and socks and could not navigate through rooms with a lot of people well during our tests. It also doesn't come with a camera to look around corners.

However, it's a good choice for those who want to save money on a Roomba from iRobot, and you have a mostly unfinished home or office. It's also quiet and works when you're at work or school. The only thing it's missing that you can't find in the pricier iRobot Roomba X30 is edge-to-edge vacuuming on floors that aren't clean. It's also less effective when it comes to mopping. It is dependent on disposable wet wipes that don't stick well and aren't able to deal with dried-on debris. The Q5 has an auto-emptying dock, however. If you want to, you can switch the mopping pad for dry ones in just a few minutes.

2. iRobot Roomba

The iRobot Roomba X30 is a compact elegant vacuum cleaner that also has the ability to mop floors. Its quick navigation and smart cleaning maps make it easy to clean and effective at dealing with larger particles such as pet hair. It also features a self-emptying bin as well as powerful suction, and support for virtual boundaries. It's the best robot vacuum that mops robot vacuum for carpets, though it lags behind some competitors in deep cleaning.

This high-performance vacuum and mop uses sensors to avoid obstacles and pet waste. It also learns the patterns of your home over time and ensure cleaner and more efficient cleaning. The app allows you to set up zones and modify the cleaning schedule. It comes with a battery life that is comparable to other models.

It is possible to instruct the X30 Ultra to remove its mop and extend them when in a room with carpet, which helps prevent cross-contamination. The flex arm is great to get under furniture with low levels 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 tests, the X30 Ultra was the fastest robot vacuum/mop that could complete an entire house, finishing with only 66 percent of its battery left. It also did a great job of cleaning a mix of floors and rooms that had various flooring types, such as certain area rug. Its obstacle detection was top-notch and it swiftly eluded fake dog socks, turds, shoes and cables.

It's a little more expensive than iRobot Combo v9+ or iRobot Roomba j9+ but it has superior suction and an onboard bin that is automatically empty into the base. It also supports voice commands using Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can even clean the floor after it vacuums, a feature that we haven't seen in other robot vacuum/mop combinations.

3. IRobot Roomba X40

This mop and vacuum combination features a sleek, circular design that looks much like a Roomba model than the boxy models of the rivals. It's among our most attractive looking robot vacuums. The latest model from iRobot is also among its most advanced. It has 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 the only robotic vacuum/mop that has 100% in our evaluations due to a mix of high-tech sensors that include cameras, a structured light system, and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra is also the only robot we tested that can completely autonomously refill and empty its base station, and boasts an the industry's highest suction of 12,000Pa and self-cleaning mop pads.

The X40 is, like the other iRobot products, is simple to use. It has an intuitive mobile app interface that is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit. The only downside is that the X40 is still a noisy unit. This could be a problem in the mornings before work, or during the night when you are trying to fall asleep.

It's also a bit costly but not as much as the Ecovacs S8 MaxV Ultra or Roborock S8 Omni, which are both equally capable and better looking. This is a two-in-one vacuum that's very capable, but it's more expensive and make more noise.

4. iRobot Roomba L20 Ultra

The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the high-end robot vacuum and mop. It has a number of features that are advanced and will help you forget your chores. The L20 Ultra is a hands-free cleaning device, similar to Ecovacs' top-of-the-range X2 Omni or Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra. It has a multifunction dock which automatically emptys the vacuum's bin and refills the water tank, and cleans and dry mop pads.

The smart robot uses LIDAR and structured lighting to draw out floor plans and detect obstacles. It is more efficient in its navigation than its premium competitors. It also has a camera mounted on the front for real-time detection of hazards, although this wasn't quite 100% foolproof during our tests and was often confused by power cords or other obstructions.

Its vacuum has a suction maximum of 7,000 Pascals which is more than enough to finish the job. It also comes with a feature known as "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the power of the vacuum and adjusts cleaning frequency for different areas of the house depending on how dirty the areas tend to be.

If you own a larger home, it's worth selecting a robot vacuum cleaner best that comes with spot or zone cleaning mode. This allows you to tell the robot which area of your house needs to be cleaned using the app or voice command. A stairway mode is useful if you own a lot furniture. Additionally a recharge and resume feature that allows your robot cleaner with mop vacuum to pick up right where it left off is great for busy families.

iRobot RX3

The RX3 is a smarter cleaner than you might imagine from its price. It has a great vacuuming performance, picking up 55% debris in our tests. (It was second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops using one pad and a reciprocating movement which is cleaner than the majority mop cleaners for robots that we've tried. It's self-sufficient too, with a fully-featured app as well as a self-emptying, washable base.

The well-designed iRobot app guides you through an initial mapping exercise that collects information about your floorplan and any "no-go" areas you mark on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules or to create an automatic spot-clean. You can also use it to rank your most filthy areas for greater efficiency. The app also gives access to many features, such as seasonal suggestions, custom maps and advanced settings for your cleaning.

Its shape is more rectangular than most other robot vacuums, meaning it can get to corners and underneath furniture more easily. It also has a strong 8,000 Pascal suction and combs with intelligent technology for pet hair. It also has the ability to set up a spot clean that scours a specific area.

The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a sleeker and more affordable alternative to the iRobot Roomba. It has a more attractive, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras resemble cute eyes. It is excellent at vacuuming, but it's more likely to get caught on low thresholds. It is also louder than other top robot vacuums we have test. It also has a less intuitive app and a small base station that isn't able to double as a bin for emptying.