Twenty Myths About Robot Hoover: Busted

The Best Robot Hoover

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

Make sure to check your robot's brushes regularly for tangled debris as well as hair. Wash them when necessary. Some models also self-empty their dust bin on board into a larger bin at the base, which reduces the amount of fine dust released into the air.

1. Roomba Q5 pro

The Q5 Pro, and its more expensive cousin the Q7 Max Series are among the most powerful robotic vacuums that we have tested. They have top-of-the-line motors that can produce up to 5,500 Pascals of suction force. Like other iRobots with premium features (including the most powerful model) they employ intelligent mapping to design precise floorplans that avoid obstacles like furniture leg. They also come with carpet boost which boosts the robot's power when it spots a lot of dirt on the carpet, allowing it clean quickly.

Both the Q5 and the Q7 Max Series get very excellent scores in our floor tests that test for bare floors They're also particularly adept at cleaning pet hair. However, they do have a few flaws however, which prevent them from being our first choice. For instance, the Q5's navigation system does not include AI-powered obstacle avoidance, so it's prone to get caught up in shoes and socks, and is unable to navigate tight spaces very efficiently in our tests. It also doesn't come with cameras that let it see the corners of a room.

It's still a great deal particularly if your home or office has a lot of bare flooring and you're looking to save some money. It's also quiet and works while you're at work or at school. The only thing it doesn't have that you don't get 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 relies on disposable wet wipes, which don't stick very well and cannot handle dried-on debris. The Q5 does come with a self-emptying dock, though. If you're in need of it, the mopping pad can be changed for an awe-inspiring one in a matter of just a few seconds.

2. IRobot Roomba

The iRobot Roomba X30 is a compact elegant vacuum cleaner that can sweep floors. Its quick navigation and smart cleaning maps make it simple to clean and efficient at dealing with larger particles such as pet hair. It also comes with a powerful suction and self-emptying bin. It's the best robot hoover for carpets, however it's not as good robot vacuum as other hoovers when it comes to deep cleaning.

This high-performing mop and automatic vacuum cleaner combo utilizes advanced sensors to avoid obstacles and pet waste and it also learns the layout of your home over time to provide more efficient cleaning. The app allows you to modify zones and alter the cleaning schedule. It has a battery lifespan that is comparable to other models.

It is possible to instruct the X30 Ultra to remove its mops and to extend them when in a carpeted room to prevent cross-contamination. Its flex arm is ideal for getting under furniture that is low and along baseboards. It doesn't offer the same washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Professional+ and the iRobot Combo j9+.

In tests during testing, the X30 Ultra was the fastest robot vacuum/mop that could complete the entire house with 66 percent of its battery left. It did a decent cleaning job on different floors and rooms with different flooring types including certain area carpets. Its obstacle detection was superb and it was able to avoid fake dog turds and socks, shoes and bundles of cables.

It's a bit more expensive than the iRobot Combo v9+ and iRobot Roomba j9+, however, it comes with superior suction, a built-in dust bin that automatically empties into its base, and supports voice commands through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It even cleans the floor after it vacuums this feature, which we've not seen on other robot vacuum/mop combinations.

3. iRobot Roomba X40

This robot vacuum and mop combination is sleek and has a circular design that looks much like a Roomba unit than the boxy models of the rivals. It's among our most attractive looking robot vacuums. The newest model from iRobot happens to be its smartest and has advanced features like Enhanced Dirt Detection Technology as well as future compatibility with Matter (another company's robot that can autonomously wash mop pads).

It's also the sole robot vacuum or mop that scored the perfect 10/10 out of 10 in our tests. This is due to a mix of high-tech sensors including a structured 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 autonomously. It also boasted a suction of 12,000Pa as well as self-cleaning mop mops.

As with other iRobot models as well, the X40 is user-friendly, with an intuitive mobile app interface as well as integration with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. The only issue is that the X40 is still a noisy unit. This can be a problem in the mornings before work, or in the evening when you are trying to sleep.

It's also quite expensive but not as much as the Ecovacs MaxV Ultra or Roborock S8 Omni, which are equally powerful and more attractive. If you're willing with a little more noise and some additional cost it's a capable two-in-one that should delight most.

4. iRobot Roomba L20 Ultra

The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the high-end robot mop and vacuum. It comes with a variety of advanced features that will make 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 multifunction dock that automatically empty the vacuum's dust bin, fills its water tank and cleans and dry its mop pads.

The smart robot uses LIDAR and structured lighting to map out floorplans and identify obstacles. It navigates more intelligently than its premium competitors. It also has a front-mounted camera to detect hazards in real-time however, it wasn't foolproof in our testing and was sometimes confused by power cords or other obstructions.

Its vacuum cleaner has an maximum suction of 7,000 Pascals which is more than sufficient to accomplish the task. It also has "Intelligent Dirt Detection", that regulates the amount of time the vac works and adjusts the frequency of cleaning for various areas of the house depending on the degree of dirt they tend to be.

If you own a larger home, it is worth selecting a model with a the option of cleaning zones or spots. This allows you to instruct the robot vacuums that mop on which part of your house needs to be cleaned with the help of an app or voice control. If you have a lot of furniture, a stair-mode is also useful. For busy families, a recharge function and resume feature that allows your robot vacuum to resume where it left off could be extremely useful.

5. iRobot Roomba RX3

The RX3 is a smarter cleaner than you might expect from its price tag. It does a stellar job vacuuming, removing 55% of debris in our tests (it was second only to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops with a single pad and a rotating motion which is cleaner than the majority of the mop cleaners with robots that we've tried. It's also self-sufficient, with a fully-featured app as well as an auto-emptying, washable base.

The iRobot application is designed to guide you through a mapping run which collects information about your floorplan, as well as any "no go" areas that you've marked on the map. It can be used to create cleaning schedules or set up the spot-cleaning. It can also be used to it to prioritize the most soiled areas to improve performance. The app offers a variety of features, including seasonal suggestions, customized mapping, and advanced cleaning settings.

Its shape is more rectangular than other robot vacuums, meaning it can get to corners and under furniture more easily. It has an impressive 8000 Pascal suction as well as intelligent combs to remove pet hair. You can also create a spot-cleaner which will thoroughly clean a specific area.

The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD offers a sleeker more affordable alternative to iRobot Roomba. It's more appealing, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras resemble cute eyes. It does a good job vacuuming, but is more prone to be caught by low thresholds and is noisier than the other top robotic vacuums we've examined. It also has a less user-friendly app and a tiny base station that doesn't double as a bin for emptying.