iRobot Mopping and Vacuum Combo

Most robot mops require little maintenance beyond refilling their clean water tank and emptying their dirty water bin. You may have to clean or replace the pad every now and then.

If you're looking for the most effective cleaning performance, invest in an expensive mop and combo robot like the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni or Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra. These models feature superior mapping technology and are able to automatically recognize the layout of your home.

iRobot Braava Jet 240

This robot isn't as advanced as the Roomba vacuum but it's still a great mop. One of its key tricks is an easy control: all you need to do is press Clean and the robot takes the care of itself. The rest of the work is performed by a sophisticated sensor system and simple cleaning guidelines based on the type pad attached. The pads that are used for the main purpose are machine washable or disposable. They fit in the slot with an easy to punch out identification. Both are easily interchangeable. This makes maintenance much less difficult than with most other mops that require you to take the entire mop and then replace it.

This iRobot was designed to be a great mop, but it also functions well as a sweeper and even is capable of handling dust and dirt on wood floors. It's not quite as good at maneuvering rooms with lots of rugs and other barriers, but it does better than most other mops. It is able to move in predictable back-and forth rows, and typically determines the edges of walls. It's quiet, and will work without distracting you even if you're in the same space, though it will make some sound that gurgles and whirrs as it does its work.

Its tank holds about a gallon of water, which it uses in both wet mopping and dry sweep mode. iRobot claims that the heated water improves its cleaning power. It's a small tank however, so you'll have to be vigilant about the levels and refill frequently (and often empty the bucket) if you're using the wet mopping mode.

The Braava Jet's controls are easy, with a big handle at the top to carry it around and a blue plug underneath for adding and draining water. There's an electric battery, a wall charger, and an assortment of manuals and warranty pamphlets in the box. It comes with two of cleaning pads, blue for wet orange for damp, and white for dry, to give you some immediate functionality straight out of the box.

iRobot Navigator

This robot vacuum and mops combo is a great price. It can convert the popular Roomba j7 and j7+ vacuum cleaner to mopping Robot Vacuum Mops by the simple switch of a bin. This means you can get double the cleaning in one machine. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

It's easy-to-use and offers an excellent set of features at a reasonable price. The navigation system works well and gives you complete control over the cleaning process using the application. There's a broad range of customization options, including power and water level settings bin behavior, power level and more.

You can select between two different cleaning modes and set boundaries around specific areas you do not want the robot to get into. This is an option we haven't seen before on any robots. You can also program the robot to begin in a certain room when you're away, and it will try to clean that room before returning to the dock to recharge.

The Braava jet M6 is a patented wet or dry cleaning pads that can be purchased in disposable or reusable forms. The mopping system it uses is extremely effective, and its patented multi-surface rubber brushes can reach corners and other tight spaces that other robots can't. It can vacuum carpets with a low and mid-pile well, and it can stay clear of soft surfaces like area rugs when it raises its pads.

This robotic mop and vacuum is more expensive than the other models we've reviewed, but offers a few extra features that make it stand out. You can control the amount of water it uses and also the scrub strength which is useful to get tough dirt off floors. It's also extremely user-friendly with an intuitive application and a clear display that lets you select functions from the menu without having to look at the screen. You can also connect it to compatible Roomba vacuums which is a nice feature. You can also attach an additional battery to the base to charge it while the robot is being used, a handy option for busy households.

iRobot SpotBot

The past year or so has seen significant advancements in robotic mopping and iRobot is leading the way in this trend. The company, along with other companies like Eufy Shark and Roborock, are moving beyond the bare-minimum in automated mopping, with features such as pressurized or spinning pads (rather then lackadaisical ones), and water tanks in which cleaning solution can be added to increase dirt-lifting power.

Dirt Detect is a different feature that some robots employ to focus their attention on areas with a high concentration of dirt. When I poured cat litter on the floor, the iRobot Braava Jet 240 saw the spot and shifted its cleaning pattern. It then reversed its direction to traverse the area several times, making sure that even the smallest pieces of litter were sucked up. This feature isn't available on all mop and vacuum combination robots. It does show that iRobot thinks about ways to improve its products based on real-world problems faced by homeowners.

Other advanced features of Irobot mopping and vacuuming robots include intelligent navigation, which enables them to figure out how to move around rooms without getting stuck or accidentally mowing down your plants. This feature of smart mapping is especially useful for homes with multiple floors, and when you want to keep the bot tripping on cords, shoes and other obstacles.

Certain models come with an automatic emptying feature once the bin is full. This is a great option because emptying the trash manually can be a hassle and can cause fear for pets or children. Some robots have an automatic self-washing and self-scrubbing feature that keeps the brush clean and the water tank clear of dirt and other debris.

Like other connected devices robotic vacuums and mops are always collecting data to better understand your home. This information can be used to improve the device for your needs and is often compiled into an overall home cleanliness map. Although this might sound scary, the companies involved insist that they're not infringing upon your privacy, and they don't intend to misuse your personal information.

iRobot Vacuum Cleaner

If you don't have particularly filthy floors, the majority of robot mops can't do a great job of removing stains that have been stuck on. They're made to clean floors that are clean using absorbent pads for cleaning which contain detergent or other mild cleaners. Most models use jets to spray the cleaning solution over the bot, followed by a wiping motion and downward pressure on the floor using the pad to lift dirt and grime.

You'll require a mop more powerful, with a bigger pad and a larger reservoir to get rid of more serious messes. Our upgrade pick is the iRobot braava jet m6. It also comes with a longer battery and a more sophisticated navigation system that is intelligent enough to understand the layout of your home. If you prefer, you can choose a combination vacuum-and-mop robot with lidar navigation systems like the Roborock S5 Max. Lidar sensors are similar to those used in autonomous cars and shoot invisible lasers at obstacles that allow the robot to see walls, furniture toys and other items.

The Roomba j9+ by iRobot is a new two-in-one model which is more expensive than our top picks, but it has impressive maneuverability and a sleek app interface. It's adept in avoiding medium and low pile carpeting, and its navigation system plots a path that is Efficient Smart Mapping Robot Vacuum - iRobot Roomba i4 EVO section-by-section. It also uses a clever system called "dirt sense" to assess the amount of dirt in the water, and will prompt it to mop again, or stop cleaning completely and return to its dock to replenish its internal dirt bin.

Like all iRobot robotic vacuums, the Roomba J9+ is awe-inspiring model with impressive suction power and quiet operation. It is able to recognize stairs and other obstacles and can automatically switch between the hard floor mode and a carpeted-flooring mode. The intelligent cleaning system has the feature called Freo which lets the robot decide if it should return to a specific area and continue cleaning or move to another.

The Roomba j9+, like all iRobot robotic vacuum cleaners is controlled via an intuitive app and accepts voice commands through an integrated microphone. You can label different areas of your home and set different cleaning settings for each. The unique onboard compression bin stops auto-emptying from being noisy and its smart mopping system makes it the ideal two-in-one robot to keep the floors of your hard surface clean.