Despite the enthusiasm of actors in Swiffer commercials, few people are champing at the bit to go over their freshly vacuumed floors with a manual mop.
It’s not that the act is particularly cumbersome, but there’s just something about taking the time to pull yet another handheld device out of a closet that rightfully earns a collective groan. Isn’t that why the robot vacuum has become a well-loved household tool over the past decade?
Then, the inevitable happened: Hybrid models, which add mopping to the menu. The best robot vacuum and mop hybrids can suck and scrub for a 2-in-1 deep clean. Sounds too good to be true, right?
Mopping may be the newest front in the robot vacuum wars, but here’s an open secret: Many hybrid vacuum/mops aren’t very good at either. You end up getting a mediocre vacuum and a mediocre mop for twice the price.
Think back to the Swiffer. That $20 hand mop might be annoying to use, but it handily outperforms most robot mops, which can cost anywhere from $300-$1,500.
Fortunately, there are some excellent robot mops, and the best robot vacuums and mop products easily passed our cleaning tests. After testing out the top hybrid robot vacuum/mops from iRobot, Shark, eufy, and RoboRock, we’ve ranked the top options for your home.
Are mopping robots worth it?
A mopping robot’s value is pretty indisputable — if it can actually mop as well as it promises. Most robot mops include a disclaimer along these lines: “Not meant to be used for stubborn, sticky, or set-in stains.” Of course, those types of floor stains are the exact reason you own a mop in the first place. So if you want to invest in a robot vacuum and mop, we recommend avoiding most budget models in favor of more advanced cleaning bots.
The traditional mop and bucket is a logistical headache, and constantly tossing out Swiffer pads feels wasteful. If you’re going to pay to take the tedious motion of vacuuming off of your to-do list, you may as well let the same bot finish the job with a nice sparkle. The best robot vacuum and mops may not scrub with as much oomph as your own two hands, but they can make your floors shine a bit more than they normally would.
How do robot vacuum mops work?
At their core, robot vacuum-mop combos are really just robot vacuums with an attached water reservoir and scrubbing pad. Thus, they work just like robot vacuums but dispense water for mopping when they’re not sucking up dust. When you want to finish your freshly-vacuumed floors with a shine, you fill the water tank up and attach a cloth or pad to the bottom and the bot will navigate your floors to clean up the extra dirt. Some, of course, are better than others about lifting the cloth when they approach carpet and ceasing water flow automatically.
For the most effective clean, look for models that can accommodate cleaning fluid in addition to regular water. Likewise, robot mops that incorporate a scrubbing motion will do a better job at lifting away dirt and grime.
What to look for in a robot vacuum mop combo
Choosing the best robot vacuum mop for you really depends on your lifestyle and the budget you’re looking to stick with. Whether you’re looking for something that will tackle big messes with ease, or something that you can set and forget, there are a few key factors to keep in mind:
Battery life: If you’re hoping to swap your mop and bucket for a hybrid robot vacuum, the device you choose should have the battery life to cover your entire surface area. A 100-minute battery life should be sufficient for most apartments, or if most of your cleaning will be done on a room-by-room basis. Battery life of 170 to 200 minutes isn’t hard to find and would be ideal for square footage over 1,500. The best robot vacuums recharge on their own and automatically resume cleaning.
Floor-type sensors: A robot vacuum’s ability to adjust suction based on floor type is important even just in the dry sweeping realm. But for robot mops, this is what will keep your carpets from getting soggy. Most hybrids automatically start to mop once their water tank is attached, but only the smarter ones know to pause the water flow and lift their wet cloth above the carpet. Bots that remember your rooms or follow virtual boundaries can be programmed to avoid carpeted areas while mopping altogether.
Smart mapping: A robot vacuum’s navigation tech decides whether or not it’s equipped to adhere to virtual boundaries (or stuck with those ugly magnetic strips). Currently, the golden standard is LiDAR: a laser that scans different points in your home to determine where walls are. Once the robot vacuum has made its rounds and gotten its bearings, it draws a floor plan that you can refer to in the app to send the bot to clean specific rooms or set up zones that you’d like the bot to avoid, like a pile of toys or your pet’s water bowl.
Dust bin size and self-emptying: You’ll want to make sure the dust bin and water reservoir in your robot vacuum-mop combo are an appropriate match for your home. If you’re living in a condo, apartment, or other small space, you probably won’t need a massive vacuum reservoir. If you’re hoping to cover an entire house, you’ll probably want to look for something that you won’t have to empty out after every single cleaning session. A self-emptying vacuum will come in clutch here, which automatically empties its debris into a dock and leaves you off the hook for a month or two.
Keep in mind that most hybrid robot vacuums and mops are available in both self-emptying and automatic models. Because the automatic models are usually about $200 cheaper, we’ve included more of them here. However, if self-emptying is important to you, then you’ll want to spring for pricier bots like the Ecovacs X1 Omni or the Roomba Combo j7+.
All things considered, which hybrid model is the best?
Below, we’re outlining some of the best robot mop combos on the market right now — including the standout features that set them apart.
If a model listed below looks awesome but out of your price range, click on it! Amazon is known to inflate original prices and keep things permanently on sale for upwards of $200 off. Plus, you might be able to find a cheaper version without self-emptying. Even the best robot vacuum and mop devices go on sale, and there’s a hybrid cleaner for everyone’s budget.
How we tested
Mashable product reviewers have tested a lot of robot vacuums in recent years, from $150 budget models that mindlessly zig-zag back and forth to $1,500 cleaning robots that can do double duty as home security guards. However, testing hybrid robot vacuums and mops requires some additional steps.
For this review, we separately tested several bots’ ability to vacuum and mop on hardwood, rugs, and tiles. When cleaning up dry waste, we scattered debris (specifically, Cocoa Pebbles) around the floor and along the edges of a wall to test suction and edge cleaning. When that process was complete, we then stained the floor with a small patch of syrup. We wanted to see how well these bots could handle a stubborn stain, which isn’t what they’re designed to do.
We found that in order to effectively mop, the best hybrid models needed to do more than rub a wet mop pad across your floor. The Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1(opens in a new tab), the best mopper we tested for this guide, used a combination of sonic scrubbing and floor cleaning solution for a deep clean that other bots couldn’t match.
However, to earn a spot in our guide to the best robot vacuum and mop hybrids, these cleaning machines had to do more than vacuum and mop. We also tested their navigation capabilities, obstacle avoidance, self-emptying, and smart-mapping features. For devices with special features such as sonic mopping, carpet detection, or spot cleaning, we also tried out these functions to ensure they could actually deliver what they promised.
In our testing, we found that the best hybrid robot vacuums offered a combination of essential features — effective mapping and navigation, carpet detection, sonic mopping, and self-emptying. We chose to include a handful of robot vacuums that offered some of these features even though we weren’t able to test them for this story (yet). All of these chosen products are made by companies with a proven reputation for delivering high-quality products (we recommend avoiding unknown budget brands in this product category).
Specifically, we chose to include the Roomba Combination j7+(opens in a new tab) thanks to its ability to detect carpets (and dog poo) and automatically lift its mopping pad. After testing the self-emptying j7+ robot vacuum, we believe the hybrid option is a worthy upgrade, especially for pet owners worried about pet waste. Likewise, the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra(opens in a new tab) is an award-winning hybrid with LiDAR navigation, carpet detection, heavy-duty 5,100pa suction, sonic mopping, and self-cleaning, all backed by Roborock’s reputation for making stellar robot vacuums. It’s the definition of a splurge-worthy robot vacuum. Finally, we chose the Ecovacs N8 Pro+(opens in a new tab) as another mid-range option because of its strong suction, LiDAR mapping, floor-type sensors, and self-emptying, a potent combination for a hybrid under $500.
Based on all of these tests, we settled on a final list of the nine best robot vacuum and mop devices, with options for every budget and use case. We’ll continue to update this guide as Mashable reviewers test additional robot vacuums and mops.
Happy cleaning!
