When you find the right one for you, check out our top tips for robot vacuums, many of which also apply to mops.We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.Ĭhoose the best robot vacuum and you’ll have a new hands-free solution to those midweek cleans that just can’t wait. See our reviews for detailed analysis of each model listed here, and check back soon, because we're reviewing new ones all the time.
Deep-set stains, however, will likely require a bit of manual scrubbing. They're great for maintenance and fresh spills. Should You Throw Out Your Swiffer?Īs with robot vacuums, robot mops do a nice job of keeping your floors clean, but they aren't complete substitutes for a little elbow grease. We make sure it doesn't scuff tile or wood, and at the end of every cleaning session, we check the microfiber cloth to see how dirty it gets. We also see how well it tackles dry stains versus wet on a variety of surfaces. We take into consideration things such as whether or not it uses a cleaning solution or water only. Lastly, and most importantly, we check to see how well a robot mop cleans in real-life conditions. In these instances, we check to see how intuitive app use is, and what benefits it brings to the table. And while not every robot mop comes with app control, hybrid models often do. Once again, you want these processes to be as simple as possible, or you wouldn't be buying a robot to do your chores for you. Most involve charging your robot and filling up water tanks.
Setup is another factor we take into consideration. We then let it clean for as long as it takes to run the battery down completely. To test battery life, we fully charge the robot before running a cleaning cycle. We consider battery life of 60 minutes to be sufficient for small homes and apartments, though ideally we like to see results in the 90-minute range. The longer you get on one charge, the better it is for larger homes.
This will help determine what robot you should pick based on the size of your home. We also check to see if it's able to avoid textiles like rugs and carpeting, or if it comes with peripherals like virtual walls (or app control) to make this easier.īattery life is also important. To that end, we look to see whether the robot is able to handle different floor types such as tile and wood with equal ease. The whole point of robotic cleaners is to let them do the work for you. We test robot mops in our actual homes, keeping the following criteria in mind: battery life, navigation, ease of setup and operation, and performance.
These hybrid models are typically more expensive, but they're also more likely to have features like app control via your phone, voice control via Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and even interactivity with other smart home devices. Some feature an interchangeable dustbin and water tank, and don't require any presoaking before cleaning.
They typically have attachments for microfiber cloths that wipe or scrub your floors as the robot runs around your home. Hybrids, as you might expect, can mop and vacuum. Some can however, perform a dry sweep to clear the area before they start mopping. Single-purpose mops, like the iRobot Braava Jet 240 and Braava 380t, can't vacuum your floors. Robot mops generally come in one of two flavors: single purpose or hybrid.
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