iRobot®: Robot Vacuums and Mops

There’s a mopping version, the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1, or you can buy it as a stand-alone bot. Greenworks puts a lot of features in its GRV-5011 robot vacuum/mop combo, and many of these do a good job, even if the mop feature lags our desires a little. The Samsung JetBot A.I.+ is our pick for best robot vacuum for pet owners because of its ability to suction up hair and avoid messy pet accidents. Using this feature turns the X1 into a mobile security camera that you can control remotely.

irobot vacuum cleaner

They cost $99 for two, so if you need more than a couple of keep-out zones (and closing a door won’t work), it’s worth going for the j7 instead. The mapping feature allows you to set a schedule for cleaning certain rooms or send it off at any time to clean just the kitchen or living room. This makes it less intrusive since it doesn’t try to clean the whole house on every run — so I didn’t find it dead in a corner as often after an annoyed family member shut it off.

If you want hands-free cleaning everywhere, you’ll want to budget for one per floor or be prepared to move it around. You can also buy extra shark cordless charging bases, and most models can map multiple floors. The downside is that the charging/cleaning dock is huge and unattractive.

You can get it with an auto-empty dock for a list price of $550 (i.e., probably lower). The physical design is also very similar to the j7 under the hood, with two multi-surface rubber roller brushes to get more dirt up. These rubber brushes don’t get tangled by long hair the way bristle brushes can. If you are looking for the best clean for your buck and want to avoid the possibility that the robot won’t finish its run because of stray clutter, the Roomba j7 is the one to go with. Its cleaning prowess is largely unmatched thanks to the decades of experience iRobot has in this space, and it’s one of the easiest robot vacuums to use.

If you want this, look for robots from iRobot or higher-end models from Roborock and Ecovacs. Robot vacuums are supposed to be part of Matter in the future, but who knows when that will bissell crosswave cordless happen. Roborock pioneered the “VibraRise’’ feature that lifts the mop a few millimeters when it senses carpet, meaning you don’t get a damp rag dragged over your living room rug.

Plus, you can use the iRobot Genius app to specify what rooms or parts of rooms you want to be cleaned and when. If you’re a pet owner the new Roomba j7 Plus vacuum may give you some piece of mind. These robots are quite an investment, and the ability to buy replacement parts to keep them going for longer is a big bonus. EBay Refurbished items can be returned or replaced for free within 30 days of receiving them. Only a select group of eBay sellers can participate in the program, and we monitor their performance to ensure they live up to the highest standards of customer service.

With many mopping bots, you have to swap out the mop pads when you want them to go vacuum the carpet. But the VibraRise feature can only clear low-pile rugs, so I had to set no-mopping zones around my plush floor coverings. There’s also no AI obstacle avoidance, so a cable or rogue sock will derail the clean. It uses what Roborock calls Reactive Tech Obstacle avoidance, so it won’t mow down big items, but it’s not intelligent enough to avoid pet poop. But this bot is a good buy if you’re fine with cleaning up before your robot runs and giving it extra time to get the job done. For over 20 years, Roomba® robot vacuums have been tackling tough messes on floors with thoughtful intelligence and design innovations to fit seamlessly into your home and life.

According to the company’s test lab, a unit with VSLM can clean up to 2,000 square feet on a 120-minute charge. Since joining the Reviewed in 2012, Jon has helped launch the company’s efforts in reviewing laptops, vacuums, and outdoor gear. In the pursuit of data, he’s plunged his hands into freezing cold water, consented to be literally dragged through the mud, and watched paint dry. Its ability to actually mop is only middling, and the mop attachment frequently causes the vacuum to get stuck.