Many robot vacuums and mops come with a smartphone app that displays a map of your home, offers scheduling options and will send sometimes amusing error alerts when the bot is in trouble. These apps can also let you choose how deeply the robot mops clean, and some allow you to manually take control of the cleaning mode if desired. Some robots can even empty and self-wash their dust bins.
These robots are impressive machines, but despite their best intentions they can get stuck or tangled up and stop working, especially in cluttered rooms. It’s not uncommon for them to get trapped under furniture, stopped by door thresholds or caught on thick rugs. They can also snag on things like stray shoelaces, phone chargers and pet toys. This usually stops the robot in its tracks and requires a little de-tangling.
Fortunately, most robots can be paused or turned off and then resumed where they left off once their batteries recharge. In addition, some of the high-end models we tested can pause, return to their charging station to refill their battery, and then resume where they left off. This is a handy feature for busy families with lots of strewn-about objects.
As the prices for robots have dropped, they’ve become more affordable to own. The average price of a robot vacuum and mop is now around $200, and in our tests they’ve proven to be very effective at cleaning hard-floored homes. They’re especially helpful in households with kids, pets and people who suffer from allergies. Many owners tell us that they’re amazed by how much time they save when using a robot vac and that their floors have never looked better.
The Yeedi M12 Pro+ is a good midrange robot vacuum and mop combo with some of the strongest suction power in our tests, capable of tackling different floor types in one pass (vacuuming, then mopping). It has an extendable mop pad that lets it reach areas most robots can’t, such as under cabinets and sofas. It also features a quiet mode, and it can be remotely controlled with voice commands via Alexa. Other standouts include a retractable mop head that lifts 9mm when going over carpets, and a self-emptying, self-washing mop pad system.
It took our testers a while to figure out how to set up the Yeedi M12, which uses a special base with an integrated water reservoir and swappable bins for the mopping and vacuuming pads. This is a bit of a nuisance, but the fact that the robot doesn’t need to leave its work zone when changing pads is a major convenience factor. The M12’s 2,500Pa suction was powerful enough for our tests, but we weren’t impressed by its ability to pick up wet debris or dried-on food and grit.
The iRobot Combo i5+ and Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 have swappable bins, which make them easier to clean than the Yeedi, and their brushes can be removed for deep cleaning. They can handle both carpet and hard-floor surfaces, but they’re a bit slower to finish the job than other vacuum and mop models we tested.