10 Things Your Competition Can Teach You About Robot Hoover

The Best Robot Hoover

The best robot hoover can mop and vacuum without needing your attention, and will leave your floors spotless. Its price is surprisingly low and high-end features (such as dirt detection) are pluses.

Make sure you regularly inspect your robot's brushes for hair tangled as well as large debris and wash them if required. Some models will also empty the dust bin on board and then deposit it in a larger bin located at the base. This reduces the amount fine dust that gets released into the air.

1. Roomba Q5 Pro

The Q5 Pro and its sibling the more expensive Q7 Max Series, are among the most powerful robot vacuums we've examined. They feature motors that are top of the class and can handle up to 5,500 Pascals. As with other top iRobot models (including the top-rated model) they employ smart mapping technology to create detailed floor plans that avoid home-based obstacles like cords and furniture legs. They also have carpet boost, a feature that boosts the robot's performance when it sees an abundance of dirt on the carpet to get it clean quickly.

Both the Q5 and the Q7 Max Series get very good scores in our bare floor tests, and they're particularly adept in removing pet hair. However, they do have a few flaws however, which hinder them from being our top choice. One of the flaws of the Q5 is its navigation system doesn't feature AI-powered obstacles avoidance. It's also prone to getting stuck on socks and shoes and could not navigate rooms with lots of people well during our tests. It doesn't also have a camera to see around corners.

However, it's a good choice to consider, particularly if you're looking to save money on a iRobot Roomba and you have a bare-floored home or office. Plus, it's very quiet and can work while you're at work, or school. The only thing it's missing that you don't get in the more expensive iRobot Roomba X30 is edge-to-edge vacuuming of floors with no floor. It's also less effective when it comes to mopping. It relies on disposable wet wipes, which don't stick very well and cannot handle dried-on debris. The Q5 has a self-emptying cradle that can be emptied by itself. If you need to clean the mopping pad, it can be changed for a wet one in just a few seconds.

2. IRobot Roomba X30

The iRobot Roomba X30 packs impressive vacuuming and mopping capabilities into an elegant, compact package. Its smart cleaning maps and fluid navigation make it simple to clean and effective in tackling larger particles like pet hair. It also features self-emptying dustbins, powerful suction, and support for virtual boundaries. It's the best robotic hoover for carpets but it's not as good as other hoovers in terms of deep cleaning.

This top-performing mop and vacuum combination uses advanced sensor technology to dodge obstacles and pet waste and it will learn your home's layout over time for more efficient cleaning. The app lets you customize zones and change the cleaning schedule. It comes with a battery life that is similar to other models.

If the X30 Ultra is in a carpeted area, you can tell it to remove and extend its mops. This will help prevent cross-contamination. Its flex arm is perfect for getting under low-lying furniture and along baseboards. However, it doesn't have the same washboard performance as our other Editors' Choice picks, the Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo N8 Pro+ as well as the iRobot Combo j9+.

During tests, X30 Ultra was the fastest robot vacuum/mop to clean an entire home with just 66 percent of its battery remaining. It also did a great job cleaning a range of floors and rooms with various flooring types, such as certain area rug. Its obstacle detection was top-of-the-line, and it nimbly avoided fake dog socks, turds, shoes, and bundles of cables.

It's a bit more expensive than iRobot Combo v9+ or iRobot Roomba j9+ but has superior suction and an onboard bin that automatically empty into the base. It also supports voice commands through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can clean the floor even after it has vacuumed. This is a feature we haven't seen before on other robotic cleaner and mop vacuum/mop combos.

3. iRobot Roomba X40

This mop and vacuum combination is sleek and has a circular design that looks more like the regular Roomba unit than the boxy models of the competitors. It's one of our most attractive looking robot vacuums uk vacuums. The latest flagship model from iRobot is also among its most advanced. It features advanced features like Enhanced Dirt Detection as well as future compatibility (another company's robot that is able to wash mop pads on its own).

It's also the sole robot vacuum/mop to score the perfect 10/10 out of 10 in our tests. This is thanks to a combination high-tech sensors including a structured lighting system, a camera and multiple lasers. The X40 Ultra was the only robot we tested that could fill and empty its basestation on its own. It also boasted an industry-leading suction of 12,000Pa and self-cleaning mop mops.

As with other iRobot models, the X40 is easy to use, offering an easy mobile app interface as well as integration with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit as well as Google Assistant. The only real drawback is that it's still quite loud that could be an issue if you use it in the morning prior to work or at night as you attempt to sleep.

It's also a bit expensive, though it's not as pricey as Ecovacs X2 Omni or the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra both of which are similarly capable and more attractive. If you're willing some more volume and a little more cost, this is a very capable two-in-one that should satisfy most people.

iRobot L20 Ultra

The L20 Ultra is the top-of-the high-end robot mop and vacuum. It has a range of advanced features that help you forget your chores. Like Ecovacs the range-topping X2 Omni and Roborock's S8 Pro Ultra, the L20 is designed to be a hands-off cleaning machine that takes the care of mopping and vacuuming. It comes with a multifunction dock that automatically empties the vacuum's dustbin, refills its water tank and washes and dries its mop pads.

The smart robot makes use of LIDAR and structured lighting to create floorplans and identify obstacles. It can navigate more efficiently than its competitors with premium features. It also comes with a front-mounted camera for real-time hazards detection but this wasn't foolproof in our tests and could be confused with power cords or obstructions.

The vacuum cleaner comes with the capacity to suction up to 7,000 Pascals which is more than enough to do the job. It also comes with "Intelligent Dirt Detection", which regulates the intensity at which the vacuum works and adjusts the frequency of cleaning robot mop and vacuum for different areas of the home depending on the amount of dirt they tend to be.

For larger houses it's worth looking for one with spot or zone cleaning modes that let you tell the robot to clean a particular area of your home via the app or voice controls. A stairway mode is useful if you own a large furniture. Finally, a recharge and resume function that allows your robot vacuum to take over exactly where it left off is great for busy families.

5. iRobot Roomba RX3

The RX3 is a cleaner with more intelligence than you would think from its price. It vacuums well and was able to remove 55% of debris in our tests. (It was only second to the Roomba Q5 Pro). It also mops with a single pad that uses an oscillating motion that cleans better than most of the other robot mop cleaners we've tried. And it's highly self-sufficient with a fully-featured app as well as an auto-emptying washable base.

The iRobot app is designed to help you navigate a mapping run which collects information about your floorplan and any "no go" areas that you've marked on the map. It can be used to design cleaning schedules, or to organize the spot-cleaning. You can also use it to rank your most filthy areas for greater efficiency. The app offers a variety of features, such as seasonal suggestions, custom mapping, and advanced cleaning settings.

It is also able to reach corners and under furniture more easily because its shape is more rectangular. It also has strong 8,000 Pascal suction and combs with intelligent technology for hair of pets. You can also set up a spot-clean that will thoroughly clean the area.

The Miele Scout RX3 Home Vision HD is a more sleek more affordable alternative to iRobot Roomba. It's more appealing, Dolce & Gabbana-esque design and its twin cameras look like cute eyes. It is great at vacuuming, however it is more likely to be caught on low thresholds. It is also noisier than other top robot vacuums we have tested. It also has an app that is less intuitive and a small base station that doesn't double as a bin to empty.