If there’s one thing most humans can’t stand, it’s cleaning the floors (or cleaning in general). Oftentimes, it’s time-consuming, back-breaking work that requires a lot of time and resources that most janitors and other sanitation workers simply don’t have. The majority of maintenance workers don’t get paid enough either, and hey, in most cases, you get what you pay for.
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As technology improves, however, we’re seeing more and more floor cleaning and sanitation robots on the market, mopping the floors of shopping malls and hospitals, making sure the surfaces you walk on are sparkling clean. These robots have been proven to save a whole lot of time and energy, as well as clean much more thoroughly than most human sanitation workers. It’s essentially a case of: “if the work is particularly unpleasant, just have a robot do it,” and you know what? These little robots do a pretty excellent job.
In this article, we’ll go over the various benefits of commercial floor cleaning robots. You’d probably be surprised by how much of a difference they can make.
What Is a Commercial Floor Cleaning Robot?
Commercial floor cleaning robots have revolutionized industrial sanitation. Imagine a small, sleek, intelligent robot gliding effortlessly across the floor of your work building, leaving it spotless and practically sparkling in its wake. This is precisely what a commercial floor cleaning robot is capable of.
These robots are great navigators as they come equipped with advanced sensors and especially powerful cleaning mechanisms. Need to clean up a large spill on the linoleum? No problem! Is the carpet in the break room covered in crumbs? A commercial floor cleaning robot should be able to take care of that in just a few minutes.
Commercial floor cleaning robots are essentially built with efficiency in mind. They’re relatively low-maintenance, and they can easily maneuver around obstacles like coffee tables and chairs. They’re designed to be able to clean in tough-to-reach places (like in between the refrigerator and the counter in an industrial kitchen setting, for example). They can also adjust to different floor types, and clean with unmatched efficiency.
Benefits of Using Commercial Floor Cleaning Robots
There are many benefits to using commercial floor cleaning robots rather than sanitation and maintenance personnel. Let’s go over some of the main advantages of utilizing the services of these cute little robots below:
Makes Life Easier for Maintenance Workers
We have absolutely nothing against maintenance workers. They often work quietly, behind the scenes, to make sure the floors you walk on are clean each day. It’s important work, and maintenance workers should be treated with the utmost respect, especially considering what they have to deal with.
Commercial floor cleaning robots should be used as a tool by maintenance workers — a handy little cleaning partner, if you will. These robots are simply designed to make the lives of maintenance workers easier. No more excessive bending and stooping that leaves these workers with back pains and other physical ailments, for example.
Effective Cleaning
Commercial floor cleaning robots are also just really good at cleaning. That is their main purpose, after all. Unlike human beings, commercial floor cleaning robots are specifically designed to, well, clean floors. These robots can clean in places that human cleaners often can’t reach, like corners and underneath heavy furniture. They’re also designed to work continuously, meaning they don’t have to take breaks and can get the job done much quicker.
These robots essentially won’t stop cleaning until there’s no dirt or grime left in the vicinity, whereas human cleaners might end up missing glaring messes. Commercial floor cleaning robots also use specialized brushes and vacuums to clean, which work a whole lot better than someone moving a mop across the floor a few times.
Efficient Cleaning
These little robots aren’t just more effective cleaners. They’re also much more efficient cleaners than human cleaning personnel. They can easily clean up large areas without missing a spot because they’re quite literally designed to not miss (or avoid) any messes. These robots require little to no supervision, so maintenance workers can use their free time to complete other tasks while the robot does most of the grunt work.
Safe Cleaning
Unfortunately, it’s pretty common for maintenance workers to get injured while on the job. Accidents happen, especially if you’re trying to move quickly on wet floors to try and get the job done as fast as possible. Maintenance workers also tend to breathe in a lot of hazardous cleaning chemicals, which can end up affecting their health in drastic ways.
Commercial floor cleaning robots, on the other hand, aren’t at any risk of tripping and falling, and they obviously don’t need to breathe. They won’t get sick from toxic chemicals, and they won’t overexert themselves to the point where they get aches and pains — which for human workers sometimes require doctor’s visits and can take months to remedy.
Cost-Effective
Commercial floor cleaning robots are an investment at first, but over time, you’ll see that utilizing these robots in your workspaces can significantly reduce the costs of labor. Human workers obviously need to be paid, and they need breaks and benefits, whereas commercial floor cleaning robots can work for hours on end without skipping a beat. These robots also require minimal maintenance and repair, which also helps to keep costs low in the long run.
Do I Need a Commercial Floor Cleaning Robot?
If you’re thinking about buying a commercial floor cleaning robot, there are a few things you should take into consideration first. For example, you’ll want to consider the type of flooring your commercial space has as well as the types of spills the robot is most likely going to be cleaning up. You should also of course take your budget (including repair costs) into consideration.
Conclusion
Commercial floor cleaning robots are quite innovative, and are sure to change the lives of sanitation workers everywhere. They work with high efficiency and effectively clean everything, so you’ll never have to worry about the CEO of your company walking through the door and slipping on someone’s coffee spill. These robots are a great choice for those who have trouble keeping up with all that comes with cleaning commercial spaces. You can certainly make your life easier by investing in one!
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Robot vacuums are impressive devices that will clean your floors well without complaining (much). As prices have dropped, these busy little bots have become less of a luxury and more of a necessity. They can reach places most standup vacs never see (under beds and sofas) — and, thanks to better batteries and robot brains, they rarely get tired of cleaning.
I’ve been testing robot vacuums for six years and have run well over 60 robot vacuums all over my house in my quest to find the best. These are my current top picks if you’re looking for the best of the best: a robot vacuum that can do it all without getting stuck and with limited intervention from you. I’ve also got some options to fit specific needs, such as mopping, tackling small spaces, or besting pet hair without breaking the bank. If you’re looking to spend less than $400 on a robot vacuum, check out my budget robot vacuum guide. Here, we’re going to look at the premium options.
While there’s been a lot of innovation in robot vacuums in recent years, we’re still a long way from that Rosey the Robot dream of a robot that can handle all the household chores (or stairs). But they’ve got floors down. Today, there are robots that can mop well, charging docks that empty the bin for you, and a slew of new “hands-free” models that can also refill their water tanks and wash their mops so you don’t have to. The biggest improvements, however, are in better mapping and obstacle avoidance, two crucial skills that mean most robot vacuums today will get the job done.
Despite all these innovations, there still isn’t one robot that excels at both mopping and vacuuming. For most people, the vacuum is the thing to focus on; I consider mopping a bonus feature. My personal preference is a powerful vacuum for my main rooms and a dedicated mopping robot for rooms like the bathroom and kitchen.
The good news is that robovacs are constantly on sale; I wouldn’t pay the list price unless you want the absolute newest model. The general range is around $400 for a standalone vacuum with good features and between $1,300 and $1,900 for an all-singing, all-dancing bot that can clean itself and use AI to avoid common household clutter in its quest to clean your floors.
There are a lot of options, and whether you have a 3,000-square-foot home and three shaggy dogs or a small, stylish apartment you share with a goldfish, there’s a robot vacuum to suit your needs.
It’s not all about suction. In my testing, the brush is the big factor in how well a robot will clean your floors. A large rubber roller brush is much better than a small bristle brush at picking up debris. It's also less prone to getting tangled up with hair. Two brushes are better than one, and a brush housing that has some flexibility — can move with the contours of the floor — is also more effective.
It’s hard to find a robot vac that doesn’t have some form of mopping, but not all mops are created equal. I looked for mopping bots that could get up dried-on stains, like milk and ketchup, and scrub up small wet spills without messing themselves up. Oscillating, spinning, or vibrating mop pads are important for actual cleaning; bots that just drag a wet rag around aren’t really mopping. Auto-carpet sensing is also important as it prevents the robot from accidentally mopping your rug.
A big bin means you don’t need to empty it as often. The largest I’ve seen is 800ml, but anything over 500ml is decent. With many bots now pulling double duty as mopping robots, plus the popularity of self-empty dock / charging bases, it’s getting harder to find small robot vacs with big bins. But they’re worth considering — especially if you have carpets and pets. I love self-empty docks, but sometimes you don’t have space for them, and if you like your robot to be out of sight (living under your bed or sofa), you’ll want a big bin and no dock.
A nice-to-have rather than a must-have, a self-empty dock turns the charging base for your robot into a motorized emptying station that sucks out the dirt from its bin. (Warning: this process is very loud!) This saves you from having to pull out the bin after every few runs and empty it yourself. Instead, you’ll have to replace the bag (and buy new ones) when it gets full, generally about once a month. Many robots now have a self-empty dock option you can add later, although buying them together is generally cheaper.
Another nice-to-have feature, AI-powered obstacle avoidance helps your robot “intelligently” avoid clutter (and a potential poop apocalypse if it encounters pet waste). These models use cameras (worth noting) to see objects in their path and onboard processors to “decide” how to approach them based on what they see. All AI is not created equal, however, and some are much better at this than others, but the end result is robot vacuums with AI avoidance are less likely to get stuck when cleaning, so you’re more likely to come home to a clean floor rather than a beached bot. It also means you don’t have to tidy up before the robot runs, as it can navigate around shoes, socks, and other common clutter.
A robot that maps your house will get into every nook and cranny better than one that bumps and rolls around. Mapping also lets you send the robot to clean specific rooms rather than the whole space and add virtual walls to prevent your bot from going where you don’t want it to. These are crucial if you have delicate objects or areas in your home that regularly trap robots. Most robots use variations on simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology such as Lidar or VSLAM.
A good app has easy controls to stop and start your vacuum, scheduling options (including do not disturb hours), plus good mapping features. Nice-to-have features are room-specific cleaning and settings (so you can tell your vacuum just to clean the kitchen, or have it mop and vacuum the kitchen but only vacuum the living room). My biggest frustration with apps is maps that are fiddly to update and / or crash and must be rebuilt constantly. Most vacuums have voice control now (see FAQs), but some offer more in-depth control, such as telling Alexa to have the robot clean twice under the dining room table.
Nearly all robot vacuums can “recharge and resume” — take themselves back to their dock when they’re low and recharge before picking up where they left off), but a vacuum with at least 120 minutes of runtime (180 is ideal) will clean the whole house in one go. If it takes too long, I find noisy robots that are constantly running will get shut off by annoyed family members, who aren’t about to clean the room for you.
Robot vacuums are quite an investment. The ability to buy replacement parts to keep them going for longer is a big bonus.
$ 600
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With the best AI-powered obstacle avoidance, excellent navigation skills, and superior cleaning power, the Roomba j7 is the bot to beat. It can be a bit rough with furniture, but it is aggressive at getting your floor clean.
$299 at Amazon$300 at WalmartDustbin capacity: 419ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mapping: Yes / AI-powered obstacle avoidance: Yes / Suction power: Not published / Remote check-in: Yes / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Dual, rubber / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
Despite the huge increase in competition, iRobot’s Roomba j7 is still my favorite robot vacuum. Its dual roller brush design, impressive cleaning ability, superior obstacle avoidance, and user-friendly app make it the best choice for most people. The fact you can regularly find it on sale for as low as $300 makes it a slam dunk. And I really like its well-designed auto-empty dock, which will cost you a couple hundred dollars more.
While the new j9 line adds increased suction power, longer battery life, and the option of an impressive new auto-empty / mop refill charging dock (more on that in a bit), the j7 and its mopping-capable counterpart, the j7 Combo Plus, perform almost as well for a significantly lower price.
The j7 and j9 models share the same software capabilities and the best AI obstacle avoidance of any vacuums I’ve tested. This means they rarely get stuck and will actually finish the job of cleaning your home. They also have the best brush system, featuring two long, nubby rubber brushes that rotate in opposite directions to dig up dirt from carpets and collect pet hair without getting tangled the way most bristle brushes do.
The j7 uses two rubber roller brushes and a large side brush.
For about $200 more, you can take away the chore of emptying the j7’s decent-sized bin by investing in the j7 Plus, the j7 robot vac with a self-empty dock. This is one of the most reliable, nicest-looking, self-empty docks I’ve tested. It doesn’t get clogged.
The design is compact, with some welcome aesthetic touches, such as ribbed matte black plastic casing and a leather pull tab to access the bin area, so it doesn’t look too alien in your home. It also includes a cubby to store an extra bag, though I wish you could fit more than one in there. If you already have the j7, you can buy the dock separately for about $250.
While most robots use lidar to map your home quickly, Roombas use vSLAM, which takes much longer for the initial mapping. Once set up, however, it’s far more reliable than the other mapping software I’ve tested. The Roomba app has never lost my map, either, which is something that happens frequently with lidar bots. The j7 can also auto-name rooms for you, identify furniture, and update on the fly.
I can ask it to clean specific rooms or areas, such as in front of the fridge or behind the couch. I find this helpful when there’s a spill mid-food prep or for a quick cleanup after a meal. It works with voice control, too, so a quick “Hey Alexa, ask Roomba to clean up around the dining table” gets the job done.
The Roomba j7 is a superb vacuum that looks good (for a vacuum) and works well. You can get the robot on its own or, as pictured, with iRobot’s Clean Base auto-empty dock. That model is called the j7 Plus.
The biggest downside is that Roombas are noisy. The j7 is one of the loudest vacuums I’ve tested, and you can’t adjust suction power for a quieter run as you can with almost every other robot vacuum. Here is where the j9 Plus series may be a better option for you, as it features the option for three levels of suction if you want a quieter clean. Its auto-empty dock (on the j9 Combo Plus model I tested) is also slightly quieter when emptying its load.
The j9 also has an exclusive software feature that “remembers” which rooms are dirtiest and seeks them out. However, as with similar AI-powered cleaning features I’ve tried on other robots, I found this of limited use. It may improve, though, so I’ll keep an eye on it.
Another reason to consider the more expensive j9 over the j7 is if you want your Roomba to mop. While I prefer the mopping prowess of the Dreame X30 or the Narwal Freo X Ultra, if you’re set on a Roomba, then the new Roomba j9 Combo Plus is the best Roomba for mopping and vacuuming.
The j9 Combo Plus uses a retractable mopping arm first seen on the j7 Combo Plus but adds the ability to refill its own tank. It also has a smart scrub option that tells the robot to wiggle its butt to scrub your floors — which works surprisingly well. While smart scrub is also coming to the j7 Combo, the auto refill and smart scrub features are compelling, making the j9 Combo the most capable combo option from iRobot.
The Roomba j9 Combo Plus comes with a lovely auto-empty charging dock that can refill the robot’s water tank and doubles as a storage case for mop pads and dustbins. Plus, it serves as a nice little coffee table.
The j9 Combo Plus’s auto-empty / auto-refill dock is the best-looking multifunction dock you can buy. It will look fine sitting in your living room, which is not something I can say for any other mop-focused model. It has an integrated table on the top that you can use for decorative items, as you don’t have to lift the top to refill the water (as you do with other multifunction docks).
Finally, a big reason I recommend Roombas is how easy they are to repair, a crucial factor for an expensive gadget you’d like to use for many years. My in-laws still have a Roomba they bought in 2007, and it works great. While parts are costly, they are readily available, including mechanical bits like wheels and the entire cleaning module. This is not the case for many of the other bots I tested. Roborock, for example, doesn’t sell spare parts beyond bags, bins, and brushes on its accessories site; you have to ship the robot to the company for any repairs.
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The high-end DreameBot is the least hands-on vacuum / mop you can buy. It can remove and reattach its oscillating mopping pads, wash and dry them, refill its water tank, and empty the bin. It can also do the splits with its mops to clean your baseboards better. The newer X30 Ultra has some improvements, but on balance, the L20 is still the best value.
$999 at Wellbots$1000 at Amazon$1000 at DreameDustbin capacity: 350ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: No / Mapping: Yes / AI-powered obstacle avoidance: Yes / Suction power: 7,000 Pa / Remote check-in: Yes / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single, rubber / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
The DreameBot L20 Ultra is the best robot vacuum / mop hybrid for the price. While its successor, the X30 Ultra, adds more suction power, a bigger battery, and the ability to extend its mops a little further out, the L20 is the best bang for your buck at under $900 (on sale) compared to $1,700 for the newer model.
The L20 and X30 are the best of the new breed of self-cleaning, self-emptying robot vacuums. These have charging docks that not only empty the robot’s onboard bins but also drain and refill the mop's water tank. Unlike the Roomba j9 Combo Plus, they can also clean and dry the mop pads with hot air. The L20 uses room-temperature water to wash and hot air drying, whereas the X30 adds hot water washing.
What I love about the new DreameBots is that they automatically remove and reattach their mop pads depending on whether they are vacuuming or mopping, solving the problem of how to vacuum and mop without getting your rugs wet. The robot will do this procedure multiple times during cleaning to ensure carpets are vacuumed, and floors are mopped. Genius.
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The Dreamebot has big wheels, a wide rubber brush, a side brush, and two oscillating mop pads.
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The Dreamebot has big wheels, a wide rubber brush, a side brush, and two oscillating mop pads.
While most of Dreame’s competitors are competing to lift their mops even higher than the last bot to avoid rugs (which the DreameBot can also do), this still runs the risk of getting water on high-pile carpet. Roomba solves the problem by lifting its mop over its body, but it has a skinny little mop pad compared to the spinning, oscillating ones on the DreameBot.
If you have a mix of carpeted rooms and hardwood floors with high-pile rugs, the Dream L20 is the best robot vacuum for you. It has auto carpet-sensing capabilities and will also lift its mops up 10.5mm to go over low-pile rugs, so it doesn’t need to head home just to clean the doormat.
The DreameBot has another neat trick: extending its mop pads to better clean baseboards; it was hands-down the best bot I tested at getting right up against walls and into corners. My kitchen baseboards have never been cleaner.
Its towering base station has a sleek design and hides a huge 4.5-liter water tank, which only required refilling once a week in testing compared to two or three times for other models. The X30 has a slightly redesigned smaller dock, but Dreame frustratingly took away the buttons on the dock, which you can use to quickly send the bot out or recall it, so I prefer the L20’s dock.
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The DreamBot X30 shows its splits.
The lidar-based DreameBot maps and remaps your room as it goes, adapting to any changes — although this did result in it getting a bit confused at times. It has AI-powered obstacle avoidance that was mostly effective when it came to cables, socks, and pet waste, although occasionally, it did rumble over something it shouldn’t. The j7 is smarter, cleaning up a small pile of Cheerios, where the DreameBot gave them a wide berth.
Like the Roomba j7, you can use the onboard camera as a home patrol security camera to check in remotely. It’s all local on your phone, there’s no cloud, but you can manually initiate recordings and take photos.
There are some downsides. The L20 uses a single small rubber roller, but its 7,000 Pa of suction power did a good job of getting up the dirt (the X30 bumps that up to 8,300 Pa, but I didn't see a noticeable difference in pickup). The auto-empty dock was also prone to clogging, which was not a problem I had with the X30, and its removable panel to access the bin was very fiddly.
$ 800
The new X10 is a great robovac with excellent AI-powered obstacle avoidance, powerful oscillating mops, a user-friendly app, and good mapping capabilities. Its rubber bristle brush means it is not as good as my top picks at getting up dirt and debris, but it’s a terrific price for a bot with all these functions, and as a bonus, its dock is compact and not a major eyesore.
$800 at Amazon$800 at Best Buy$800 at EufyDustbin capacity: unknown / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mapping: Yes / AI-powered obstacle avoidance: Yes / Suction power: 8,000 Pa / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: single rubber/bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home
The Eufy X10 Pro Omni is a hybrid of the Eufy Clean X9 Pro mopping robot vacuum and the Eufy X8 Pro self-empty robot vacuum. It’s the first Eufy with a multifunction auto-empty / wash / fill dock, and unlike many bots in this price range, it comes with AI-powered obstacle avoidance.
With 8,000Pa suction and oscillating dual spinning brushes for mopping, the X10 has all the same basic functions as the top-of-the-line, all-in-one bots. But it’s not quite as good at any of them, which is sort of the definition of “midrange.”
The Eufy performed excellently in my mopping tests, even managing to eradicate dried stains with its 1kg of downward pressure. Thanks to an onboard water reservoir, it didn’t have to head home to fill up frequently as some mopping bots do. It also has heated mop drying to help prevent the base from getting stinky — a first in this price range. (There’s no hot water washing.)
An edge-hugging mode makes the robot swing its behind into the baseboards to help mop edges, and with its square-ish shape, it got into corners better than most of the round bots. But its 12mm mop pad lift over carpet wasn’t effective, resulting in its pads getting hung up in a few places.
The Eufy uses a single rubber/bristle roller brush that wasn’t as effective as those on the Roomba j7 and Dreamebot L20.
The X10 has superb object recognition, allowing it to suck up Cheerios and piles of oatmeal while deftly navigating fake dog turds and cables. However, its navigation sometimes got screwy; it would go into a corner and stay there for a while trying to figure itself out.
While its vacuuming is good, particularly on carpet and tile surfaces, the single rubber / bristle roller brush lets it down and is a good illustration of my point that it's not all about suction power; it’s also about the brushes and how you use them. The Eufy’s brush is supposedly anti-tangle — a cutting tool inside the robot should shred the hair — but this wasn't effective.
One fun feature is Smart Track cleaning. This lets you nudge the robot with your foot, and it will start following you, cleaning as it goes. When you get to an area you want cleaned, you can hit the on-device spot clean button. This is a nice change from having to rely on an app to get your robot to go where you want it.
The Eufy Clean app is very easy to use, and the lidar-powered mapping was fast and accurate, dividing my rooms correctly on the first try. There are lots of customization options — including room-specific cleaning, zone cleaning, and customized cleaning — but the app is clear and well laid out.
$ 900
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This bot can do most of what the Eufy does, with lower suction power, no AI obstacle avoidance, and no heated mop drying. But it is a very capable bot that vacuums, mops with oscillating pads, and self-empties and refills itself. It has a compact dock and works with the excellent Roborock app, which offers more features than Eufy’s. It can also lift its mops over carpet and uses a rubber brush that’s less prone to tangling than the Eufy, but its obstacle avoidance isn’t nearly as good.
$770 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)$770 at Walmart$770 at Roborock$ 1400
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A superior mopping bot with a superior price tag, the Narwal is smart enough to know when it needs to go back and mop more and is the best bot for keeping your hard-surface floors spotless. Its vacuuming is good, too, and a unique onboard compression bin means no loud auto-emptying. But its obstacle avoidance is spotty (there's no camera), and the app is a challenge.
$1200 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)$1200 at Narwal (with code FREOXU200)Dustbin capacity: 1L / Self-empty dock option: No / Auto-refill mop option: Yes / Mapping: Yes / AI-powered obstacle avoidance: Yes / Suction power: 8,200 Pa / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single, conical rubber bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
There aren’t many robot vacuums that bring something totally new to the space, but Narwal has been quietly innovating for a few years now and has finally produced a really good hybrid vacuum and mop. The Narwal Freo X Ultra is the best mopping robot I’ve tested — one that also makes for a very good vacuum.
Some of its innovative features include dirt sense — which analyzes the dirt level in the water and prompts it to remop, if needed — and its ability to adapt the pressure of its mop based on the type of floor material, applying more pressure to tile and less to hardwood. “Freo” refers to the bot’s ability to make cleaning “decisions,” including going back to clean dirty floors. This type of machine learning is popping up in a number of robot vacuums, but Narwal has had it in its models for a couple of years now and offers one of the more impressive implementations I’ve tested.
The Narwal’s spinning, triangular mop pads rotate at 180 RPM with 12n of downward pressure (higher than the Eufy X10), which makes them effective at getting up dried mud and tackling sticky orange juice. The robovac can also swing its behind to get closer to baseboards, much like the Eufy X10, but its triangular-shaped pads mean more mop comes into contact with the wall.
The Narwal also features a zero-tangle rubber / bristle brush that’s conical shaped, allowing hair and fiber to wind down to the end and get sucked into the bin. This is more effective than X10’s attempt at “cutting” hair off the brush, and no tangles were detected during testing.
Its charging dock is sleek, albeit huge, with a real Wall-E vibe. It has a touchscreen control panel, though, sadly, it’s less functional than the one of the previous model. It also houses two huge four-liter water tanks for stowing dirty and clean water, plus an auto-injection detergent bottle (which the Eufy doesn’t have).
The Narwal can use disposal dust bins that compress dirt, so you don’t have to empty it as often.
There’s no spot for an auto-empty dust bin; instead, Narwal’s onboard bin can compress the dust, so you won’t need to empty it for up to 60 days. This is similar to how long most auto-empty docks go between needing to have their bags replaced, but you don’t have to deal with the noise of them emptying. In two weeks of testing, it wasn’t close to full, but I’ll report back after two months. Like those in most auto-empty docks, you dispose of the bag when it's full. If you prefer non-disposable options, the bot comes with a standard non-compression plastic bin, too.
The Freo X Ultra is one of the quietest bots I’ve tested. Even at full power, it was so quiet that I had to check that it was actually working. However, Narwal’s obstacle avoidance is not great; there’s no camera, and it routinely eats cables. Its three lasers can identify objects as small as a sock and move around them, and it did pass my fake pet-poop test.
The app is very hard to follow, though, making it tricky to access all the bot's features. Mapping was fast, but it didn’t recognize all my rooms on the first go. It did better the second time, though splitting up rooms and naming them in the app was painful. The lack of a camera also means its navigation is spotty, and sending it to clean specific rooms wasn’t always successful.
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It’s not fancy, but the Q5 Pro has a huge bin and big wheels to get up on higher-pile carpets easily. It has a small removable mopping reservoir for when there are dirty paws on the floors, but its main job is to suck up dirt and pet hair, and it does very well at both.
$320 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)$320 at RoborockDustbin capacity: 770ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: No / Mapping: Yes / AI-powered obstacle avoidance: No / Suction power: 5,500 Pa / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Dual, rubber / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts
My recommendation for families with pets who don’t want to spend a small fortune on an auto-empty robot vacuum is to buy a good bot with a big bin. These are getting harder to find now that every bot wants to be a multitasker and also mop (the water reservoir takes up valuable dustbin room). So, I was very pleased with Roborock's recent entry-level robot, the Q5 Pro; it’s my new favorite for pet hair.
This relatively inexpensive vacuum has a huge 770ml bin on board, along with dual rubber brushes that are better at getting pet hair out of rugs than single brushes. The rubber is also less prone than bristles to getting tangled with hair, and combined with 5,500 Pa suction power, this vacuum does a really good job on very dirty floors. It does have a removable mopping pad with a small water tank built into it, which is useful for getting up the fine dust left behind by the vacuum, but it isn’t going to scrub your floors. It will, however, keep the pet hair at bay.
Don’t confuse this with the cheaper Roborock Q5, however. That bot has a smaller bin, lower suction, shorter runtime, and only one roller brush. It’s worth spending the extra for the Pro.
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I like big bins and I cannot lie. The Q5’s 770 ml bin is the biggest I’ve tested since self-empty docks became a thing.
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I like big bins and I cannot lie. The Q5’s 770 ml bin is the biggest I’ve tested since self-empty docks became a thing.
The Q5 Pro Plus pairs the bot with the redesigned Roborock auto-empty dock if you really don't like emptying the robot’s onboard bin, but you’ll pay almost double for the privilege. The dock is relatively compact and lightweight compared to previous versions. But considering the size of the Q5 Pro’s bin, you'd only have to empty it three times before the dock’s 2.5-liter bag is also full.
The Q5 Pro doesn't have AI-powered obstacle avoidance, although it will dodge shoes and larger objects. It does have a huge 5,200mAh battery that will run for about four hours. It uses the excellent Roborock app and has all the same software features of the higher-end S8 family, including lidar mapping and navigation, digital keep-out zones, room-specific cleaning, zone-cleaning, and voice control.
$ 500
30 % off
$ 350
$ 500
30 % off
The smallest robot vac on the block, the K10 Plus is a mini auto-empty vac that can do a bit of mopping. But its main trick is being small enough to get into places most robot vacuums will never venture. It’s perfect for small spaces like home offices, bedrooms, and studio apartments.
$350 at Amazon (with on-page coupon)$500 at SwitchBotDustbin capacity: 150ml / Self-empty dock option: Yes / Auto-refill mop option: No / Mapping: Yes / AI-powered obstacle avoidance: no / Suction power: 2,500 Pa / Remote check-in: No / Keep-out zones: Yes, virtual / Brush style: Single, rubber bristle hybrid / Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Siri Shortcuts — Matter support announced
One thing all the robot vacs I’ve recommended so far have in common is size. They are all large circular robots that, while mostly adept at navigating around chair legs and under sofas, do struggle to get into tight spaces. At almost 14 inches wide, bots like the Roborock S8 aren’t getting in that nook between the toilet and the bathtub or under the desk where your chair legs meet the trash can. Enter the SwitchBot K10 Plus.
The tiniest robot vacuum you can buy, the K10 Plus is a cute little dust sucker that can nimbly navigate around almost any piece of furniture you throw in its path. Just 3.6 inches high and 9.8 inches wide, it pairs with a teeny tiny auto-empty dock (12.5 inches high and 10 inches wide) that somehow hides a whopping four-liter dust bag. So, while it’s little, you won’t be emptying its bin bag any more often than its bigger competitors.
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Mug for size, the SwitchBot k10 is very small.
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Mug for size, the SwitchBot k10 is very small.
Its 2,500 Pa suction is fine for an office or bedroom, and this little guy moves really fast. It’s also very quiet: it has four vacuum levels, and the lowest was tolerable even while I was working in the same room. There’s a removable mopping pad that uses disposable wet wipes — no water. These are fiddly to attach and don’t stay on well. It also won’t mop and vacuum simultaneously and didn’t do well with dried-on dirt, making the mopping function here more of a spit and polish than a deep clean.
The robot uses lidar mapping and has room-specific cleaning and digital keep-out zones. There’s no AI-powered obstacle avoidance here (and no camera), so while it went around shoes and furniture legs, it did get hung up on cables and socks. It also couldn't handle rug tassels. But, for keeping a bedroom or home office clean or navigating a tightly packed studio apartment, this bot packs a lot of power in a small package.
An Eufy robot vac running the gauntlet in my test lab / sitting room.
I tested six new robot vacuums for our latest update and re-tested five more, running each one in my home for at least a week, some for longer, to judge how they deal with everyday household grime and life.
I put each through a gauntlet of phone chargers, socks, a pencil, and fake pet poop to test obstacle avoidance. I threw in Cheerios to see if they knew to vacuum them up rather than avoid them, and I also scattered oatmeal and flour to see how well they dealt with picking up fine debris as opposed to flinging it everywhere.
I ran each over both thick and low-pile carpets and watched to see how they handled rug tassels, skinny chair legs, and room transitions.
For mopping prowess, I tested them on hardwood floors with dried milk, fresh OJ, and ketchup. I monitored how quickly they filled up their bin / auto-empty dock and how efficiently they used water and cleaned their mop pads (where applicable).
To test the apps and software features, I set schedules, hooked them up to voice assistants, and played with any advanced features in the app. I also evaluated their mapping skills, tested them on multiple floors, and tried out any unique features (such as home security camera capabilities, AI-cleaning programs, and auto-mop removal).
Ecovacs’ Deebot X2 Omni is a powerful cleaner, but its navigation is a letdown.
Some highlights of my testing of other robots for this update.
The Roborock S8 Pro Ultra has dual roller brushes and a nicer looking dock.
Dyson’s newest robo vac claims to have double the suction power of any other robot vacuum.
The Ecovacs X2 Combo combines an X2 Omni with a handheld vacuum. Image: Ecovacs
When buying a robo vac, you’ll be bombarded with lots of specs around suction power, but largely all of these rolling sweepers are suitably sucky, picking up everything from dog hair and kitty litter to Cheerios and dust bunnies.
Suction power is measured in pascals (Pa) and robots with over 5,000 Pa of suction do better than models with 2,500 Pa, but as noted earlier, the brushes make the biggest difference. Most robots have multiple suction levels, and more expensive models adjust to suck harder when they sense carpet.
However, I’ve not tested a robot vacuum yet that can really, truly get carpets clean. They get surface debris, but if you have a carpeted house or lots of rugs, I recommend investing in a stick vac for weekly deep cleaning and letting your robot vacuum do the maintenance work. These are also handy for stairs, something no robot vacuum can tackle (yet).
The key to a clean floor with a robot vac is consistency. Run it daily if you can; it won’t keep up as well if it only runs once a week. 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 charging bases, and most models can map multiple floors.
Yes, every Wi-Fi-connected robot vacuum worth its salt today works with Alexa or Google smart speakers for voice control. However, some are limited to stop / start and pause, and maybe suction level, whereas others can be told to go clean specific areas.
Here’s how to set up a bot with Alexa voice control or Google Home voice control. A couple of manufacturers now also work with Siri Shortcuts, so you can use Apple’s Siri voice assistant to command your bot. If you want this, look for robots from iRobot or higher-end models from Roborock and Ecovacs. Robot vacuums are now part of Matter, which should mean more opportunities for easier smart home integration.
Photos by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Update April 4th, 2:42PM ET: Updated to include new picks, details, and a section highlighting other models we tested (as well as several forthcoming robot vacuums).
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