The Best Vacuum Floor Mopping Robot

The Best Vacuum Floor Mopping Robot

With a dust container that can accommodate up to 460ml and a water tank of 300ml, this robot shows good cleaning performance, despite a height that does not allow it to pass under all furniture. Its dedicated application offers many features, including five cleaning modes, water flow adjustment or even weekly programming. Its autonomy of 2h30, its good management of obstacles and its good performance, both in washing with water and in vacuuming, make it particularly interesting since its recent price reduction.

Each robot vacuum cleaner is tested in real conditions.

When the robot vacuum cleaner connects to an application, we take the time to browse it and take ownership of all its features.

First, we assess its navigation: what types of trips does it operate? Does it go everywhere? How does he deal with obstacles?

Suction performance is of course crucial and therefore tested on various surfaces.

We then evaluate the washing performance with water.

We end our tests with the maintenance stage.

The F9 is positioned as a low-cost solution of choice. Fairly thin, it goes easily under most furniture. The Xiaomi Home application allows you to configure it quite easily (choice of suction mode, water flow, programming, etc.) but also to follow its route in real time and consult the cleaning history. Although its design can be improved (especially in terms of maintenance), it must be recognized for its very good suction performance and an effective mop mode despite its simplicity.

If laser telemetry is clearly an asset in terms of navigation, it is thanks to its automatic emptying station that the Deebot N8 Plus stands out from the game. Equipped with a 2.5 L bag, the latter can therefore empty 400 ml collector up to 8 times. Of course, this is not its only quality, since it also displays good suction performance, precise mapping and appreciable customization possibilities. Only its height can be a disadvantage since it prevents it from going under certain furniture.

Equipped with LIDAR sensors, this robot amazed us by the precision of its movements. Thanks to this, its cleaning performance is really good, both in suction mode and in mop mode. Only the rugs seem to interfere with the fluidity of his movements. However, one might be able to expect more for the requested budget, since the application does not save the cards and therefore does not allow to personalize them in advance, and does not offer to personalize the wash. at the water.

our selection

Our Pick, Best Mid-Range	Best cheap	Best high end	High-end alternative
Roborock S6 MaxV	Dream F9	Ecovacs Deebot N8 Plus	SEAMLESS S1
Equipped with a double infrared camera and a LIDAR laser navigation system allowing it to recognize small obstacles (5 x 3 cm), this robot offers precise mapping of your different living rooms.	Unlike many of its entry-level competitors, the F9 packs an optical lens into its navigation system that allows it to navigate intelligently and handle obstacles in the room.	This robot vacuum cleaner stands out thanks to its charging station which operates at regular intervals an automatic emptying of the collector. This system guarantees peace of mind for up to 30 days.	Less known on the market, it nevertheless stood out well in our tests by combining good navigation performance with efficient suction. Even washing with water convinced us.
CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE	CHECK PRICE

Honorable mentions

Ecovacs Deebot Ozmo T8 AIVI (€ 799 when published): The innovation of the vibrating plate to improve cleaning with water. It includes a camera allowing live video, an AIVI artificial intelligence system for object recognition and a mapping system that the brand announces as optimized. The wet cleaning cloth is attached to a vibrating plate, for efficiency close to that of manual washing. Given its high price, we expect to have a little more perspective on its performance, but no doubt that it is very promising.

Ecovacs Deebot T9 + (€ 899 upon publication): A top-of-the-range model with automatic emptying station and fragrance diffuser . This robot accumulates good points. It too is equipped with a camera and a laser rangefinder to improve its navigation performance. Its station offers a capacity of 2.5 L to regularly empty the 420 ml collector. Its mop is placed on a vibrating plate to improve cleaning with water. The application offers a nice variety of customizations. For this price, however, we prefer to wait until we have tested this product to ensure that its technical sheet keeps its promises.

How are our tests going?

Each robot vacuum cleaner is tested in real conditions , in several rooms of a house (dining room, living room, bathroom …) and in everyday situations (toys lying around, presence of a carpet, chairs , etc.).

First, we install and, when necessary, pair the robot with a smartphone, to judge the difficulty of the task. It is also an opportunity to take a tour of the device to assess its design quality (including the charging base) and the resistance of its accessories.

When the robot vacuum cleaner connects to an application , we take the time to browse it and take ownership of all its features. Some are indeed more complete than others and it is therefore an opportunity to see the possibility (or not) of monitoring the task in progress, programming, the precision of the settings, but also the reliability of push notifications. .

Then comes the time to observe the robotic vacuum cleaner in its daily operation. First, we assess its navigation : what types of trips does it operate? Does it go everywhere? How does he deal with obstacles? Are the maps accurate?

The suction performance is of course crucial and therefore tested on various surfaces (tiles, parquet and carpet). The robot is put to the test with rice and salt, in small and large quantities.

For the washing performance with water , we focus on the kitchen, equipped with dark gray tiling on which we can clearly see the traces.

At the same time, we measure the sound level in each mode, as well as the autonomy of the device.

Last but not least , we end our tests with the maintenance stage : accessibility and emptying of reservoirs, cleaning of rollers and brushes, replacement of spare parts, etc. are carefully reviewed.

How to choose your robot vacuum cleaner floor mop?

A true hybrid device, this robot incorporates, as its name suggests, both suction and floor washing functions, thanks to an integrated mop. Interesting for the daily maintenance of your home, it does not dispense with a bigger regular cleaning, but can already make your life much easier and especially save you time and energy.

In order to make the best choice, we have compiled the essential characteristics of the robot vacuum cleaner for floors for you.

• Autonomy : it can vary from 1h30 to 2h30. This criterion must above all agree with the size of the surface to be cleaned. The less quickly the robot will have to return to its charging station, the more it will be able to show its efficiency. In this sense, the size of the reservoirs (dust and water) is also important. Typically, the dust container is about a third the size of a stick vacuum cleaner (300-400ml vs. 1L).
• The navigation system : although entry-level robots generally circulate “blind” with random movements, more and more models are operating on the basis of recorded cartography, with boundaries defined by you. Some devices even propose to break down the space into zones, to memorize several rooms, or even entire floors.
• Features : it may be interesting to have several cleaning modes . While many devices clean in a circular fashion from the center of the room, others can clean the edges of rooms (plinths) or advance in a zigzag (more efficient than a rotary motion with regard to the mop). The programming also all its interest, to turn the regular time to launch robot or a delayed start. Finally, the more recent models give you the possibility of adapting the water flow according to the type of soil, in order not to damage the most fragile surfaces.
• Remote control : some robots are equipped with a remote control, which increases the comfort of use. Others can be connected to your smartphone and launched remotely via a dedicated application. Often, this also makes it possible to visualize the path made by the robot and to perform programming.
• Height : a device that is too high will not be able to pass under certain pieces of furniture, even though these are precisely the areas where it is necessary to pass through. It is therefore worth taking a look at this criterion, in order to make sure that the device meets your needs.
• Sound level : although these devices are generally intended to operate in your absence or at night, it is better not to exceed 60 dB, the average sound level of a normal conversation.

The difficulty of these devices is obviously to be efficient at the same time on the suction and on the washing with water. If one of the two functions is unnecessary for you, it is better to go directly to a robot vacuum cleaner or a robot floor mop .

Sources

1. Le Monde, The best robot vacuum cleaners (Wirecutter comparison) , October 27, 2021
2. Digital, Which robot vacuum cleaner to choose? , October 27, 2021
3. PC Mag, The Best Robot Mops for 2020, 27 octobre 2021