Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuums and Mops
The Eufy 11S is one the cheapest self-emptying robot vacuums available. In our tests it was able to pick up dry oats on hard floors as well as carpets with low pile. Its dust bin is open and empty easily, making it easier to use than some other models at its price range.
It recharges at the base and then cleans when it’s at its best. However, its obstacle-avoidance technology is caught in socks and cords, and it can’t go under low thresholds.
1. iRobot Roomba 11S
The 11S is one the most affordable self-emptying robots, and a lot of people seem to love it. It is great at moving under furniture and is a good choice for those who have hard floors or for daily cleaning. Its suction might be less powerful than those of our top picks, however it gets the job done. It also has a large dirt bin and a battery which lasts for over an hour. The app allows you to schedule daily cleanings or pick a specific room. You can also map your home to help the device stay clear of areas you don’t want it visit.
The app is easy to use and has a clear layout. It’s not an app with a lot of features however, it’s simple to use and lets you monitor your robot’s status. It also comes with a helpful tutorial to guide you through the basics.
Its cleaning patterns don’t always look like logical — at times it is straight lines, while other times it focuses on the edges of a room — however, Bounce Navigation ensures your entire floor gets cleaned. It is not the best at climbing obstacles — it struggled to get under our pet food bowls and piano pedals, and got stuck in our 2.25 inch shag carpet a few times.
We believe there are better robot vacuums available than the 11S. The iRobot Roomba is much easier to maintain and has lower costs for recurring maintenance and charges faster. It also has a larger dustbin and is more effective on all surface types and can also overcome low-lying obstructions (like electrical cords) more easily.
The eufy RoboVac11S is another good option for shorl.com regular vacuuming. It’s designed in a similar way to our top pick, and it is great at picking up small particles and dirt on hard floors. It also does a decent job on medium and low-pile carpet. It comes with a large dirt bin and uses BoostIQ for automatic suction power adjustment. It also has an easy-to-use remote control to operate, and you can program daily cleaning routines with the app. The battery lasts for around an hour, and the dustbin is easy to empty by taking it from its dock.
2. Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra robot vacuum empty itself vacuum and mop is an excellent robot vacuum mop combo self empty with an impressive array of automation features. The Roborock S7 MaxV comes in three different versions: the basic S7 model as well as the S7 Plus model, and the S7 Ultra. Only the latter comes with an Empty Wash Fill Dock (or an alternative Auto-Empty Dock). These docks allow the robot to return to its home base and empty the debris in a dust bag or reservoir, empty the dirty water tank and wash its mopping pads.
Sensors on the S7 work in tandem to clear obstacles and clean them. It can identify flooring types, save the map of rooms and zones and even detect dirt levels. It’s also capable of scheduling and carrying out spot-cleaning sessions. It was able to perform well in our tests, but it didn’t quite match the iRobot Roomba j7+ in our carpet deep clean test.
You can program the S7 using the companion app to run a cleaning cycle according to your schedule. You can specify a time either day or week as well as choose from several cleaning modes, such as automatic, eco and deep clean. You can also decide whether the robot will stop if its power goes out or in the event of an obstacle.
If you don’t have a smartphone but you can still use the S7 by connecting a remote to the charging dock. The controls are confusing initially, but they work well once you’ve mastered them. The power button doubles as the general ‘Clean’ function and the ‘Spot Clean’ button directs the robot to clean a small area around itself. The «Spot Clean» button activates the child lock.
Roborock’s mobile app has been enhanced to include a live view function that allows you to see what the S7 does at home. You can activate this feature by pressing a particular sequence of buttons on the S7 and creating an unlock pattern in the app to use any time you wish to check out what the robot is doing.
3. Shark IQ XL
Shark’s robot vacuums aren’t as well-known as those from iRobot or Roborock. But our tests have shown that this model is among the most efficient self-emptying vacuums available. It’s simple to set up, has an enormous bin that’s easy to empty (albeit somewhat loudly) into a trash bin when full, and can easily be programmed to complete a home cleaning schedule or as needed.
The IQ XL can connect to your home WiFi, which allows you to monitor it via the Shark app and check its battery levels as it cleans. The app allows you to create a cleaning schedule and also receive push notifications on its condition, pause cleaning and clean up, or set it to clean one specific area. You can also control it using voice commands using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The app can tell you the power mode it’s currently in—Eco, Normal or Max—but we didn’t find that any of these modes had a significant impact to cleaning performance.
The IQ XL will automatically empty the dustbin at the end of each cleaning cycle into the base, which will then self-empty. The bin can store up to 60 days of debris so you don’t need to empty it more than once unless your pets have hair that is long. If you do need to empty it you can simply take the side container off and place it over your trash bin and push a button.
The Shark IQ XL is a excellent vacuum cleaner. It does a decent job of cleaning bare floors and it can maneuver itself well. However, the Shark IQ XL feels a little less solidly built than the Roomba 694. It’s good of cleaning carpeted floors but doesn’t match the iRobot Roomba i7 in terms of the performance of bare floors. The i7 is also better-built and feels more durable and sturdy, has less maintenance requirements, has lower monthly costs, and charges faster, while offering similar battery performance, and offers the most advanced automation features, such as no-go zones and the capability to select specific rooms for a clean.
4. iRobot J7+
This robot vac/mop combination is a rare beast, since it does both jobs very well. iRobot Combo j7+ has all the smarts and features of its j7 counterpart, including LiDAR map and self-emptying. But it also offers additional features for vacuuming and mopping.
The new acoustic sensors assist the j7+ recognize flooring types, meaning it can decide between mopping and vacuuming on the first pass through a room. It also makes use of this information to prioritize cleaning rooms with carpet and rugs over those with hard floors.
As with most robotic vacuums the j7+ is surprisingly quiet when running and it’s much quieter when mopping. Its maximum reading on our decibel meter was 64db which is comparable to the sound of normal office chatter.
It is easy to set up an cleaning schedule and then change what happens when the dust canister gets full. The j7+ can also be controlled with voice assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.) The app lets you create and view maps within your home.
In our tests, we found that the j7+ was a solid performer on carpeted and hard floors, and it cleaned up most of the dirt we threw at it. It has some issues with pet hair and large debris such as sand, but it is able to clean these things with a little extra effort. It also has decent navigation capabilities and a pair of cliff sensors to stop it from falling down the stairs or stumbling on furniture legs.
We did find some minor issues with the j7+, mainly that it could snag cords and rugs, and that it doesn’t always switch off its mopping when finished vacuuming. In all other respects, it’s an excellent product that ticks all the right boxes.
The j7+ from iRobot also has one of the best self emptying robot vacuum and mop-emptying systems we’ve seen. It puts its 14oz 0.4-liter dust canister into the base station, [Redirect Only] where it automatically empties itself for you. This reduces the amount of trash you must dispose of. You’ll only need to change the dust disposal bag on the dock every 60 days, based on how frequently you use the j7+.