The best robot vacuum and mop combos, chosen by experts | Digital Trends

The world of robot vacuums has seen rapid improvement over the past few years, with many of the best models now serving as both vacuums and mops — allowing them to clean up your home in a single run. These types of robot vacuums typically employ some sort of retractable mop to lift their saturated components and keep your carpets dry. Once they’re done cleaning, most will then head back to their docking station to empty their dustbins and clean their dirty mopping pads. That makes robot vacuum and mop combos mighty enticing.

However, these gadgets aren’t cheap. It’s not uncommon for such products to carry price tags over $1,000, and with so many to choose from, it can be hard to tell if you’re getting the best robot vacuum for your home. If you need help with your search, here are the best robot vacuum and mop combos of 2024, including the best overall, best budget, and more.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

Best robot vacuum and mop combo overall

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is everything you’re looking for in a robot vacuum and mop combo. It’s available in two setups — one using a traditional docking station and another that connects to your plumbing and water lines. The former is the one most folks will end up purchasing, but if your home allows for it, the model that connects to plumbing lines is a game-changer, as it enables the robot to automatically dump its dirty water and refill its clean water on the fly. In other words, all you have to do is replace the dustbag every few weeks.

Even if you don’t get the fancy plumbing-enabled model, you’re still getting 10,000Pa of suction, dual roller brushes to better detangle hair from carpet, a swinging side brush to clean around furniture or closer to baseboards, and a vibrating mopping pad that retracts when carpet is detected. It’s also shockingly great at avoiding obstacles, and it seems to get better at learning floorplans the more you use it. Toss in a docking station that automatically empties its dustbag and rinses and dries its mops, and you’ve got a compelling device to handle all your floor cleaning needs.

Dreame L40 Ultra

Runner-up

The Dreame L40 Ultra is a powerful robot vacuum and mop combo, combining 11,000 Pa of suction with an innovative mopping system that works great on all types of hard floors. The big appeal is its ability to automatically remove its mopping pads while docked, allowing it to travel on carpets without dragging dirt through the rest of your home.

When the mopping pads are installed, they generate downward pressure to better clean floors. One of the pads can even swing outward to reach cramped areas near baseboards and furniture. Its sensors and obstacle detection are top of the line, ensuring it rarely (if ever) gets stuck on a dog toy or nearby cords.

Obstacle avoidance also serves to lift and deactive its main roller brush and side brush when liquids are detected, allowing them to stay clean and dry in even the messiest of kitchens.

It’s quite expensive at $1,500, and some competitors are now offering more suction. But those are minor caveats on an otherwise stellar product.

iRobot Roomba Combo j9+

Best for pet owners

iRobot backs the Roomba Combo j9+ with the Pet Owner Official Promise (P.O.O.P.), all but guaranteeing the robot is smart enough to avoid accidents — ensuring it doesn’t get run over and tracked throughout your home. Aside from that quirky promise, the Roomba Combo j9+ is a solid all-around robot vacuum. Its dock won’t wash and dry its mopping pad, but it does use a unique swinging arm to stow the mop on top of itself when traveling on carpet. That’s much better than most robots, which typically just retract their pads a few millimeters. You’ll also benefit from a dual roller brush system for better fur capture regardless of how plush your carpets are.

Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo

Best robot vacuum for fully automated cleanings

If you can’t get the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra connected to your plumbing for an automated cleaning, consider swapping over to the Ecovacs Deebot T30S Combo. Not only does it offer many of the same features, but it’s much more affordable. Capable of cleaning carpets and mopping floors in a single run, it’s a good choice for homes with multiple flooring styles. It even incorporates a swinging mop into its design, enabling it to push the mop outward to clean around furniture or into crevices often missed by lesser robots. Once cleaning is done, it’ll rinse and dry its mopping pads and empty its dustbin. For anything unreachable by the robot (like stairs or furniture), the T30S Combo comes with a separate handheld vacuum.

iLife V5s Pro

Best budget robot vacuum and mop combo

When it comes to landing a robot vacuum and mop combo at one of the best prices available, you’ll want to check out the iLife V5s Pro. This is a great budget option, and it leans heavily on minimalism to get there. It has a super-slim design that will come in handy if you have any low-rise furniture. With a lower price point does come some missing features, however, and this robot vacuum and mop combo doesn’t come with auto-emptying functionality. It’s little to give up for a budget option, though, so dive into the iLife V5s Pro if you’re looking to save a few bucks.

Shark AI VacMop Robot

Best robot vacuum and mop combo for smaller homes

If you’re an apartment dweller or own a smaller home, you’ve still got to keep the floors clean, and the Shark AI VacMop Robot is a good option for doing so. It’s an all-in-one device that doesn’t have too many features, but the ones it has are just right. It has multiple preset modes you can use to switch from vacuuming, sonic mopping, and a deep-clean mode. These modes are assisted by an AI laser navigation that ensures the robot doesn’t bounce into walls or fall down stairs. This robot vacuum and mop combo does have a shorter battery life than you’ll find among others, but with less surface area to clean, it shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Bissell SpinWave Robot

Best robot vacuum and mop combo for mopping

The Bissell SpinWave Robot is the best robot vacuum and mop combo if you have a lot of hard-surfaced floors. It’s a completely capable vacuum, but it really comes out ahead as a mop. It’s capable of mopping hardwood, tile, linoleum, and other sealed hard floors. It does so with a powerful mop and a two-tank cleaning system. It also has the smarts to know to stay away from carpets while it’s mopping. You can also set it for automated cleaning cycles so you it can do the work of keeping your floors clean while you’re out of the house.

How to choose a robot vacuum and mop combo

There’s a lot to consider when it comes to choosing the right robot vacuum and mop combo for your needs. With so many option on the market, some great ways to narrow down your selection is by considering what you want out of the device. Do you want it to clean while you’re out of the house? How large is your home? Do you have pets, children, or another reason for high foot traffic?

Consider your home

Your home is probably going to be the most important factor when ensuring you get the right robot vacuum and mop combo. The size of your house is an obvious consideration, but you’ll also want to take a good look around about the surface of your floors. Most robot vacuums will be able to clean up any kind of surface, but some will be better at hard surfaces than carpets, and some will be better at cleaning up carpets than hardwood and tile.

The amount of foot traffic your floors see is also something to think about, as pet owners and people with kids may want to consider a robot vacuum and mop combo with stronger suction and better build quality.

Smart features

While there are a lot of smart home devices to consider, robot vacuums are among the most popular because of their smarts. Many robot vacuums will have the capability to scan your home and create a virtual map for itself, which allows them to avoid things like furniture, pets, and stairs. Some robot vacuums will even go a step further, and with these models the virtual map can be used to set cleaning zones and cleaning schedules, allowing you to get more precise with the robot’s automation.

Cleaning capabilities

You wouldn’t want to get a traditional vacuum that doesn’t do a good job of cleaning up, and this is the case with a robot vacuum as well. While many robot vacuum and mop combos will focus on smart features as their main selling point, you’ll want to be sure they can get the job done when it actually comes to cleaning.

How we chose these robot vacuum and mop combos

Robot vacuums have been around for some time now, and we’ve had our eye on the best robot vacuum and mop combos for all of it. We’ve put several models to our own personal use, but we have also spent years writing about and recommending dozens of different models. We’ve filtered our selections for the best robot vacuum and mop combos through this expertise, with extra consideration placed on newer releases and affordability.