Robotic vacuums have been all the rage for years and the technology has advanced by leaps and bounds. Robotic mops have been the neglected other brother up until the last few years. The robotic cleaning industry is finally playing catchup for hard surface flooring applications.
Picking the best robotic mops requires looking at two different concepts in robotic mopping. Most of the robotic appliance manufacturers now offer some sort of hybrid robotic vacuum with mopping capabilities. Only a few of these manufacturers offer a dedicated robotic mop.
How Good are Robot Mops?
Robot Mops will not give your floor a deep-clean. If you have built up grime and caked-in dirt or spills that have dried and turned sticky, chances are you will need to mop those out yourselves.
However, aside from those occasional deep cleans, robot mops are very helpful at quick cleans and maintaining general cleanliness without additional work. If these run on a weekly basis, those deep cleans will be easier and much rarer.
Are they worth it?
If you have a small apartment or very few people tracking dirt into the house, you may not need one of these. However, if you are a member of a busy family with pets and small children, then these can be very beneficial. They will save you time so you don’t have to clean, and they help fix the problem of having kids and pets tracking dirt through the house. Robot mops can be programmed to clean so you don’t need to remember to do it, and they will clean along with corners, edges, and under the furniture.
You will still need to vacuum or sweep prior to the moping if there is a lot of debris on the floor and will need to address any heavy dirt spots or large spills. But otherwise, these can save you a lot of time and energy.
What are the benefits?
- They will clean under furniture, along edges, and around corners. No more moving furniture around every time you need to clean.
- They clean on a schedule. You don’t need to remember to mop on a regular basis and you don’t need to tell the machine when to mop. Set its routine and forget it.
- Many mops double as a vacuum and can handle light dirt and dust.
- Many mops can be calibrated to mop in various modes including dry, damp, and wet.
What did we look at?
Overall, we looked for several features that we thought were important in any robotic appliance and some that we felt were nice to have but not necessary. Here are how the five vacuums in our list stacked up.
Each of the robot mops on our list has other features that may set them apart in your evaluation. As we take a closer look at each of the robotic mops, we will try and point out those features that might be a spectacular find in your mind.
Our Best Robot Mopping Models Chart
As with any set of products, each of our selections has various pros and cons. These, too, may influence your decision.
Robot Mopping Models | iRobot Braava Jet M6 | ILIFE V5s Pro | ILIFE Shinebot W400 | RoboRock S5 | iRobot Braava Jet 240 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Dedicated | Combo | Dedicated | Combo | Dedicated |
On-Board Water Tank | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
WIFI Connected | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
Smart Navigation | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Remote Control | Limited | Yes | No | Limited | No |
Auto-Dock and Recharge | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Vibrating Scrub Pad | No | No | Yes | No | Yes |
Best Overall – iRobot Braava Jet M6
Our choice for Best Overall on the Best Robot Mops List is the iRobot Braava Jet M6. For features and performance, the Braava Jet M6 leads our list. iRobot designed and engineered the Braava Jet M6 to be a true dedicated robotic mop. The Braava M6 isn’t a robot vacuum redesigned as a mop.
From its patented IAdapt 3.0 vSLAM navigation technology coupled with the Imprint™ Smart Mapping Technology, the Braava M6 doesn’t just navigate around your home, it maps and learns, spotting and mapping heavy traffic areas to schedule cleaning intelligently.
The unique design of the Braava M6 allows it to clean corners much more efficiently than other dedicated or combo mops and can maneuver on hardwood, tile, and stone floors with ease.
More importantly, the Braava M6 keeps on working. When the long-lasting lithium batteries need a charge, the Braava M6 returns to its docking station and when the batteries are recharged, returns to work and resumes cleaning where it stopped.
The features list is impressive and lengthy:
- Precision jet spray to effectively tackle sticky messes, grime, and grease.
- Patented IAdapt Navigation with vSLAM technology
- Imprint Smart Mapping
- Programmable Keep Out zones allow you to control when and where the robot cleans
- Handles multiple rooms and large spaces
- Works on hardwood, tile, and stone
- Automatic return, recharge and resume
- Maximized edge design cleans close to edges
- Imprint Link Technology allows the Braava Jet M6 to work with your other Roomba models for automatic sequential cleaning
- Links with the iRobot HOME App, with Alexa or the Google Assistant for voice control
- Customized programmable cleaning with the iRobot HOME app
The iRobot Braava Jet M6 includes the following in the package.
- I Braava Jet M6 Robot Mop
- 1 Charging Dock
- 1 Dock Tray
- 1 Power Cord
- 2 Single-use wet mop pads
- 2 single-use dry sweeping pads
- 4 oz bottle of cleaning solution
Pros
Consumers who have purchased the Braava Jet M6 are enthusiastic about its cleaning ability and reliability. Some of the most often mentioned positives about the Braava Jet M6 are:
- It operates quietly
- The ability to link with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant is convenient
- The navigation and mapping systems are fantastic
- The unit is small
Cons
The complaints that we found listed most often don’t seem to reflect negatively on any of the features of the Braava M6 or its abilities to clean and mop floors. The two most often commented negatives were:
- The price of the unit.
- The floors still need occasional spot cleaning by hand.
The price can be a factor, but for the number of features and the overall effectiveness of the Braava M6 at cleaning, the price is not out of line. We suspect that no matter how good the robot mop of vacuum, some personal attention is still going to be needed.
Final Thoughts
The iRobot Braava Jet M6 is a standout. If you are looking for a dedicated robotic mop, this should certainly be high on your list. It made it to the top of ours as our Best Overall Best Robot Mop.
Best Combo Vacuum/Mop – ILIFE V5s Pro Robot Vacuum Mop Cleaner with Water Tank
We were surprised after doing our evaluation and survey of online sources to find a combo vacuum/mop in second place on our list and garnering the Best Combo Vacuum/Mop label. ILIFE has put together a top of the line robotic vacuum and mop combo with the V5s unit.
Further Reading: ILIFE V3s vs V5s Comparison and Reviews
The only feature that would have made this a number one pick is the necessity to change the V5s from vacuum to mop manually. After the vacuum cycle, it is necessary to take out the dustbin and replace it with the water tank and mopping pad. It is an obvious compromise that allows the V5s to accomplish both tasks efficiently and effectively.
The V5s does fall a bit short in one other feature. When the batteries run low, it will return to its docking station and start the recharging process. However, it will not return to its last position and resume cleaning. You must restart the cleaning routine.
The ILIFE V5S Pro offers these features as part of the package:
- Four operating modes from which to choose; Auto Clean, Spot Clean, Wet Clean, Edge Clean.
- Infrared Sensing Technology to avoid objects and furniture in the room.
- Edge detection to prevent the V5s from going over stairs.
- Smart Route Planning technology for efficient and thorough cleaning
- 2600 mAh lithium-ion battery will clean for up to 150 minutes on a single charge
- Return to Dock and Charge when the battery gets low
- Included Remote Control
- Combo operation includes both vacuum functions and mop functions
- Create cleaning schedules
You will receive the following your package when you purchase the ILIFE V5S:
- 1 ILIFE V5s Robot Vacuum
- 1 charger/docking station
- 1 remote control
- 1 set of extra brushes
- 1 set extra HEPA filters
- 1 extra mopping pad
- Maintenance kit
- 1 mopping tank
Pros
The ILIFE V5S gets good reviews across the board. Some of the more common positive remarks made about the ILIFE V5s include:
- Great run time.
- The water tank is ingenious, and the mop function is great.
- Good Suction does a great job on hard tile, hardwood, and laminate floors.
- The low profile gets under furniture easily.
- Easy to use. One button operation
- The remote control is handy
- Cleans well on hard surfaces.
Cons
Most of the negative comments about the ILIFE V5s center on the compromises that must have both mopping and vacuum features in one unit. These comments reflect what you would expect.
- No carpet brush
- Small dirt bin needs emptying often
- The mopping pad doesn’t vibrate; it just wipes.
- The V5s will return to the dock when the battery is low but doesn’t resume cleaning.
Compromise always means giving up something. In the case of the ILIFE V5s, the compromises that allow the V5s to be both mop and vacuum keep it from being the best in either category but give it enough of an edge to get our Best Combo Vacuum/mop label.
Final Thoughts
The ILIFE V5s may not be the best vacuum or the best mop, but if you have a lot of hard surface flooring and low pile carpet, the V5s may be the combo unit for you. The vacuum works well on hard surfaces and will perform adequately on low tight pile carpet.
The mopping action will handle most hard surface cleaning, but the occasional tough spot, spill or stain may still take some more personal attention.
Runner Up Best Dedicated Robotic Mop – ILIFE Shinebot W400
The ILIFE Shinebot W400 easily gets the Runner Up for Dedicated Robot Mops in our Best Robotic Mops List. Had ILIFE added just one or two more features, this not so little robotic mop would have edged out our top dedicated robotic mop.
The first thing coming out of the box that catches everyone’s attention about the ILIFE Shinebot W400 is its size. It is big! It is much taller than all the other robotic mops that we looked at for this list, and that puts the W400 at a disadvantage from the start.
On the other hand, the ILIFE Shinebot W400 is a star in the moping and cleaning arena. Most other robotic mops wipe the floor. A few offer a vibrating pad that attempts to scrub at stains and dirt. The Shinebot W400 is a true scrubbing robotic mop.
Turning the Shinebot over reveals a real roller brush on the bottom of the unit that works on stains and dirt as the W400 glides over the hard surface flooring in your home. Plus, the Shinebot has not one but two water tanks. As the W400 cleans, it sucks the dirty water from the floor and holds it in a separate tank.
A squeegee blade ensures that the floor behind the robotic mop is spotless, clean, and dry. Those features alone pushed the ILIFE Shinebot into the Runner up position on our list.
A host of other features built into the ILIFE Shinebot W400 make this robot mop worth a look for many consumers. These include:
- Multi-function panel on top of the robotic mop allows for easy operation and control
- Includes four built-in cleaning modes; Path mode, Area mode, Spot mode, and Edge mode.
- Comes with a remote control that allows manual “driving” of the robot mop
- TidalPower™ Cleaning System for a four-step cleaning operation
- Voice alerts to keep you up to date on the W400’s status.
- Rotating micro-fiber roller scrubs stains and dirt from hard surface flooring.
- Two tank system doesn’t leave any dirty water behind.
- Smart sensors prevent collisions with furniture and other objects and keep the W400 from going over the edge of drop-offs such as stairs.
- Includes a recessed handle
Pros
The ILIFE W400 gets high praise from consumers about the W400’s cleaning abilities. Among those comments are many about the Shinebot’s ability to manage pet hair and the grime left by pets who are in and out of the house. A quick look at some of the comments include:
- Keeps up with my pets easily
- Love the way it cleans and sucks up the dirty water
- The value for the features is excellent
- It greatly reduces the time I must spend keeping my floors clean.
- The scrubbing roller brush is fantastic
- This robot does a wonderful job on the floors and navigated my home easily
Cons
As was mentioned earlier, there are a few negatives about this robotic vacuum. Consumers pointed these same issues out in their comments regularly, as you can see from the samples.
- The W400 is too tall. It can’t clean under the toe kicks of my cabinets.
- The Shinebot doesn’t do tight spaces well because of the size.
- If there is a lot of loose dirt on the floor, vacuum first or the scrubbing roller will end up making a bigger mess.
- If your water is high in minerals, it will quickly clog the spray jets.
The lack of automatic recharging and docking is a major hurdle for this robot vacuum to overcome. Add to the lack of auto docking and charging the large size of this vacuum which prevents cleaning under the toe kicks of cabinets and in tight spaces. Since kitchens are high on the list of where a robot mop gets used, this is a definite drawback for the ILIFE Shinebot W400.
Final Thoughts
If ILIFE had designed the Shinebot with a shorter profile and added the ability to return to a docking station and recharge, this would probably have been our pick for Best Dedicated Robotic Vacuum. The size and the lack of auto-docking and recharge and the W400 only get the Runner up position on our list of Best Robotic Mops.
Runner Up Best Combo Vacuum/Mop – RoboRock S5 Robotic Vacuum and Mop
Our Runner up in the Best Combo Vacuum/Mop category is the RoboRock S5 Robotic Vacuum and Mop. Visually, the RoboRock S5 looks a lot like most of the other robotic vacuums and mops on the market. Its round shape and profile are clean and functional.
The profile of the RoboRock S5 is a bit taller than other robot vacuums which may give it problems getting under some furniture and along the toe-kicks of cabinets. On the plus side, the design of the RoboRock S5 allows the attachment of the mop accessory without having to flip the unit over.
The S5 also does not spray the cleaning solution. Instead, a specially designed valve allows the cleaning solution to seep onto the cleaning pad. There is no vibration or movement of the pad during mopping, making it more of a wiper than a scrubber.
However, the vacuum sides of the equation are good. The RoboRock S5 gets good marks on its vacuuming capabilities and its battery is one of the longest lasting on the market.
Among the features that set the RoboRock S5 apart and get it the Runner Up position in the Combo Vacuum/Mop category are:
- Flip free water tank insertion
- Stable water seepage valve for no puddling of water beneath the unit
- Laser scan mapping and route planning
- Uses the SLAM algorithm to generate real-time maps of your floors
- Links to your smartphone and includes an app for customized cleaning solutions
- Long battery life
- Can cross thresholds and obstacles as high as 2cm
- Surface detection adjusts the suction automatically
- Main brush and side brush designed to be tangle-free to handle pet hair easily
- Quiet operation
- Sensor arrays prevent collisions with objects and detect edges to prevent falling
- Auto return and docking features
Pros
Surveying user comments and ratings reveals that most users of the RoboRock S5 are exuberant in their praise for this robot vacuum/mop combo. The features figure prominently in the comments and include:
- Amazing mapping and navigation system
- Love the sensor on top that retracts when going under furniture
- The scheduling app is perfect. I can set up multiple schedules and chose when I want the vacuum to run
- The RoboRock is incredible at keeping the dust down in my home on both the hardwood and the carpet
- Handles pet hair just fine.
- Fast and quiet
- Great battery and run time
Cons
As good as the RoboRock S5 is overall, it does have some problems. Many of the negative comments weren’t directed at the robotic vacuum itself, but at the smartphone app and some problems with customer service and parts availability.
- The app for my smartphone sometimes crashes
- Customer support for the app is non-existent
- The S5 is a little taller than other vacuums and may not fit under some furniture
- The dustbin is very small and must be emptied a lot.
- Replacement parts are sometimes hard to find.
RoboRock is a Chinese company and its main distribution network is through Amazon. Contacting customer service can be a challenge, as is the availability of replacement parts hampered by the shipping between the US and China. Hopefully, RoboRock and its Amazon connection will eventually iron out these problems.
Final Thoughts
The RoboRock S5 is a true contender in the combo vacuum/mop robotic cleaning field. It does have a few issues, not the least of which is the problem with their smartphone app. One glaring omission from the list of features on the RoboRock S5 is the lack of a resume feature after docking and charging.
The problems with the smartphone app and customer service issues and questions kept the RoboRock from rating better than Runner Up in our List of Best Robotic Vacuums in the combo category.
Best Budget Dedicated Robot Mop – iRobot Braava Jet 240
If you are on a tight budget and want to add a dedicated robotic mop to your cleaning arsenal, the iRobot Braava Jet 240 should get a good look. This robotic mop offers many features of more expensive robotic mops at a wallet-friendly price.
Don’t be fooled by the size of this little robotic mop. It packs a lot of cleaning power into the small package. The Braava Jet 240 won’t manage large open spaces or big houses. However, it is ideal for smaller, confined spaces. That makes it especially attractive to apartment dwellers.
While the iRobot Braava Jet 240 lacks some of the features of its bigger brothers, it keeps the functional aspects providing excellent mopping abilities and true smart navigation systems. Setup is easy and quick once the battery is fully charged and a cleaning pad installed. Fill the tank with water, click the clean button, and the little robotic Mop goes on its merry way cleaning your floors.
Looking at the features included with the iRobot Braava Jet 240 finds:
- Precision Jet Sprays maximize water usage
- Vibrating cleaning pad scrubs at hard to tackle stains on hard surface floors
- I Adapt 2.0 navigation system finds those hard to reach spaces and cleans them thoroughly.
- Excellent edge cleaning
- The system allows Virtual Walls to create no-go areas.
- The small size makes the Braava Jet 240 ideal for small spaces such as bathrooms, utility rooms, and apartments.
- Easy to use one-button operation.
- Selects the appropriate cleaning method depending on which type of pad you install
- Edge detect sensors to keep the Braava Jet 240 off your carpets and prevents toppling downstairs
- No more turning the robot over to remove or install pads. One button ejection and insertion make pad changes easy and clean.
Pros
Users of the iRobot Braava Jet 240 extoll the way this little robot vacuum tackles even the hardest cleaning problems on their hard surface floors. A few of the most noted comments include:
- Handles dog hair very well and cleans muddy paw prints easily
- Simple, small, and easy to operate.
- Long battery life
- Quiet operation
- It’s fun to watch as it moves back and forth over a dirty spot
- For small spaces or homes, this is the best value I have found for a robotic mop
Cons
Many of the negative comments focus on the limited area the Braava 240 will clean and the expense of the consumables, especially the replacement pads.
- Doesn’t do well on tough stains.
- The Braava Jet 240 works well but it takes a long time to clean the larger areas of my home.
- The water tank gets empty before the vacuum runs out of battery.
Final Thoughts
If you live in a small house or apartment, or you want to add a smaller robotic mop to clean small spaces like bathrooms and utility rooms, the iRobot Braava 240 may be the best option for you. The price certainly makes it attractive, and the small size is convenient.
It is missing many of the features that the more expensive and larger robotic mops offer, but it isn’t meant to compete with its bigger brothers. For what it is designed to do, the iRobot Braava Jet 240 performs well and is priced right, which gets it our Best Budget Dedicated Robot Mop category.
In the End
The number of options for dedicated robot mops is limited. They demand and the supply lag far behind the robotic vacuum market. The introduction by some manufacturers of combo units that will both mop and vacuum has widened the offering somewhat, but at some costs in features and capabilities.
I hope this list makes your decision on what style of robot mop best fits your needs. Whether you choose a dedicated robotic mop, or a combination mop and vacuum depend more on what surfaces you have in your home than anything else.