Generally speaking, robot mops are best suited for everyday maintenance (versus deep cleaning sessions). Still, many models fuse sleek designs with functionality for an end product that’s as useful for your everyday life as it is display-worthy. Keep reading to learn more about our seven favorites, along with how we tested, what to look for when shopping, and how to clean your robot mop.
The 7 Best Robot Mops in 2021
Best Overall: iRobot Braava Jet m6Featuring both wet mop and dry sweep modes, this robot mop efficiently maps out large spaces and multiple rooms and has a spot-clean function for everyday spills.
Best for Large Homes: Yeedi Vac StationThis vacuum-robot hybrid efficiently vacuums things like hair, crumbs, and flour, and is best for tackling light spills versus large messes when it comes to mopping.
Best Battery Life: Eufy by Anker RoboVac X8 HybridThis robot vacuum-mop duo features intelligent mapping features by way of AI Map Technology, and its mop function offers a light misting for minor spills.
Best Mapping Capabilities: ECOVACS Deebot N8+This is a dual-purpose robot vacuum and mop, featuring advanced laser mapping best suited for everyday mopping.
Best for Multiple Floor Types: Roborock S7With both vacuuming and mopping capabilities, this robot mop uses Sonic Vibration Technology to scrub off caked-on messes and tackles maintenance mopping with ease.
Best Mop/Vacuum Duo: Bissell SpinwaveOffering vacuuming and mopping functions, this robot mop features rotating mopping pads and a spot clean function to make for more efficient mopping.
Best for Small Homes: iRobot 240 BraavaFeaturing wet mopping, damp mopping, and dry sweeping, this robot mop offers basic navigation and is best for smaller homes.
How We Tested
For each robot mop, we conducted minor spills (with soda and flour) and major spills (by way of syrup and pudding) to evaluate how well it spot cleaned. Our goal was to push each model to its fullest cleaning capacity to see how it tackled messes of every type, from dry spills to more sticky, viscous ones. In addition to testing each mop’s spot cleaning capabilities, we took into account the product’s ability to map the space, ease of assembly and setup, durability, battery life, and ease of storage. The iRobot Braava Jet m6 is an impressive robot mop that doubles as a dry sweeper. It comes with two single-use wet mopping pads, two single-use dry sweeping pads, one microfiber washable mopping pad, and a 4-ounce bottle of the brand’s cleaning solution. Setup and assembly is easy—after downloading the iRobot Home App, the robot mop instantly connects to WiFi with no issue and is ready to begin smart mapping the space (which, though may take three runs, is extremely intelligent and will eventually be able to detect which room it’s in and when to clean it). The Braava Jet m6 allows you to clean specific rooms as well as set boundaries—or “Keep Out Zones.” This comes in handy if your space has things like toy boxes, shoe racks, or pet bowls you want the robot mop to steer clear of. Depending on which pad you slide into the bottom of the unit, the Braava Jet m6 will automatically detect which mode to clean in (wet mop or dry sweep). Because of its square shape, it’s able to reach corners and navigate around furniture without slamming into them. It also has the ability to detect—and avoid—rugs and carpets, and we never experienced tugging or snagging on this type of surface during our testing. Like many robot mop models, the Braava Jet m6 works best on flat surfaces, so if your floors have major grout lines, gaps, or bubbles, it may be difficult to run. To conduct our tests, we used the Braava Jet m6’s spot-cleaning mode (versus the regular cleaning mode, which is best used for daily maintenance versus spot-cleaning). We found that it cleaned the soda spill effortlessly and quickly, doing multiple passes and efficiently spraying the cleaning solution out of the nozzle without leaving behind a sticky residue. While it lacked the ability to clean up the entirety of a flour spill (after all, it’s a mop, not a vacuum), we were impressed that it was able to clean syrup spills and the pudding spill with minimal residue left behind. The Yeedi Vac Station is a vacuum-mop hybrid that comes with a charging station, a corner brush, a mopping plate, a reusable fabric cloth, and two vacuum bags. The app interface is easy to navigate and allows you to schedule your cleanings, whether it be assigning specific cleaning days to specific rooms or scheduling daily cleans for high-traffic areas. When in vacuum mode, it has a savvy tracking sensor that detects the floor surface and increases its suction power accordingly. Likewise, the unit will automatically detect when it’s in mopping mode (as long as the mopping pad is attached) and won’t accidentally leave you with soggy carpets. Though its 3000 Pa suction power is higher than most other robot vacuums on the market, this means it’s also quite loud. And while it’s great at fitting underneath furniture, it has a hard time figuring out how to get out of certain types (read: four-legged dining chairs). Perhaps one of the biggest selling points of the Yeedi Vac Station is that the dustbin holds up to 30 days of waste means it’s a great option for large homes—though, of course, if you have pets you may be emptying it more frequently. Still, the unit’s ability to suck waste out of the main vacuum and hold it in place (along with its self-sealing bag) lessens your exposure to dust and debris—something allergy-prone folks will appreciate. Think of this unit as a vacuum first, mop second. During our testing, we found that the Yeedi Vac Station did an excellent job of vacuuming the dry flour spill, but the mopping function was sub-par. Out of all of the various tests we put it through, it was able to clean up the soda spill the best, but cleaning the syrup spill proved to be a challenge, as did the pudding spill. In both cases, a good amount of manual scrubbing and cleaning was needed to thoroughly clean the floors afterward. Even with the adjustable water level—which is supposed to offer a deeper clean or a lighter wipe depending on how much you fill it—the mopping function wasn’t as good at cleaning sticky messes as the other models we tested. This could be because the water tank is meant solely for water (and not cleaning solutions). All in all, when used as a mop, the Yeedi Vac Station was better for daily maintenance and light mopping rather than large messes. Tester tip: Before you use the mopping mode, run the mopping plate underwater for a few seconds to give it a head start. The Eufy by Anker RoboVac X8 Hybrid is futuristic in aesthetic and modern in design, featuring a glossy surface and a discreet, unassuming charging station. Though the Eufy didn’t have the highest battery run time among the robot mops we tested, it received the highest marks when it came to holding a charge. Even after spending 50 minutes cleaning a 400 square foot room, it showed no signs of slowing down, and unless it was set to do not disturb mode, the mop automatically got back to work when it finished recharging on the dock. The unit comes equipped with two spare side brushes, the charging base, an additional dust filter, a mop attachment, a reusable microfiber mop pad, several disposable pads, and a waterproof plastic floor protector that you can sit in front of the charging dock to prevent the mopping cloth from damaging your floors. By far, out of all of the models we tested, the RoboVac X8 Hybrid was the easiest model to assemble, power on, link to the app, and begin intelligently smart mapping the space with its AI technology. The robot features twin-turbine technology and 2000 Pa for powerful suction, but the 400ml dustbin may require more frequent emptying, especially if you have pets. When it comes to vacuuming, there are four levels of suction power. You can manually set these, or you can choose to use the Boost IQ feature on the app, which allows the unit to automatically detect what type of surface it’s on and adjust its power accordingly. Though it goes without saying, the higher the suction, the louder the device gets. During our mop test, we found that the Eufy by Anker RoboVac X8 Hybrid is best suited for daily maintenance versus heavier spills because it only sprays a light mist of water. This, coupled with the fact that it’s only recommended to use water (versus cleaning solutions) means it’s unable to tackle stickier messes. With two passes it was able to get rid of the soda spill efficiently, but the robot mop spread the syrup and pudding spill more than it cleaned, leaving a trail of stickiness and streaks behind. And, though the unit will automatically detect when the mop pad is slid into place, you’ll have to manually create no-mop zones (for instance, on rugs and carpets) so that it doesn’t go over these areas (unlike other models we tested, which automatically detected such areas and avoided mopping them). The ECOVACS Deebot N8+ is a vacuum-mopping hybrid that comes with an auto-empty charging station, two dustbin bags, two side brushes, 10 disposable mopping pads, a floor protector that you can sit in front of the charging dock to prevent the mopping cloth from damaging your floors, and one microfiber washable mopping pad. Assembly and set-up was fairly straightforward, though the app feels slightly dated when compared to other models we tested. The unit uses laser navigation and mapping to offer thorough coverage of your space, and the app itself allows for easy fine-tuning as needed. The vacuum mode offers four levels of suction power (with noise levels increasing the more powerful the suction is), though the unit has a built-in fan motor that’s meant to minimize noise level. During our testing, we found that the Deebot N8+ was able to navigate around odd-shaped furniture and transition onto different floor surfaces with minimal hangups. Like other models of this kind, the auto-emptying station holds up to 30 days worth of waste and requires minimal upkeep. While the Deebot N8+ doesn’t include a spot clean function, it does feature an Ozmo Mopping System, which allows you to precisely choose your water flow control. Depending on what you’re cleaning, this technology can theoretically offer a more thorough clean if you set it at a higher level (or help you avoid damp spots on your floors if you set it to be lower). Like most other vacuum-mop combos, this unit only allows for water to be filled in the reservoir (no cleaning solutions), which can hinder its performance when mopping up severe spills. This is what we found during our various stages of testing: While the robot mop was able to successfully get rid of our flour and soda spill, the syrup spill looked virtually untouched. The pudding spill was also unimpressive, as the mop pushed the pudding around and ended up creating more of a smear than a clean surface. The Roborock S7 is a robot mop that doubles as a vacuum and comes with the charging base station, a mopping plate, and a reusable microfiber cleaning cloth. Available separately for purchase is an auto-empty dock, which promises up to eight weeks of waste storage without the need for emptying. During our testing, we found that the device itself was easy to assemble, plug in, and power on. The most time-consuming part of the process was connecting it to the Roborock app, but even that took less than one hour. Following that, the robot mop used laser mapping to navigate and map out the entire space. What sets this unit apart from the other dual-purpose vacuum-mop hybrids is that this one features Sonic Vibration Technology. While other mopping robots feature a mopping container and a cloth-covered plate, the Roborock S7’s mopping plate vibrates, offering adjustable scrubbing power of up to 3000 cycles per minute. This is meant to scrub off surface dirt and break up caked-up messes. It also has the ability to detect carpets and rugs, and either gives these areas a deeper vacuum or lifts up the mopping plate to avoid mopping these areas. The Roborock S7 passed our soda spill test, leaving a small amount of sticky residue behind. The syrup test was less impressive—while it did clean some, it spread tons residue around and jammed the vacuum brush with stickiness, which paused the clean. It was able to pick up the majority of pudding, though our tester had to keep rezoning the map to smaller and smaller areas to make sure it went over it the area fully. It left behind a barely-visible sticky residue where the spill used to be, and, like the syrup spill, required another massive cleaning session after running. Finally, the water in the mop created some little sticky flour bits that stuck to the floor during our flour spill test, but it cleaned up most of it beyond that. The Bissell Spinwave is a small but mighty machine that offers two ways to clean (mopping and vacuuming). It comes with a charging station, two reusable microfiber mopping pads, two replacement filters, a cleaning solution, a cleaning brush tool, and two extra side brushes. It was easy to install the app and adjust settings, though during testing we found that the app would frequently sign out, lose connection with the device, and clear the cleaning history. The Bissell Spinwave has a two-tank cleaning system that allows you to easily swap between dry vacuuming and wet mopping. At 1500 Pa, it has a lower suction mode than other robot vacuums we tested. During mop mode, it has an avoidance sensor that detects—and avoids—when it’s about to hit carpet or rugs, but because it lacks mapping capabilities and the ability to set no-go zones, it’s prone to getting stuck onto objects, and creating a physical barrier is necessary to avoid this. Unlike other robot mops, the Bissell Spinwave takes a cleaning solution, which helps minimize sticky residue when it comes to mopping up gummier messes. This, coupled with the rotating mopping pads made for more efficient cleanup during our testing. During our testing, we found that the spot cleaning function on the Bissell Spinwave was excellent in terms of movement. It moved in a circular motion and focused on the specific area it needed to clean, rather than moving in systemic lines and risking spreading the spills all over the floors. It did a decent job at picking up the flour spill on the hardwood floor, though if this were done on a rug or carpet, it’s likely that the suction power wouldn’t have been strong enough to catch. It also passed our soda, syrup, and pudding test, with minimal residue left behind on the syrup and the entirety of the spill being cleaned up with the soda. While the other vacuum-mop hybrids excelled at vacuuming, this one is definitely best used as a mop thanks to its two rotating mopping pads and the fact that it takes a cleaning solution. The iRobot 240 Braava is the most compact robot mop we reviewed, offering three methods of cleaning: wet mopping, damp mopping, and dry sweeping. Unlike the other robot mops we tested, this one doesn’t have a charging unit—rather, it comes with a rechargeable battery (and battery charger), which though makes for a less obtrusive design, can prove to be a nuisance if you prefer not to charge it manually. It also comes with two wet mopping pads (best for cleaning dirt and stains), two damp sweeping pads (best for gently cleaning dust and dirt), and two dry sweeping pads (best for cleaning hair and debris). Depending on which pad you attach, the unit will automatically know what to do, and will select the correct cleaning method. While this unit doesn’t have mapping capabilities, it does come with an app, which allows you to schedule cleaning, but we found that it wasn’t as intuitive as the other ones we tested. Thankfully, you can use the unit without having to use the app. A unique feature that the iRobot 240 Braava has is called Virtual Wall Mode, which allows you to create an invisible line that tells the robot to avoid certain parts of a room. This is helpful if you have two connecting rooms where one has a surface the robot mop can’t clean (i.e. carpet) and the other has a surface that it is able to clean (i.e. hardwood floor, tile, and stone). Due to the short battery life (it’s only meant to clean 200 square feet at a time), this unit is best used to clean a single room or two at a time versus a whole-house cleaning solution. The iRobot 240 Braava passed our soda spill test with flying colors. The wet pad soaked up the spill in less than one minute, and did not leave behind a sticky residue. It took two full runs to clean the syrup spill, and didn’t leave a film of stickiness behind. We found that the thicker the spill, the harder it was for the robot mop to effectively clean. The iRobot 240 Braava wasn’t able to pick up the pudding efficiently and left streaks of it throughout the test floor. As for the dry flour spill, the unit did not clean it well; it simply pushed the flour to the edge of the wall and caused sticky clumps of flour to form. All in all, the iRobot 240 Braava is best for cleaning up more watery, sticky spills versus thick, dry spills.
What to Look for When Buying a Robot Mop
First things first, there are a few different robot mop types to choose from: a single-function robot mop, a dual-function robot mop and vacuum hybrid, or a robot mop and dry sweep combo. To help figure out how to navigate the slew of robot mop options on the market (because let’s face it—there are a lot), we spoke to two cleaning experts for their tips: Nick Burks, CEO of Neet Home, a residential cleaning company in Atlanta, GA, and Karen Lee, home decor specialist and founder of Smart Robotic Home. There are five important things to consider when choosing a robot mop:
App integrationThe app features of a robot mop allow you to map out your space, customize your cleaning schedule, select no-go zones, and overall manage your device. “Most robot mops offer app integration, and in most cases, you can view the cleaning route and instruct it to clean specific areas,” says Burks. Higher-end robot cleaners go one step further by integrating with smart assistants like Google, Siri, and Alexa for convenient command capabilities.Battery lifeMost robot mops last for about 120 minutes, which Lee says is a good amount of time to clean the floors of an average-sized home. However, a larger home that has no rugs or carpet might need more time to finish mopping all of the floors. In this case, investing in a mop that has a longer battery life might be worth it. “You may also want to look at what extra features the mop has in terms of the battery, as some will go back to their charging station when they are running out of battery life while others will just stop in the middle of the job,” she adds.Obstacle detectionSensors are built into every robot mop, but how efficient they are at staying on track is what sets the good ones apart. Powerful sensors mean the robot mop can recognize obstructions and prevent it from bumping into walls or furniture, ultimately preventing damage to both your home and your mop.Flooring surfaceA robot mop that’s safe for hardwood floors in addition to tile and vinyl will save you the stress of damaging your floors. Also, some robot mops are able to detect and avoid carpets and rugs on their own. At the very least, a good robot mop will give the option of creating no-mop zones so you can accidentally mopping these areas and thus, soggy carpets and rugs.Size"The size of a robot mop can be helpful if you have a lot of surface area to cover," notes Lee. “A larger mop will clean more floor space at one time—best for larger homes—while a smaller mop is best for tight areas or an apartment-sized home.”
How to Clean a Robot Mop
Robot mops are extremely easy to clean that only requires two steps: empty out and rinse the water tank and hand wash (or launder) the mop pad. If you find your mop pad is harboring odor, wash it with warm water and baking soda to absorb any foul smells. To clean the robot mop itself, you can simply wipe most models down with a clean, dry microfiber cloth.
