To keep your floors clean while you’re out, start by choosing a robot that performs well on your floor types and suits your home’s layout, rather than focusing solely on its advertised suction power. A mopping function or a docking station can reduce the number of times you need to step in, but you’ll still need to deal with obstacles, tanks and accessories. Que Choisir’s tests show that results vary between floor types and areas of a room, so keep a manual vacuum cleaner for stairs and places the robot doesn’t clean well.
A robot is mainly useful for keeping floors clean on a regular schedule between manual cleans. Whether it’s right for you depends on your floors and how much work it leaves you to do.
If you want to pick up dust and debris regularly, compare performance on your tiles, wooden floors and rugs, including along edges and in corners. Que Choisir assesses these surfaces separately in its test protocol.
Pet hair, cables, shoes and food bowls make brush design and navigation important. Check the features and limitations of the exact model before scheduling it to clean while you’re out.
A docking station can reduce how often you need to deal with the robot’s dust bin. You’ll still need to make space for it and maintain the bags, tanks or mopping components specific to the model.
Start with your floor types and the areas you want to clean. Then decide which tasks you’d like to automate and which you’re happy to keep doing yourself.
Worth considering: if you want to pick up dust, crumbs or pet hair regularly without making mopping your priority.
Bear in mind: without an auto-empty dock, you’ll need to empty the bin regularly. The robot may not clean every rug or hard-to-reach corner effectively.
Worth considering: if your hard floors are suitable for wet mopping and you’d like to spend less time handling the mop pads.
Bear in mind: the docking station takes up space and still needs maintenance. In December 2024, Que Choisir found that mopping performance varied between robots.
Keep one for: stairs, hard-to-reach areas and occasional messes that the robot can’t handle properly.
The trade-off: you’ll need to do these cleaning jobs yourself, and they can’t be scheduled while you’re out.
| Feature | What to check | How it fits my needs |
|---|---|---|
| Vacuuming | Look at test results for the model on tiles, wooden floors and rugs, as well as along edges and in corners. Its advertised Pa rating alone doesn’t tell you how well it performs in these areas. | I have several floor types or lots of corners, so I want to know which areas will still need a manual clean. |
| Navigation | Check the exact model’s room-by-room scheduling, no-go zones and obstacle detection limitations. Also check the terms of use for its app. | With separate rooms, cables or food bowls on the floor, I’d rather be able to target areas and plan the route before I go out. |
| Maintenance | Check whether the dock only empties the bin or also handles mopping tasks. Look at the space it needs, plus the tanks, bags and compatible accessories. | I want to empty the dust bin less often, but I’m happy to clean the dock and replace its consumables. |
| Rugs and mopping | For a robot mop, check how it handles rugs and whether wet mode is suitable for each floor type. In its December 2024 analysis, Que Choisir advises against robot mopping on wooden floors, particularly solid wood. | I have rugs alongside hard floors, so I want to keep them dry and have another cleaning method available if needed. |
| Pet hair | Check the brush design and maintenance requirements, as well as vacuuming results on your types of rugs. An advertised anti-tangle feature alone doesn’t prove how well it performs. | Pet hair builds up quickly in my home, so I want regular cleaning without assuming the robot will replace manual rug cleaning. |
An advertised suction rating doesn’t tell you how well the robot picks up dirt on every floor type or cleans along edges. Que Choisir’s test protocol assesses these separately.
Compare tests on your floor types, and keep a manual vacuum cleaner for areas where you’re not happy with the robot’s results.
In December 2024, Que Choisir found that mopping results varied and advised against wet cleaning wooden floors, particularly solid wood.
Only use this feature on floors that are suitable for wet cleaning, after checking the finish and the instructions. If you have rugs, check how they’re protected during mopping.
A mopping station also adds tanks and components to clean, as well as model-specific consumables.
Auto-emptying means you need to handle the dust bin less often, but you’ll still need to keep an eye on the bags, filters and brushes. Robot mops also need their wet components maintained.
Before choosing a model, note down the compatible accessory part numbers and the maintenance tasks listed in the instructions.
A robot connected to Wi-Fi joins your home network, as the CNIL points out. Mapping and scheduling may also rely on an app.
Check what data is collected, which permissions are requested and what settings are available, then choose the level of connectivity you’re comfortable with.
The features mentioned below relate to specific models. Compare them with the model you’re considering rather than assuming they apply to an entire range.
The range includes robot vacuum and mops with either an auto-empty dock or a multifunction dock, depending on the model.
Some Dreame robot vacuum and mops combine carpet management with a multifunction dock.
Mapping, object detection and auto-emptying features vary between Roomba models.
These options are robot vacuum and mops selected for floor care with a mopping function. Compare how they handle your floors and what you’ll still need to do yourself. This selection doesn’t replace the choice between a robot vacuum, a robot mop and manual cleaning.
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If you’re considering this model for hard floors and rugs, check the selected variant’s mopping modes, how it handles rugs and what maintenance is needed between cleans.
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For a home with a mix of hard floors, rugs and pet hair, this variant advertises 12000 Pa suction, FlexiArm mop pads, a Double Anti-Tangle system and obstacle avoidance. Check how it performs on your rugs and what maintenance the dock needs rather than assuming the advertised suction power guarantees the results.
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Its name highlights a combination of vacuuming and mopping, with 16200 Pa suction, a liftable brush, liquid detection and hot-water cleaning of the components at 75°C. Check that wet mode is suitable for your floors and what maintenance the dock needs.
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The product name lists 16,600Pa suction, an OZMO Roller, ZeroTangle 3.0 and an Omni station. If you plan to use its connected features, check their data settings and what maintenance the mopping components need, too.
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This Roomba Combo comes with a mopping function. To decide whether it’s right for your home, check how this variant handles rugs in wet mode and what you’ll need to do yourself to manage the water and mop pad.
Not in every home. Que Choisir finds that results vary between floor types and tests edges and corners separately. Keep a manual vacuum cleaner for stairs, awkward corners or occasional cleans that the robot can’t handle properly.
Check the exact model’s features, including room creation, area scheduling and any no-go zones. iRobot’s guidance on its smart maps describes customisation after an initial run, although the available features and set-up steps depend on the robot you choose.
No. Depending on its features, it may mean you need to empty the dust bin less often or handle some mop maintenance, but you’ll still need to keep an eye on the bags, tanks, brushes, filters and the station itself. Compare the tasks involved for the model you’re interested in.
Don’t assume that wet mode is suitable for every wooden floor. In its December 2024 analysis, Que Choisir advises against using robot mops on wooden floors, particularly solid wood. Check your floor’s finish and care instructions before using wet mode.
Check whether the features you want require an app or an account, then look at the data collected and the settings available. The CNIL points out that a Wi-Fi-connected robot joins your home network, so choose only the connected features you’ll actually use.