To schedule vacuuming while you’re doing other things or when you’re out, first choose a robot that suits your floors and the obstacles in your home. Mopping is suitable for supplementary upkeep on compatible floors; a dock can reduce some of the hands-on work, but it takes up space and still needs maintenance. Keep a manual cleaning option for areas or messes the robot doesn’t handle well.
If you’d like to start cleaning cycles while you’re at work or out and about, check the scheduling options, how the robot navigates between rooms and whether you can set no-go areas. Also consider what you’ll need to do before and after each run.
Vacuuming performance can vary across carpets, tiles, wood floors, edges and corners, which Que Choisir assesses separately in its test protocol. If you’re considering mopping, check floor compatibility and how the robot handles carpets separately.
A dock can mean you need to empty the dustbin less often and, depending on the model, take care of some mopping tasks. However, you’ll need to make room for it and maintain its bags, tanks or other components as specified by the manufacturer.
Start with your floors and the tasks you need to cover. Then decide whether mopping or a dock would reduce a task you’d rather not do as often.
| What matters to you | What to check | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Floor coverage and obstacles | How the model performs on your floor coverings, carpets, edges and corners, and how it handles the obstacles in your home. | If my carpets and room edges are still difficult to clean, I want to know where the robot will actually go. Around 36% of consumers rank this coverage as their top priority. |
| Interventions between cycles | Whether you need to empty the dustbin or dock, the maintenance required and the space needed near a power socket. | If I want to run the robot frequently without emptying the dustbin after every cycle, I prioritise reducing hands-on tasks. This is the main need for around 29% of consumers. |
| Mopping and carpets | Whether your flooring is compatible and how the mop is handled when the robot goes over carpets. | On hard floors, I’d like to add regular damp cleaning without wetting my carpets. Around 21% of consumers prioritise this need. |
| Scheduling and long-term maintenance | App compatibility, mapping features and the model numbers of consumables and replacement parts. | If I schedule cleaning by room, I want to be able to keep useful settings and find the right maintenance items for my model. Around 14% of consumers put this continuity of use first. |
A robot vacuum can clean to a schedule if you’re happy to empty its dustbin regularly. For hard floors, a robot mop adds a handy extra feature. Que Choisir notes that its mopping performance can be limited and advises against using it on solid wood floors in its test protocol. A dock can reduce some hands-on tasks, but it still needs maintenance itself. A manual vacuum remains useful for targeted cleaning.
A power or run-time figure alone doesn’t tell you how well the robot will clean carpets, wood floors, edges and corners. Que Choisir assesses these surfaces separately in its test protocol.
Identify the floor coverings, thresholds and tricky areas in your home, then look for results that apply to the exact model you’re considering.
Que Choisir notes that robot mops have limitations when it comes to cleaning performance. You’ll still need to deal with some stains or areas by hand.
Check that your floors are compatible and find out how the robot handles carpets before scheduling a combined vacuuming and mopping cycle.
Mopping also means managing the water and cleaning the mopping components designed for that model.
A dock can automate emptying or some mopping tasks, but iRobot’s manuals still describe how to maintain the bag, tanks and contacts on the relevant docks.
Check the maintenance tasks for the exact dock and make sure you know which consumables it needs.
Mapping features depend on the model and its app. Roborock’s guidance also shows that an accessory may not be compatible with every model.
Before buying, check your phone and network, the scheduling features you want and the model numbers of the filters, brushes and other parts you’ll need.
The Roomba range includes robot vacuums and Roomba Combo models, with different types of dock across the series.
The range includes robot vacuums and mops, with some models paired with a multifunction dock.
The DEEBOT range includes robots with mapping and, depending on the model, a mopping function and a dock.
The X-Plorer range includes robot vacuums and mops, with navigation and dock features varying by model.
Dreame offers robot vacuums with different mopping, navigation and dock features depending on the model.
These Joybuy models pair a robot vacuum with a dock. Their advertised mopping and dock maintenance features differ, so compare them based on your floors and the tasks you’d like to avoid.
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Worth considering if you want to schedule vacuuming and reduce how often you empty the robot by hand. The product name lists a dust-emptying dock, 3D obstacle avoidance, advertised suction power of 8 000 Pa and an advertised run time of 180 minutes. Check how it performs on your floors and how much space you’ll need around the dock.
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Consider this model if you want scheduled vacuuming alongside mopping for compatible floors. The product name lists the OZMO Roller mop, an Omni dock, hot-water mop washing and hot-air drying. Allow for dock maintenance and check how the model handles your carpets.
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Worth considering if you want scheduled floor care to include mopping on compatible surfaces. The product name lists an Omni dock, advertised suction power of 25 000 Pa and mop washing at a stated 75 °C. These figures don’t tell you how it will perform on your floors or carpets, so also check how much space the dock needs.
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Consider this model if you want to schedule vacuuming by zone and add occasional mopping. The product name lists LiDAR mapping, an auto-empty dock, advertised suction power of 8 000 Pa and an advertised run time of up to 200 minutes. Before running a combined cycle, check how the mop is handled when the robot goes over your carpets.
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Worth considering if you want scheduled vacuuming with a mopping function and fewer manual dustbin emptyings. The product name lists LiDAR navigation, a dual anti-tangle system, an auto-empty dock and advertised suction power of 8 000 Pa. Check how it handles carpets while mopping, and which maintenance parts are suitable for this model.
No. Keep a manual cleaning option for heavier messes and hard-to-reach areas. Que Choisir’s test protocol assesses carpets, tiles, wood floors, edges and corners separately, so check the results for the model you’re considering and how they relate to your home.
Choose a dock if you want to reduce some of the tasks between frequent cleaning cycles and have a suitable place for it. Depending on the model, it may empty the dustbin or handle tasks involving the mop and water, but its bags, tanks or contacts will still need maintenance.
Follow the instructions for your model and clear the rooms you want to map. For its mapping procedure, Ecovacs recommends opening the relevant doors and removing obstacles that could disrupt cleaning. Check the instructions for your particular robot.
Check the repairability index for the model and separately check which compatible parts and consumables are available. Légifrance publishes the French decree of 22 April 2022 on calculating and displaying the repairability index for robot vacuums. The index alone doesn’t guarantee that every accessory will be available.