To keep your floors clean while you get on with other things, start by choosing a robot that can navigate your floors and carpets. Add mopping if your floors are suitable and you want to clean them regularly with water. A station can mean less handling of dust or mop pads, but it takes up space and doesn’t eliminate the need to maintain the brushes, sensors and tanks. Check thresholds, low furniture and obstacles against the documentation for the exact model.
If you’d like to vacuum while you work or cook, check which rooms the robot can cover and how it performs on your types of flooring. It’s a handy way to keep on top of regular cleaning, but it may not replace a thorough clean.
Check how the model you’re considering handles carpets, pet hair, cables and small objects. A claimed obstacle-detection feature doesn’t guarantee that it will avoid every obstacle in your home.
An emptying or mop-washing station can reduce the work needed between cleaning cycles. You’ll still need to make room for it and carry out periodic maintenance on the robot and its base, as iRobot’s support guidance for its products explains.
Choose your preferred level of automation after checking where the robot can go and which tasks you’re happy to do yourself.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation and coverage | Measure thresholds, walkways and the clearance under furniture. Check how it handles carpets, cables and small objects, and read the guidance on stairs. | I want the robot to reach the rooms I need it to clean without getting stuck on the layout of my home. |
| Vacuuming on different floors | Look for tests covering your floor types, edges and corners, rather than comparing advertised suction power alone. UFC-Que Choisir assesses these situations separately in its testing protocol. | Crumbs on hard floors or fibres on carpets matter more to me than a single figure on the product page. |
| Mopping | Check that your floors are suitable for wet cleaning and how the model handles carpets. In its December 2024 analysis, UFC-Que Choisir noted that mopping results vary between robots and advised against using them on solid wood floors. | I want to clean compatible floors regularly with water, while still being able to tackle stubborn stains by hand. |
| Station and maintenance | Distinguish between a dust-emptying station and one that washes mop pads. Check its footprint, access to the tanks and how to maintain the brushes, filters, wheels and sensors. | Reducing how often I empty the dust bin appeals to me; if I mop often, I may also want to handle the mop pads less. |
This figure alone doesn’t tell you how well the robot cleans carpets, corners and edges, or how easily it navigates your home. UFC-Que Choisir’s testing protocol assesses these situations separately.
Look for comparable tests on the types of flooring you have at home.
In December 2024, UFC-Que Choisir reported that mopping results varied between robots and advised against using them on solid wood floors.
Use this feature on compatible floors and keep a way to tackle stubborn stains.
Debris can affect the wheels and brushes. Dirty sensors or contacts may also interfere with navigation or the robot returning to its base, according to iRobot support guidance.
Check the maintenance instructions for your model and find out which consumables its station uses.
Depending on the model, bags, filters, brushes or mop pads will still need replacing or cleaning.
Threshold-climbing ability and the clearance needed under furniture vary from model to model. For example, Roborock specifies a minimum clearance of 7,95 cm for the Saros 20 Sonic, but this doesn’t tell you what other robots can manage.
Measure your thresholds, carpets and low furniture, then compare the dimensions with the product details and manual for the version you’re considering.
The Saros 20 Sonic is an example of a model with a station worth considering if clearance under furniture and thresholds are important factors for you.
The DEEBOT range includes robot vacuums with mopping and OMNI stations. Which features matter depends on the version you choose.
Roomba and Clean Base support documents can help you understand what maintenance is still needed for the robot and its base.
These models are mostly robot vacuums with mopping and a mop-washing station, alongside one model with an emptying station. Start by choosing according to your floors, the space available for the base and the tasks you’d like to do less often.
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For regular vacuuming and mopping, this model combines OZMO Roller and ZeroTangle 3.0 with an OMNI station that washes mop pads in hot water and dries them with warm air. Its advertised suction power is 16 600 Pa; check separately that it can fit under your furniture and handle the obstacles in your home.
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This robot vacuum and mop with an OMNI station could suit you if you want to handle mop pads less often. Its title lists OZMO Turbo 2.0, ZeroTangle 3.0, 25 000 Pa suction power and mop-pad washing at 75 °C. Check the station’s dimensions and whether it’s compatible with your thresholds and carpets.
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This robot vacuum and mop with a station features anti-tangle technology and a liftable brush, which may be useful if pet hair or long hair makes maintenance more difficult. Its title lists 16 200 Pa suction power and hot-water cleaning at 75 °C. Check that it can navigate your home and remember to maintain the brushes and filters regularly.
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This robot vacuum and mop combines OZMO Roller 2.0 with an OMNI station. Its title lists 19 500 Pa suction power and a maximum climbing height of 4 cm. Compare this figure with your actual thresholds and the conditions in the manual, and don’t assume it can cross every carpet.
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The station is designed to reduce how often you need to empty the dust bin, while the robot also offers mopping and an anti-tangle brush. Its title lists 8 000 Pa suction power. Check how it handles your carpets and read the station’s maintenance instructions. Don’t assume a set time between emptying the bin without checking the details for the version on sale.
Not necessarily. It can help you clean compatible floors with water regularly, but mopping results vary between models. In December 2024, UFC-Que Choisir reported that results could sometimes be disappointing. Plan to clean stubborn stains by hand.
No. Depending on the model, it may empty dust or manage mop pads, but the wheels, brushes, sensors, contacts, filters and tanks still need regular attention. Check the manufacturer’s instructions for both the robot and its station.
Measure your thresholds, carpet thickness and clearance under furniture, then compare these measurements with the limits listed for the exact model. For cables, small objects and stairs, check the documented detection features and how to use them. Mapping alone doesn’t guarantee that the robot will avoid obstacles.
Check how easy it is to access the brushes and filters, whether compatible consumables are available, and what maintenance the station needs. In France, the Ministry for Ecological Transition lists vacuum cleaners among the product categories covered by the repairability index. Check the information that applies to the exact model, alongside these other points.