Every year, the brands behind the best robot vacuums introduce new features that push beyond the previous limits of what these automated cleaners could do. Last year, it was an innovative robotic arm that moved socks out of the way. Now, one of the latest models I’ve tested can scale multilevel thresholds so you don’t have to pick it up to get it from one room to another, even if there’s a bulky doorframe in between.
Mopping is another capability that’s become impossible to avoid. Gone are the days when a robot vacuum was good for sucking up crumbs and pet hair so you didn’t have to. Now, robot mops are the standard. But their 2-for-1 nature comes with conveniences and headaches.
While I totally get the appeal of a robot mop — as CNN Underscored testing writer Michelle Rae Uy expertly explains in our guide on the category — it’s just not for me. I find that the devices are better in theory than in reality because they are inconvenient at almost every stage of cleaning. They create dirty water tanks. Require replacement mop pads and gargantuan docking stations. Leave sticky messes unsolved. And most notably, they cost way more money.
Can you feel my frustration? Hope remains. I made a mess of my own home (read: created piles of chips and salt all over the floor) while testing 10 robot vacuums, some of which included the mop function, and found that there are still options out there that maintain the simplicity that made the first robot vacuums total game changers years ago. Two models offered the best value, delivering all of the cleaning power you could want at their respective prices and none of the gimmicks that tarnish the upper echelons of the market.
