Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuums and Mops
The Eufy 11S is one of the cheapest self-emptying robot vacuums on the market. It efficiently sucked up dry oatmeal from hard floors and carpets with a low pile during our tests. Its dustbin is easy to empty and open -it's much simpler than other models in the same price range.
It charges at its base, and then it resumes cleaning as soon as it's ready. Its obstacle-avoidance tech gets tangled in socks and cords, and isn't able to get under the thresholds of low.
1. iRobot Roomba 11S
The 11S is a cheaper self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner that many people seem to love. It's great for scooting under furniture and seems to be a smart option for people with hard floors or those who want to do light daily cleans. Its suction might be a bit weaker than the suction of our top picks, but it gets the job done. It also has a large dirt bin and a battery that can last for over an hour. The app allows you to schedule your daily cleaning or select a particular room. You can also create a map of your home to allow the device to avoid areas you don't want it to visit.
The app is simple to use and has a simple layout. It doesn't include any advanced features, but it's simple enough to use and allows you to keep track of the progress of your robot. It comes with a tutorial that will walk you through the basics.
The cleaning pattern of Bounce Navigation isn't always rational. Sometimes it follows straight lines, and at other times, it concentrates on the edges of the space. However, it is able to clean your entire floor. It's not the best at negotiating obstacles, though - it struggled to get underneath our piano pedals and pet food bowls, and ended up getting tangled up in our 2.25-inch shag rug a few times.
We think that there are better robot vacuums on the market than the 11S. The iRobot Roomba is easier to maintain and maintain, with lower recurring costs and charges faster. It also has a bigger dustbin, and performs better on all types of surfaces and can also get over obstacles that are low (like electrical cords) more easily.
The eufy RoboVac 11S is another good option for regular vacuuming. It's designed in a similar way to our top pick, and it is great for picking up small particles and dirt on hard flooring. It also does a decent job on medium and low-pile carpet. It has a large dirt container and utilizes BoostIQ for automatic suction power adjustment. It also has an easy-to-use remote control to use, and you can program daily cleanings using the app. The battery lasts about an hour and the dustbin is easy to empty by taking it from its dock.
2. Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra
The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is a great robot vacuum cleaner and mop with a surprising array of automation options. The Roborock S7 MaxV comes in three models that include the basic S7 model, the S7 Plus model, and the S7 Ultra. The S7 MaxV Ultra is the only one with an Empty Wash Fillet Dock (or an alternative Auto-Empty Dock). These docks allow the robot to return to its home base after a cleaning session, empty the collected debris into a dust collection bag or reservoir, drain the dirty water tank and wash its mopping pad.
Sensors on the S7 work together to clean and eliminate obstacles. It can recognize floor types and save a map of rooms and zones. It can even detect dirt levels. It's also capable of scheduling and running spot cleaning sessions. It did well in the standard tests, but did not perform as well as the Roomba j7+ in the carpet deep cleaning test.
Utilizing the companion app, you can program the S7 to perform a cleaning cycle according to your schedule. You can choose the cleaning mode, such as automatic or eco, and a weekday, day or even a time. You can also choose whether the robot will stop if it runs out of power or comes across an obstacle.
If you don't have an iPhone, you can still use the S7 by connecting a remote to the dock that charges it. The controls can be confusing initially but they're very efficient once you get used to them. The power button also functions as the 'Cleaning' option, and the Spot Clean button directs the robot to clean the area around itself. The "Spot Clean" button also triggers the child lock.
Roborock's mobile application has been enhanced to include a live-view function that allows you to observe what the S7 does at home. You can enable this feature by pressing a specific sequence of buttons on the S7 and creating an unlock pattern within the app to use at any time you want to check out what the robot is up to.
3. Shark IQ XL
Shark isn't as well-known in the field of robot vacuums as iRobot and Roborock However, our hands-on testing of this model has shown it to be among the best self-emptying robot vacuums currently on the market. It is simple to set up, comes with a huge bin that is easy to empty (albeit a bit loudly) into a trash bin when it is full, and can easily be programmed to complete a whole-home clean on a schedule or when needed.
The IQ XL is able to connect to your WiFi at home, allowing you to monitor its cleaning progress from the Shark app. The app lets you program a cleaning routine, receive push notifications regarding its status in cleaning, pause it and then clean up, or set it to clean one specific area. You can also control it with voice commands using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The app will inform you what power mode it's currently in--Eco, Normal, or Max. We didn't discover that any of the modes made a huge difference to the cleaning performance.
When it's finished a cleaning cycle after which the IQ XL will automatically empty the bin into its base, which then self-empties. The bin can hold up to 60 days of trash and won't require emptying more often than that unless you have lots of pets with long hair. If robot vacuum bagless self emptying must empty it, all you need to do is untie the side bin, hold it over a trash container and press a button to empty its contents.
There's nothing to dislike about the Shark IQ XL, although it does feel slightly less well-built than the Roomba 694. It removes lots of dirt from unfinished flooring and does a decent job of maneuvering itself however it isn't close to matching the iRobot Roomba i7 in regards to performance on carpeted floors. The i7 is also built better and feels more durable and robust, has less demanding maintenance requirements, incurs lower monthly costs, and is faster to charge, and offers comparable battery performance, and offers much more advanced automation features such as no-go zones and the capability to select specific rooms to keep clean.
4. iRobot J7+
This robot mop/vac combo is a rare beast, since it does both jobs exceptionally efficiently. iRobot's Combo j7+ has all the features of its j7 counterpart, including self-emptying and LiDAR mapping but with additional features for vacuuming and mopping.
The new acoustic sensors help the j7+ recognize flooring types, meaning it can choose between mopping and vacuuming during the first time it passes through an area. It also utilizes this information to prioritize cleaning rooms with carpet and rug flooring over rooms with hard floors.
As with most robotic vacuums the j7+ is relatively quiet when running and it's even less noisy when it's mopping. The maximum reading on our decibel meter was 64db, which is comparable to the background noise of office chatter.
It is easy to set up a cleaning schedule and alter the way that dust is cleaned when the canister fills. The j7+ can also be controlled by voice assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, etc.) The app allows you to create and view maps from your home.
The j7+ performed well in our tests of both hard and carpeted floors, removing most of the dirt that we threw its way. It has a difficult time with pet hair, large pieces of debris and sand. But it can clean them with more effort. It has excellent navigational capabilities and two cliff sensors that keep it from falling down stairs or becoming stuck on furniture legs.
We did discover some minor issues with the j7+, mostly that it can snag on rugs and cords and that it doesn't always turn off its mopping when it's done vacuuming. Overall, this is an excellent model that ticks all the right boxes.
iRobot J7+ is one of the top auto-emptying systems we've tried. It spits out its 14oz / 0.4-liter dust container into the base station, where it automatically empties itself for you to. This helps to reduce the amount of trash you have to throw away and you'll only have to change the reusable dust disposal bag from the dock about every 60 days or so, based on how often you use the J7+.