iRobot Vacuum and Mop Combo Review

iRobot's new Combo j7+ robot is the first combined vacuum and mop. It looks like an Roomba and comes with similar rug-avoiding smarts, but the mop is self-filling and compatible with other cleaning solutions.

A tiny robot arm pops up from the base when you instruct it to mop with the iRobot Home app or voice assistant. The robot only releases the mops when it detects the presence of a hard surface. They avoid dragging over rugs and carpet.

Features

A robot vacuum mop combination can be a helpful tool to keep floors clean, without having to rely on a broom and a Swiffer. It is able to remove the sticky mess and keep dirt out. This means you don't need to worry about a mess that builds up in areas that see a lot of traffic, such as kitchens or mudrooms. It also does better job of cleaning hard floors using a vacuum than a vacuum by itself.

The majority of irobot vacuum/mop combinations can be used on carpet and hard floors, so they're a great option when you have multiple flooring types. The best models have features that allow you to control how often and how powerfully the robot cleans. Some models also have automatic emptying, and can be controlled by voice control.

The most well-known iRobot robot vacuum and mop combo is the j7 Combo+, which can be transformed into a fully-featured Robot Vacuums iRobot vacuum by pressing a button. It features the same advanced obstacle-avoidance technology as the j7 and also a an acoustic sensor on board to determine the type of floor. When in mop mode, the mop will only be activated when it detects hard flooring such as wood or tile; it never goes over carpeting or area rugs. I tried to fool the j7 Combo+ several times to go over a carpet but it always went back and started where it began.

Like many combo robots, it's a bit slow in picking up the fine dust that vacuums can miss however it does an excellent job of removing dried milk stains. It also has a convenient mopping pad that's easy to refill.

The J7 Combo+ is less expensive than other robot mop and vacuum combos, but it's still quite expensive for a basic appliance. It's limited in battery life and water capacity, so it must return to the dock to recharge between cleaning sessions. It is also necessary to manually move the machine to a different room after each cleaning session. Its small size and absence of an option to schedule it means that it can only clean up 200 square feet.

Design

The app lets you plan and track cleaning tasks and also create "clean zones" and "keep out zones". You can also control robots through the app, or through voice activation with the smart speaker of choice. Many robots are equipped with different modes of operation and some can even detect obstacles for navigation.

In contrast to other vacuum and mop combos that aren't able to do both tasks effectively, the Combo j9+ does impressively at both, removing the crumbs, fur and dirt. It also makes use of SmartScrub to scrub the floor with constant pressure for a deeper scrubs of tough mess like grime and coffee. Dirt Detective, which is a feature that is able to learn from previous cleaning tasks, prioritizes rooms with more dirt to ensure they get a thorough clean.

In addition to the features available on the regular robotic vacuums of irobot mop and vacuum combo including the telescopic extension feature and two rubber brushes The Combo j7+ has an intelligent mopping system that lifts the pad when it encounters carpet or area rug. This prevents getting the rugs wet and facilitates faster cleanup. It is the first robot combo that is capable of mopping and vacuuming both types of floors which makes it a great option for those with floors that are a mix of hard and soft floors.

The Combo J7+ is similar to the regular Roomba j7 robotic vacuum. It features a sleek black body that has a brushed aluminum top piece with the irobot roomba vacuum logo. The reservoir of water is located at the rear and the mop pad is at the bottom. The app will let you know when the tank is empty or needs to be filled.

The Combo j9+ is connected to your home's Wi-Fi network. It has onboard sensors for obstacle avoidance and navigation. It tracks usage data, including the frequency it moves around the house, as well as mapping and image data, but doesn't use this information to sell or share it with third-party companies without your permission. On its website the company's Privacy Principles can be found.

Cleaning Performance

A robot vacuum and mop can help you save time by keeping your floors spotless most of the time. You'll still have to bust out a traditional mop for hard-to-clean spots or stains that are particularly dirty but it's less often than you might otherwise need to do with a separate vacuum cleaner or a basic bucket of water and a brush. It's a great option for areas with high traffic or that are particularly filthy, such as kitchens, bathrooms and the mudrooms.

Think about a robot for mopping If you're looking to get an even more sophisticated cleaning. These are made of a microfiber an empty reservoir filled with clean water and a scrubby motion to eliminate dirt. They are more effective than vacuums. Some of them, such as our pick for the best upgrade, the Braava Jet m6, even inject detergent into the pad for a more thorough clean.

The biggest drawback to mop-only robots is that it can't do anything with carpets or area rug. If a robot encounters these surfaces in vacuum and mop mode it will lower the pad in order to keep the surfaces wet. This also means that it is unable to navigate around them, unless you have created 'clean zones' and keep-out zones' in the application.

Combination robots are more efficient in this regard, and we particularly recommend our top pick one, the iRobot Braava J7+ Combo. It is similar to a normal j7 but it has a wet mop built in that it employs when it detects hard floors. It's more aggressive than other robots when it comes to crossing thresholds and rugs. However, it still does not back off when it comes across these obstacles instead of trying mop over them.

If you want to be hands-free for the duration of your stay you'll require a robotic cleaner that is able to learn the layout of your home and move between rooms on its own (our upgrade choice is the iRobot Jet m6), or a combination cleaner that uses a navigation system using lidar (like the Roborock S5 Max). You may also need to set up "clean zones" and "keep-out zones within the app so that it can recognize where furniture is.

Cost

A robot vacuum that doubles as a mop can be a great way to clean your floors. However it's more expensive a standalone vacuum cleaner or a separate mop robot. Cost depends on whether you're looking for a top-of-the-line model that has mapping technology that lets it discover the design of your home and clean every room without running out of battery power. This feature is crucial when you have carpets or rugs in your home. The latest Ecovacs Roborock S8 Pro Ultra or Deebots X2 Omni are the best models that have this feature.

You should also consider the size of your floor and how many rooms need to be vacuumed and mopped. Smaller rooms will require the use of a smaller robot. You may be able to use a robot that vacuums or mops but not both. iRobot Combo J7+, for example, is a great upgrade that comes with a dedicated mop for robots with its top-rated Roomba, and costs only a fraction of what a standalone mop such as the Braava jet M6 would cost.

The Combo j7 Plus also includes the iRobot Clean Station, which auto-empties the mop's dirty water from the tank that is full. The base isn't part of the standard j7 model, and must be purchased separately, which accounts for the combo's eye-watering $1,099 price tag.

The j7+ is a sleek modern-looking hybrid vacuum and mop. It's almost identical to Roomba's i7 vacuum. It does, however, not have some of the key features other mop-only robots have. It doesn't have the powerful suction as irobot self emptying vacuum vacuums. It also doesn't have the option of automatically washing its mop pads, which is becoming more commonplace on the top mop robots. However, you can purchase an add-on for the j7+ that will wash the mop pad when you're not using it. This will prevent the pads from drying out and becoming dirty. The j7+ is a good value and one of our top robots to clean your floors.