iRobot Vacuum and Mop Combo Review

iRobot's newest irobot Combo j7+ is the company's first mop and vacuum robot. It's akin to a Roomba and offers similar rug-avoiding capabilities, but the mop's self-filling feature makes it compatible with other cleaning solutions.

A tiny robot arm pops out of the base when you instruct it to mop via the iRobot Home app or voice assistant. The robot irobot roomba only deploys mop arms when it senses the presence of a hard surface. They avoid dragging over rugs and carpet.

Features

A robot vacuum and mop combination is a handy tool to keep floors clean without the need for a broom or a Swiffer. It wipes away sticky messes and keeps grime at bay, so you don't have to worry about the mess that can build up in high-traffic areas like kitchens or mudrooms. It can also do a better job cleaning hard floors using a vacuum than a vacuum alone.

The majority of irobot black friday deals vacuum and mop sets are made to work on both hard floors and carpet, making them a good choice if you have a variety of flooring types in your home. The best models include features that let you decide how often the robot cleans and how powerful it is. Certain models also feature automatic emptying, and can be controlled by voice commands.

iRobot's most popular robot vacuum and mop combination is the J7 Combo+, which converts into a fully-featured robot vacuum at the touch of one button. It comes with the same sophisticated obstacle-avoidance technology that is used in the j7, and a brand an acoustic sensor on board to determine the type of floor. When it is in mop mode, the mop only activates when it senses hard flooring like tile or wood It does not go over carpeting or area rugs. I tried to fool the j7 Combo+ several times into going over a carpet, but it always went back to where it had left off.

Like most combo robots, it's a bit slow to pick up fine dust that vacuums can miss however, it does an excellent job of cleaning up dried milk staining. It has a mopping pad which is easy to refill.

The J7 Combo+ might be slightly cheaper than other robot vacuum and mop combinations, but is still quite expensive for a basic one. It's limited in terms of battery capacity and life and must be returned to the dock to recharge between cleaning sessions. You'll also have to manually transfer it to a different room for each cleaning session as its small size and lack of a scheduling feature mean it can only clean up 200 square feet at one time.

Design

The app lets you plan and track cleaning tasks, as well as create "clean zones" and "keep out zones". You can control robots using the app or via voice activation with the smart speaker of your choice. They have a variety of options for power and can detect obstacles to aid in navigation.

Contrary to some mop and vacuum combinations that are unable to handle both jobs well, the Combo j9+ can do an impressive job of both, picking up embedded crumbs, fur, and dirt. It also utilizes SmartScrub, which scrubs floors with constant pressure and back and forth motions in order to eliminate stubborn messes such as coffee and dirt. Dirt Detective, which has learned from previous cleaning tasks it prioritizes rooms with more dirt to ensure they receive an extensive cleaning.

The Combo j7+ comes with a mopping system that lifts the pad when it hits carpet or area rug. This makes it less likely to get the carpets wet and speeds up 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 an assortment of soft and hard floors.

The Combo J7+ is akin to the standard Roomba j7 robotic vacuum. It sports a sleek black body with a brushed aluminum top piece featuring the irobot combo logo. The water reservoir is in the rear, and the mop pad is attached to the bottom. The app will let you know when the tank is empty or has to be refilled.

The Combo j9+ is connected to your home's Wi-Fi network and comes with sensors for obstacle avoidance and navigation. It collects usage data, including how often it moves around the home as well as mapping and image data, but does not use the data 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 combination can save you time by keeping your floors spotless the majority of the time. It's still necessary to pull out a traditional mop when you have tough stains or extra-dirty spots however this is much less often than you'd otherwise have to do with a single vacuum cleaner or bucket of water and brush. It's an excellent solution for areas that are prone to traffic or have a lot of mess such as bathrooms, kitchens, and the mudrooms.

Consider a mopping robot if you want to get a more advanced cleaning. They use a microfiber, a reservoir that is only clean water, and a scrubbing motion to get rid of dirt. They're more efficient than vacuums. Some of these, like our upgrade pick the Braava Jet m6, even inject detergent into the pad for a deeper clean.

The biggest drawback to mop-only robots is that it's unable to do anything with carpet or area rug. If a robot encounters these surfaces while in mop or vacuum modes it will lower its pad to avoid getting the surface wet. However, this also means that it won't be able to navigate around them unless you create separate 'clean zones' as well as zones to keep out of the app.

Combination robots are better at this. Our top pick is the iRobot J7+ combination. It's similar to a regular j7, but has an integrated wet mop that it utilizes when it senses hard floors. It's more aggressive than other robots in crossing thresholds and rugs. However, it is able to back off when it encounters these obstacles instead of attempting to mop them.

If you'd like to be completely hands-free you'll require a robot vacuum cleaner that is able to learn the layout of your home and navigate between rooms on its own (our top pick for an upgrade is the iRobot Jet M6), or a combination cleaner that has a navigation system using lidar (like the Roborock S5 Max). You might need to create a clean zone and a 'keep out zone' in the app so that it knows where your furniture is.

Cost

A robot vacuum that is also a mop will do a great job of cleaning your floors. However, it's more expensive than a standalone vacuum cleaner or a separate mop robot. The cost will vary based on whether you want a top-quality model with mapping technology that allows it to discover the layout of your home and keep the room clean without running out of battery power. This feature is essential if you have carpets and rugs in your home. The latest Ecovacs Roborock S8 Pro Ultra or Deebots X2 Omni are the best models that can provide this capability.

Another thing to take into consideration is the size of your floors and the number of rooms you will must vacuum and mop. Smaller rooms will require smaller robots. You may be able to make do with a device that can vacuum or mop, but not both. For example iRobot's Combo J7+ is an upgrade option which bundles a mop robot along with its highest-rated Roomba vacuum cleaner, and it is priced at a fraction of the price of a standalone mop robot like the Braava Jet M6.

The Combo j7 Plus also includes the iRobot Clean Station, which auto-empties the dirty mop water from the tank for cleaning when it's full. The base isn't included in the standard j7 model and has to be purchased separately, which explains the combo robot's eye-watering $1,099 price tag.

The design of the j7+ is sleek and modern and is almost exactly like the fad Roomba i7 vacuum. This is what makes it such an appealing option for vacuum-mop hybrids. It does, however, lack some key features that other mop only bots are equipped with. It doesn't have the powerful suction of 8,300Pa like iRobot vacuums. It also doesn't have the option of automatically washing mop pads, something that is becoming more prevalent on premium mop robots. However, you can still purchase an add-on for the j7+ to wash the mop pad when you're not using it. This will prevent the pads from drying out and getting messy. Apart from that the J7+ is a great value and is among the best robots to clean your floors.