20 Things That Only The Most Devoted Irobot Vacuum Fans Should Know

iRobot Vacuum and Mop Combo Review

iRobot's new Combo j7+ is the company's first combination vacuum and mop robot. It looks like the Roomba and is equipped with similar rug-avoiding intelligence. However, the mops can be used with a wider range of cleaning solutions and can self-fill.

If you ask it to mop using the irobot roomba mop Home voice assistant or app, a little robot arm will pop out from the base. The robot only deploys the mops when it detects a hard surface. They are not able to drag over carpets and rugs.

Features

A robot vacuum mop and broom can be a useful device to keep floors clean and free of clutter, without relying on a broom and a Swiffer. It cleans up sticky messes and helps keep grime at bay, so you don't have to fret about the mess building in areas with high traffic levels like kitchens or mudrooms. It also does a much better job of cleaning hard floors than a vacuum on its own, and it can do this automatically.

The majority of Irobot vacuum/mop combos can be used on carpet and hard floors, which is why they're a great option for homes with different flooring kinds. The most effective models have features that let you decide how often the robot cleans and the power it uses. Certain models also feature automatic emptying and can be controlled with voice commands.

IRobot's most adored mop and robot vacuum combo is the j7 Combo+, which can be transformed into a full-featured robot cleaner by pressing one button. Its smarts include the same advanced obstacle avoidance technology as the j7 and new onboard acoustic sensors to assist in determining the floor type. When it is in mop mode, the mop will only be activated when it detects flooring that is hard like tile or wood and never over area rugs or carpeting. I tried to trick the J7 Combo+ several times to go over carpets but it always went back and started where it began.

It's slow to take dust particles that a vacuum could miss, but it is excellent at removing dried milk staining. It also has a convenient mopping pad that's simple to refill.

The J7 Combo+ might be a little cheaper than other robot vacuums and mop combos however it is quite expensive for a basic model. It's limited in battery capacity and life which means it has to return to the dock to recharge between cleaning sessions. You'll also have to manually transfer it to a different room for each cleaning session, and its small size and absence of a scheduling feature means it can only clean up to 200 square feet at a time.

Design

The app allows you to plan and track cleaning tasks and also create "clean zones" and "keep out zones". You can control robots using the app, or through voice control using the smart speaker of choice. Many robots are equipped with multiple modes of power, and some can detect obstacles to navigate.

In contrast to other vacuum and mop combos that are unable to handle both tasks well, the Combo j9+ does an impressive job of both, removing the crumbs, fur and dirt. It also utilizes SmartScrub to scrub the floor back and forth with consistent pressure for deeper cleaning of stubborn mess like coffee and grime. Dirt Detective is an application that learns from previous cleaning missions will prioritize rooms with the most dirt to make sure they are thoroughly cleaned.

The Combo J7+ comes with a mopping system that raises the pad when it is smacking against carpet or area rugs. This makes it less likely to get the carpets wet and speeds up cleaning. It's also the first combination robot that is able to mop and vacuum all floor types making it an ideal option for people who have floors that are a mix of soft and hard floors.

The Combo J7+ is similar to the regular Roomba j7 robotic irobot roomba vacuum. It has a sleek black body with an aluminum top piece brushed with the irobot roomba models - More Bonuses - Logo. The reservoir for water is located in the rear and the mop pad is at the bottom. The app allows you to see when the tank is empty or has to be filled again.

The Combo J9+ is compatible with your WiFi network in your home. It also comes with sensors for navigation and obstacles avoidance. It tracks usage information, such as how often it moves around the house, as well as mapping and image data, but does not use the data to sell or share it with third parties 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 clean all the time. It's still important to use a mop in order to take off tough stains and dirtier areas but it's less frequent than using a vacuum cleaner and a bucket of water with a brush. It's a great option for areas with high traffic or are extremely dirty, like kitchens, bathrooms and mudrooms.

Consider a mopping robot for an even more sophisticated cleaning. They typically make use of a microfiber pad, a water reservoir filled with only clean water and a scrub-like motion to clean dirt away, leaving your floors cleaner than a standard vacuum. 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 main drawback of mop-only machines is that it can't perform any work on carpet or area rugs. If a robot encounters these surfaces while in mop and vacuum modes it will lower its pad to avoid getting the surface wet. This also means it can't navigate around them unless you create specific 'clean zones' and "keep out zones" in the app.

Combination robots are more adept at this. Our top pick is the iRobot J7+ combo. It operates similarly to the regular j7 vacuum but it has a built-in wet mop that it deploys when it spots hard flooring. It's a bit more aggressive than other combo robots when it comes to crossing thresholds and rugs, but it still backs up when it comes across them instead of trying to mop them.

If you want to be hands-free for the duration of your stay you'll need an automated cleaner that can 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 vacuum that has lidar to navigate (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 with a mop can do a great job of cleaning your floors. It is more expensive than a standalone robot vacuum or a dedicated mop. Cost depends on whether or not you want a high end model that has mapping technology that allows it to learn the design of your home and then clean each room without running out battery power. This feature is essential when you have carpets or rug in your home. The more recent Ecovacs Roborock S8 Pro Ultra or Deebots X2 Omni are the best models that have this feature.

You should also think about the dimensions of your floor and the number of rooms that need to be cleaned and vacuumed. Smaller rooms will require a smaller robot, and you might be able to do with a simpler robot that just mops or vacuums but doesn't have the two capabilities. For example the irobot self emptying vacuum Combo j7+ is an upgrade option which bundles a mop machine with its highest-rated Roomba vacuum, and it costs a fraction of the cost of a standalone mop like the Braava Jet M6.

The Combo j7 Plus also includes the iRobot Clean Station, which auto-empties the dirty mop water from the cleaning tank when it's full. The base isn't part of the standard j7 model and must be purchased separately, which partly explains the combo robot's price of $1,099.

The j7+ is a sleek modern-looking, contemporary-looking vacuum-mop. It looks almost identical to Roomba's i7 vacuum. It does lack some key features that other mop-only bots have. It does not have the same powerful suction that iRobot's vacuums provide. Also, it doesn't have a feature that automatically washes mop pads, which is becoming more common on mop robots with premium features. But, you can purchase an add-on for the j7+ to wash the mop pad even when you're not using it. This will keep the pads from drying and becoming dirty. The J7+ is a good value and one of our best robots to clean your floors.