Looking For Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum Recommendations (Are There Actually Any Good Ones?)
I’m in the market for a new robot vacuum cleaner, so I would love your recommendations if you have a really reliable one that you like. I’ve had two so far. The first one I bought was a very basic Eufy, which I purchased at the end of 2022. The one I bought isn’t available anymore, but it looked like this…
It was only a vacuum, so it didn’t have a mop feature for my hardwood floors. While I loved that basic Eufy, and it did a fantastic job of keeping the dog hair under control, I eventually decided that I wanted a self-emptying vacuum so that I didn’t have to empty it manually every single day.
So after about a year-and-a-half (I’m guessing) of using the Eufy, I ended up purchasing this Honiture robot vacuum cleaner that has a mop function and a self-emptying feature.
It worked great for about a year, but when I had to purchase new collection bags (and had a heck of a time finding the right bags for this model), the self-emptying function stopped working. No matter how many times I removed and replaced the bags, the self-emptying function simply wouldn’t work.
I didn’t use it for a while during the bedroom suite project because there was just too much stuff in the way. So about two weeks ago, I got it back out to start using it again. For the first few days, it actually worked! Everything worked. It vacuumed all of the floors and then emptied itself, just as it’s supposed to do. But that only lasted about four days. And then around the fifth day, it started on schedule, made about four passes just in this area behind the recliners in the breakfast room, said it had finished cleaning, and then went back to the base and emptied itself.
I’ve tried everything I can think of to fix it. I’ve tried remapping, but it won’t go any further than this area to remap. I’ve tried resetting to factory settings, but that didn’t fix anything, either.
I’ve given up and I want to purchase a new one. When I started looking, I had decided that this time, I want to purchase one with a brand name I recognize, like Shark. This time, I’ve decided that I want to purchase one with a brand name that I actually recognize, like a Shark or iRobot. The problem is that those aren’t the highest rated. All of the ones with the highest ratings are brands that I’ve never heard of, like Bagotte and MAMNV. While these have very high ratings (literally, five-star ratings), they don’t have very many reviews relative to the other brands that have tens of thousands of reviews with lower overall ratings. And I’m not thrilled with the idea of purchasing a brand that I’m not familiar with, or that hasn’t been around for a long time, because I’m afraid that when it comes time to purchase parts (i.e., any of the consumables that are required), they won’t be available or they’ll be hard to find. That’s exactly the problem I ran into with my Honiture vacuum.
So I’d love to know your suggestions. I’m looking for a robot vacuum that is self-emptying and has a user-friendly app with mapping and spot cleaning function if I just want to vacuum one room. It would be nice if it has a mop function for my hardwood floors, but I’d be okay purchasing one that doesn’t have that function as long as it vacuums really well.
If you have one that you really like, tell me about it!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Hi Kristy, I have an IRobot by Roomba. I bought it on amazon outlet during prime days and got a great deal. I just checked amazon and there is one available for about 250.00.
This vacuum was life changing for me. It took a dreaded chore off my list. I have an app on my phone that advises me when I my machine needs attention, which was a lot less often than I thought it would be. I have zero complaints on use, maintenance and purchasing spare parts. (I bought Knock-offs, no problem) My machine is a vacuum only, but based on its performance I’m tempted to buy a vacuum/mop variety next prime day. I hope this helps you make a decision. BTY Love, Love, Love the bedroom suite!
Wirecutter (from The NY Times) did a review a couple months back and recommended four. The first was the NARWAL Free Pro as their top pick, followed by the more expensive Roborock Soros 10, and a budget pick of the Dreame D30 Plus (good for just light mopping and vacuuming), and then the Eufy Robot Vacuum Omni E25 (they said that this one was a good mopper but just an average vacuumer though).
I hope this helps.
I forgot to mention that iRobot as a company isn’t doing well and has filed for bankruptcy and has been taken over by its Chinese creditor. It isn’t expected to last for longer, so don’t count on that for future parts, etc.
My daughter has one that she absolutely loves, they’ve had it for about a year now. It was not cheap, and it has to be programmed, it’s very high tech. But it works great. Their house is about 3500 ft.². I just texted her and I will send it to you as soon as I get it.
I do not currently have one, but interested. My advice on this matter though, is to do your research on them and then try to purchase at Costco if possible. They have the best overall refund policy, bar none! I’m not sure for how long, but quite certain if you purchase some sort of extended warranty, you would be covered.
Check out VacuumWars on YouTube. I really like his independent testing and ratings. We have a Roborock Revo and it’s been good. Occasionally it will get lost but I just put it back on dock and it works fine for the next scheduled clean. It has the two spinning mop heads and if I were to buy now I’d definitely look for one that has a single roller mop head where the mop is constantly cleaned and you’re not just rubbing a dirty mop head over the floor after the first 5min.
Roborock in general has been good to work with. The times I have had an issue they have been very responsive and helpful. I had to send the robot back in for repair once (something broke) and while shipping was expensive for me, they did fix it for free (outside of warranty). Overall if I were to buy now I’d definitely look at Roborock again.
Did want to clarify that I’ve only contacted Roborock via email. I don’t know if they have phone support or how good communication would be speaking.
I have found that the genuine Roborock in-robot filter are vastly superior to the knock-offs. The knock offs were letting lots of dust through and didn’t rinse clean.
I have the irobot Qrevo pro from target. Self empties. Water for clean and dirty. Maps, schedules, zone cleans, room cleams, spot cleans. I could take the robot upstairs . I purchased a reusable zippered trash bag,and so happy I did. Loved it so much I purchased a second one for upstairs because i got lazy having to pick up the vac mop and take it upstairs and it not being able to refill with mopping water. Floors look great everyday. I did have to be patient and fiddle with the map so it wouldnt vac mop the edge of one of my area rugs.
Roborock Qrevo Pro is what I have currently. Dont know shy I typed irobot.
Whenever I’m looking for something that involves using WiFi, my go-to is CNET.com. They try out all sorts of electronic products. So far, they’ve been pretty much on the money. I’m not trusting Consumer Reports so much anymore since it gave a DW recommendation for Bosch. I bought one and have HATED it. It’s not as deep as American machines and all the tines are slanted. Try putting a vase in the bottom rack!
I haven’t used the vacuum but I’d go with switchbox. They got one that can self-empty the mopping water. I like Switchbot because we’ve used them for smart stuff switches/lights, even curtains and that has had the most success/hands-off of not having to log in and fix something with never ending updates. Most does require batteries and charging, but it’s much more hands off than most smart systems. They have a variety of vacuums with self-emptying features. For cleaning, I hear Narwal seems to be the new Roomba reliable, resilient and self cleaning in logical ways, but is super pricey. Good luck!
Switchbot not Switchbox
I have done extensive research on this very topic. I currently have the shark that self empties and mops and it’s just okay. A couple ladies I follow and a few tube guys all say the Narwal is the best around. One thing I love about it is it has a clean tank and a dirty tank for the mop feature so you don’t have to switch pads, add cleaners and all that jazz when you want to mop. You can schedule and let it run and then empty your dirty water tank and refill you clean for the next time. Also it self cleans the dirty tank! I’m definitely replacing my shark with this one!
I have the Shark UR2500SR AI Ultra Robot Vacuum, with Ultra Clean self-emptying vacuum. I also have a Eufy, but the Shark works so much better. This one has high suction that actually leaves vacuum lines and I love that there are no bags to purchase. I also love the spot clean function when I just need to clean up some crumbs that my kids spilled. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BPNCDLN9
Check
Out gocleanco. She reviews lots of vacuums.
We have this Shark robot vacuum. We’ve had it for a year and a half and we’re a household of 8 and we homeschool and work from home so we’re here ALL the time. It gets tangled from time to time on stuff the kids leave on the floor, but other than that it’s the best one we’ve owned.
Shark AV2501S AI Ultra Robot… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09H8CWFNK?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
It only vacuums though.
I had exactly the same problem with Verefa. When I needed to buy more bags, there web site still exist but every single product there is marked as sold out. Not sure the company actually exists. Some time ago we contacted a local cleaning company. The ladies come once a week for about an hour – an hour and a half, dust, clean the kitchen and the bathrooms, vacuum and mop the floors, and change the bed sheets. The best decision we ever made. My partner is disabled, and I currently have a bad back that hopefully will heal, but it feels great to have a clean house without having to clean myself.
Did you go to the Shark or iRobot websites, or was it Amazon? If it was Amazon, you might find more reviews on the manufacturers sites. Other than that, I have no help for you. We tried the robot vacuums but got frustrated with them. We have so many legs for furniture and wires everywhere, that we were rescuing the vacuum or having to move so many things in the way, they weren’t worth it! So I use my old fashioned vacuum – which is my husband! He isn’t perfect either, but he will move chairs and wires! LOL!