iRobot Vacuum and Mop Combo Review

irobot mapping's new Combo j7+ robotic is the first combination vacuum/mop. It's akin to the Roomba and is equipped with similar rug-eating intelligence. However the mop can be used with a greater variety of cleaning products and are self-filling.

When you ask it to mop using the irobot roomba combo Home voice assistant or app, a tiny robot arm will pop out of the base. The mops only deploy when the robot is aware that it's on a hard floor, and they avoid the drag of carpets and rugs.

Features

A robot vacuum and mop combo is a useful tool to keep floors clean without the need for the Swiffer or broom. It is able to remove sticky messes, and keep dirt out. This means that you don't need to worry about a mess building up in areas that are prone to traffic such as mudrooms or kitchens. It also does a much better job of cleaning hard floors than vacuums alone and it does it automatically.

The majority of Irobot vacuum/mop combos can be used on carpets and hard floors, which is why they're a great option if your home has multiple flooring kinds. The top models come with features that let you determine how often and how powerfully the robot cleans. Some models also include automatic emptying and can be controlled with a voice.

The j7 Combo+ is one of iRobot's most well-known robot mop and vacuum combination. It can be transformed into a fully-featured robot cleaner by pressing one button. It features the same advanced obstacle-avoidance system as the j7, plus the latest onboard acoustic sensors to determine the type of floor. The mop only goes over hard flooring like tiles or wood when in mop mode. It never goes over carpeting. I've tried numerous times to trick the J7 Combo+ into deploying over the rug however it always backed up before returning to where it was.

As with most combo robots it's slow in picking up the fine dust that a vacuum can miss however, it's a master of removing dried milk staining. It comes with mopping pads that are easy to refill.

The J7 Combo+ is slightly cheaper than other robot vacuum and mop combinations however it is an expensive machine for a basic one. It's limited in battery capacity and life, so it must return to the dock to recharge between cleaning sessions. It is also necessary to manually move it to a different room for every cleaning session, and its small size and lack of a scheduling feature mean it can only clean 200 square feet at the same time.

Design

The app allows you to schedule and track cleaning chores, as well as create "clean zones" and "keep out zones". You can control robots through the app, or through voice activation with the smart speaker of your choice. Many robots are equipped with several modes of operation and some are able to detect obstacles to navigate.

Contrary to some mop and vacuum combinations which aren't able to perform both tasks well, the Combo j9+ does an impressive job of both, removing embedded crumbs, fur, and dirt. It also makes use of SmartScrub to scrub the floor with consistent pressure for deeper scrubbing of stubborn mess like coffee and grime. Dirt Detective, which has learned from previous cleaning tasks, prioritizes the rooms that have more dirt to ensure they receive thorough cleaning.

In addition to the features found on the regular robotic vacuums of iRobot that include an extension telescopic and dual rubber brushes, the Combo J7+ comes with an intelligent mopping system that lifts the pad when it comes into contact with carpet or area rug. This prevents the carpets from getting wet and makes cleaning them easy. It is the first robot combination that can be used for mopping and vacuuming all kinds of flooring making it a perfect option for those who have a mixture of hard and soft floors.

The Combo J7+ is akin to the standard Roomba j7 robotic vacuum. It features a sleek black body that has an aluminum top part that is brushed bearing the irobot for pets logo. The reservoir for water is located in the rear, and the mop pad attached to the bottom. The app lets you see when the tank is empty or requires to be refilled.

The Combo J9+ is compatible with your WiFi network at home. It also comes with sensors to aid in navigation and obstacle avoidance. It gathers usage data, such as how often the Combo j9+ is moved around your home, and also images and mapping data. However, it does not sell or share this information with third parties without consent. On its website, the company's Privacy Principles can be found.

Cleaning Performance

A well-designed robot vacuum and mop can save you a significant amount of time and keep your floors in a reasonably clean state most of the time. It is still essential to use a mop to remove tough stains and extra-dirty areas however it's less frequent than using a irobots vacuum cleaner cleaner alone or a bucket of water and a brush. It's an excellent solution for high-traffic or extra-messy areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and mudrooms.

If you need more advanced cleaning performance think about a mopping robot. These use a microfiber, an empty reservoir filled with clean water, and a scrubbing motion to get rid of dirt. They are more effective than vacuums. Some of them, such as our upgrade pick the Braava Jet m6, even inject detergent into the pad to give it a deeper clean.

The main drawback of a machine that only mops is that it can't take care of carpets or area rugs. If a bot encounters these surfaces while in vacuum and mop mode it will lower the pad to prevent getting them wet. However, this also means it can't navigate around them unless you set up special 'clean zones' and "keep out zones" in the app.

Combination robots are more efficient at this, particularly our top choice for the Braava j7 from iRobot+ Combo. It's akin to a normal j7 however, it has a wet mop included that it utilizes when it detects hard floors. It's a bit more aggressive than other combo robots when it comes to crossing rugs and thresholds, however, it backs up when it comes across them, instead of trying to mop them.

If you'd like to be hands-free you'll need a robotic cleaner that can learn the layout of your house and navigate between rooms on its own (our upgrade pick is the iRobot Jet m6), or a combination cleaner that uses lidar to navigate (like the Roborock S5 Max). You might also have to set up clean zones and 'keep-out zones' in the app to make sure it is aware of where furniture is.

Cost

A robot vacuum that is also a mop does a good job of cleaning your floors. However it's more expensive than a standalone vacuum cleaner or mop robot. Cost depends on whether or not you're looking for a top-of-the-line model with mapping technology that lets it learn the structure of your home and then clean every room with no battery power. This feature is crucial when you have carpets or rug flooring in your home. The newer Ecovacs Roborock S8 Pro Ultra or Deebots X2 Omni are the best models that have this feature.

It is also important to consider the dimensions of your floor as well as the number of rooms that need to be cleaned and vacuumed. Smaller rooms will require a more compact robot, but you may be able to get by with a robot that just mops or vacuums but doesn't have both capabilities. iRobot Combo j7+, for instance is a fantastic upgrade that bundles a dedicated mop for robots with its top-rated Roomba, and costs less than the price 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 for cleaning when it's full. The base is not included in the standard version of the j7 and has to be bought separately. This is the reason the combo robot is priced at $1,099 since it's not part of the standard model.

The j7+ is a sleek modern-looking hybrid vacuum and mop. It's style is similar to Roomba's i7 vacuum. However, it does not have some of the key features other mop-only robots are equipped with. For one, it does not have the same 8,300Pa suction that iRobot's vacuums provide. It doesn't have the automatic mop pad cleaning feature, which is becoming more commonplace in premium mop robots. You can buy an add-on that washes your mop pad even when it's not in use. This will prevent the pads from drying out and becoming messy. Aside from that the J7+ is a fantastic value and is among the top robots for cleaning your floors.