The Irobot Vacuum Mistake That Every Newbie Makes

iRobot Vacuum and Mop Combo Review

iRobot's newest Combo J7+ is the company's first combination vacuum and mop robot. It looks like a Roomba and has similar rug-smashing capabilities, however the mop's self-filling feature makes it compatible with a variety of cleaning products.

When you ask it to mop using the iRobot Home voice assistant or app, a little robot arm will rise out from the base. The mops only activate when the robot is aware that it's on a hard floor, and they avoid the drag of carpets and rugs.

Here are a few examples of

A robot vacuum and mop combination is a handy device to keep floors tidy without the need for the use of a broom or a Swiffer. It is able to remove the sticky mess and keep grime away. This means you don't need to worry about mess accumulating in areas with high traffic, such as kitchens or mudrooms. It can also do a better job cleaning hard floors with an air-tight vacuum than a regular vacuum by itself.

Most irobot vacuum and mop sets are made to be used on hard flooring and carpet, making them the best rated roomba vacuum choice if have a variety of flooring kinds in your home. The most effective models come with features that let you control how often and how powerfully the robot cleans. Some models also have automatic emptying, and can be controlled via voice.

iRobot's most popular mop and robot vacuum combo is the j7 Combo+, which converts into a fully-featured robot cleaner at the touch of a button. Its advanced features include the same advanced obstacle avoidance features as the j7 as well as new onboard acoustic sensors that aid in determining the type of floor. The mop can only go over hard flooring like wood or tile when in mop mode. It will not go over carpeting. I've tried a few times to trick the j7 Combo+ into going over carpet, but it always backed up and went back to where it had left off.

It's slow to take dust particles that a vacuum may be unable to, but it's great at removing dried milk stains. It comes with a mopping pad which is easy to refill.

The J7 Combo+ might be slightly cheaper than other robot vacuum and mop combos, but is still an expensive machine for a basic one. It's limited in battery life and water capacity and must be returned to the dock to recharge between cleaning sessions. You will also have to manually move the machine to a different room each time you clean. Its small size and absence of a scheduling feature means it is able to only clean 200 square feet.

Design

The app lets you schedule and track cleaning tasks as well as to create "clean zones" and "keep out zones". You can control robots using the app, or through voice control using the smart speaker of your choice. Many offer multiple options for power and can detect obstacles to assist in navigation.

In contrast to other vacuum and mop combinations which aren't able to perform both tasks well, the Combo j9+ does an excellent job at both, picking up the crumbs, fur and dirt. It also utilizes SmartScrub to scrub the floor back and forth with a consistent pressure to ensure a thorough cleaning of stubborn mess like grime and coffee. Dirt Detective, an application that is able to learn from previous cleaning missions and prioritizes rooms with more dirt to ensure they are cleaned thoroughly.

The Combo J7+ is equipped with a mopping system which raises the pad as soon as it hits carpet or area rug. This prevents getting the carpets wet and speeds up cleanup. It's also the first combination robot that has the ability to vacuum and mop any type of floor making it an ideal option for people who have floors that are a mix of hard and soft floors.

The Combo j7+ looks similar to the regular Roomba j7 robot vacuum with a sleek black plastic body and brushed aluminum top piece with a circular design bearing the iRobot logo. The reservoir of water is located at the rear and the mop pad is at the bottom. The app informs you when the tank has to be filled or emptied.

The Combo j9+ can be connected to the Wi-Fi network in your home and comes with sensors to help navigate and avoid obstacles. It gathers usage data, such as how often the Combo j9+ travels around your home, and also images and mapping data. However it does not sell or share this data with third parties without permission. The company's Privacy Principles are available on its website.

Cleaning Performance

A robot vacuum and mop combination can save you time by keeping your floors spotless most of the time. It is still essential to use a mop to get rid of tough stains and dirty areas however it's less frequent than using a vacuum with a bucket of water with a brush. It's a great option for high-traffic or extra-messy areas such as bathrooms, kitchens and mudrooms.

Think about a robot for mopping if you want to get the most advanced cleaning. They typically make use of pads made of microfiber with a reservoir of water filled with clean water and a scrub-like movement to wipe away dirt and dirt, making your floors look cleaner than a regular vacuum does. Some of them, like our upgrade pick the Braava Jet m6, even squirt detergent into the pad to give it a deeper clean.

The main drawback of a robot that just mops is that it will not be able to take care of carpets or area rugs. If a robot comes across these surfaces when it is in mop or vacuum modes it will lower its pad to avoid getting the surface wet. This also means that it isn't able to navigate around them unless you create separate 'clean zones' as well as 'keep out zones' in the app.

Combination robots are better in this regard, and we particularly recommend our top pick for the Braava j7 from iRobot+ Combo. It operates similarly to a regular j7 vacuum, however, it comes with a built-in wet mop that it uses when it spots hard flooring. It's more aggressive than other robots when it comes to crossing thresholds and rugs. However, it is able to back off when it encounters these obstacles, instead of trying to mop them.

If you want to be hands-free for the duration of your stay, you will need a robotic cleaner that can learn the layout of your home and navigate between rooms on its own (our upgrade choice is the iRobot Jet M6) or a combination cleaner which uses lidar for navigation (like the Roborock S5 Max). It is possible to create a clean zone and a 'keep out zone in the app so that it can determine where the furniture is.

Cost

A robot vacuum that also acts as a mop can be a great way to clean your floors. However, it's more expensive than a standalone vacuum cleaner or a dedicated mop robot. The cost will depend on whether you're looking for a top-of-the-line model with mapping technology that allows it to learn the design of your home and then clean every room without running out of battery power. This feature is a must-have when you have rugs or carpets in your home and the newer Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni or Roborock S8 Pro Ultra are the top models that have this feature.

You should also think about the size of your floor and how many rooms need to be vacuumed and mopped. Smaller rooms will require a smaller robot, and you may be able to do with a less expensive robot that mops or vacuums, but doesn't have both capabilities. iRobot Combo j7+, for instance, is a great upgrade that includes a separate mop robot with its most praised 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 dirty mop water from the cleaning tank when it's full. The base is not included in the standard version of the j7 and must be bought separately. This is one reason why the combo robot is priced at $1,099, as it's not included with the standard model.

The J7+ is a sleek modern-looking, contemporary-looking vacuum-mop. It's style is similar to Roomba's i7 vacuum. It does, however, not have some of the key features other mop only bots have. It doesn't have the same powerful suction of 8,300Pa as iRobot vacuums. Also, it doesn't have an automatic washing feature for mop pads, something that is becoming more prevalent on premium mop robots. But, you can buy an add-on to the j7+ that will wash the mop pad when you're not using it. This will prevent the pads from drying out and becoming messy. Apart from that, the j7+ is an excellent value and one of the best robots to clean your floors.