Mopping the floor has got to be up there in the things-I-hate-to-do-list.
Do you ever wish that you could just outsource your mopping duties at home?
No I’m not talking about hiring a helper because that would be very costly. I’m talking about a robot mop doing it for you anytime you want it to without complaining a lick.
In this article I’ll reveal 5 of the best robotic mops in the market. All of which have varied features and prices that will suite your needs.
Spec comparison
| Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | |||||
| Run time | 150 - 210 mins. | 3 hrs. | 140 mins. | 90 mins. | 140 mins. |
| Diameter (inches) | 15 | 13.39 | 13.39 | 12.2 | 11.81 |
| Height (inches) | 4.5 | 3.15 | 3.62 | 2.99 | 2.76 |
| Cleaning radius | 350 to 1,000 sq. ft. | Up to 200 sq. feet | 150 - 200 sq.m. | 180 sq.m. | 90 - 150 sq.m. |
| Mopping modes | (1) Dry sweep (2) Wet mop | (1) Dry sweep (2) Damp mop (3) Wet mop | (1) Wet mop | (1) Wet mop (2) Vacuum + Dry mop | (1) Wet mop (2) Vacuum + Dry mop |
| HEPA filter |  | | |  | |
| Water Tank Capacity | N/A | 150 ml | .45L | 0.3L | 0.3L |
| Battery | 2,000 mAh NiMh | Li-Ion | 2,600 mAh Li-Ion battery | 2,600 mAh Li-Ion battery | 2,600 mAh Li-Ion battery |
| Charge time | 2 hrs. | 2 hrs. | appox. 300 mins | appox. 300 mins | appox. 300 mins |
| Warranty | 1 yr. | 1 yr. | 12-months / 45 day moneyback guarantee (read warranty details here) | 12-months / 45 day moneyback guarantee (read warranty details here) | 12-months / 45 day moneyback guarantee (read warranty details here) |
| Price |
Why do you need one?
The market for robotic vacuums is growing each year because of the increasing busyness of people.
A lot more families are dual-income which means both husband and wife have work. That means less time to do tedious chores such as mopping.
The increased disposable income means couples can afford luxuries like this. And the great news is spending more than $200 isn’t a requirement thanks to Chinese brands like ILIFE.
How to choose a robot mop?
You have a few options when it comes to choosing functionality.
In my opinion the best of the bunch is still the iRobot Braava that combines true back-and-forth mopping motion and efficient navigation. But these robots cost over $200 and don’t have any scheduling at all.
Another option would be the Scooba, another iRobot product. This is the only robot that deep cleans bare floors like tile using stiff bristles then sucks up excess water.
Unfortunately iRobot has discontinued the production of the Scooba. The ones you see for sale are mostly secondhand robots.
If you can get one that’s in good condition, you’ll have yourself a tool that will deep clean sealed flooring but it won’t come cheap.
The last option would be robot and mop hybrids that can vacuum and mop – sometimes at the same time! Some brands that offer this include Moneual Rydis, ILIFE, Jisiwei and Ainol to name a few.
Unlike the Braava, these vacuum and mop hybrids don’t have a true back-and-forth mopping motion.
These robots use the same pattern when vacuuming as it would mopping so these will not do well in terms of agitation. But if your goal is maintenance mopping these machines will do the job.
Our Pick: iRobot Braava 380t
The iRobot Braava 380t is our pick because of the 5 it has the truest mopping motion. With this machine, you can wet mop or dry mop but it does not have any vacuum functionality nor a dock. So you’ll have to pick this up after every mopping cycle.
Hands down the iRobot Braava will provide consumers with the truest mopping functionality out of the 5 robot mops in this list.
Unlike the hybrids I mentioned in the previous section, the Braava 380t does not have any vacuum functionality. This is a robot mop in the truest sense of the word.
Out of the box it comes with two brackets and cleaning cloths – for dry mopping/sweeping and wet mopping.
Press on the wet mopping mode and it will go in an efficient cleaning pattern (similar to a Neato) then go in the same short back and forth mopping motion. It is similar mopping action to what you would do using a hand mop.
Watch this video to see what I mean…
This robot uses the “NorthStar Navigation Cube” that acts as the eyes of the 380t to help it track its location, build a map of the area, avoid obstacles and cliff points like stairs as it encounters them.
iRobot recommends placing this cube in an elevated area like the countertop.
However all is not well with this mopping robot. It does not have a docking station where it goes back to after a cleaning cycle.
What it has is a charging cradle where you will have to physically pick up the robot and charge manually.
Another downside is the inability to schedule which means this isn’t totally hands-free. The area it can mop is limited because the mop is small. Multi-room mopping is not possible.
But if you only want wet or damp mopping, this is the best option.
The best way to use this soaking it with warm or hot water from the tap, wring out excess water then attach it to the wet mopping bracket and let it run in wet mop mode.
By doing this you don’t need to wait for the mop to get damp because you’ve soaked it already. Another tip would be spraying cleaning solution (iRobot sells this by the way) on the mop to take full advantage of the mopping motion that this brings to the table.
Bottom line:
This is the best true robot mop in the market right now bar none. It is efficient, gives you decent agitation with the mopping motion and does not cost as much as a Scooba. Remember that this machine does not have any vacuuming functionality so you may want to consider investing in one like a Roomba 980 or 960.
2: iRobot Braava Jet 240
The Braava Jet 240 is a cheaper version of the Braava 380T. This variant does not have any water tank so you’ll be using disposable wet or dry pads. It does have a sprayer up front that sprays water in front of the robot as it mops. Reusable pads are also available but at an additional cost.
Most of the robot mops I’ve tested in this blog use a built-in water tank system that rely on gravity for the water to reach the pad underneath.
This is where the Braava Jet 240 is unique. Instead of water slowly dripping down towards the mop underneath, it has a spray in front that automatically squirts water in front of the robot before it goes through its mopping motion.
It has three cleaning modes – a dry mop, damp mop and wet mopping mode.
In the dry mopping mode, the robot simply goes in a straight back and forth pattern.
Let me put it this way. Think of dry sweeping mode as like mopping the floor with a microfiber towel. Small particles of dirt like dust will stick on the towel and is effective for cleaning such.
Even stuff like hair will stick on the towel. The downside to this is it will not work cleaning a large area. It will only cover a small area up to 200 square feet.
When you switch over to damp mop mode, it goes in a similar back and forth pattern as it would in dry mop mode but it will spray water and vibrate providing some agitation.
In wet mopping mode, it sprays water, vibrate and go into the mopping motion. iRobot says that this mode provides the best agitation and will be able to clean relatively fresh coffee stains.
iRobot also designed it in such a way that you don’t need to press a separate button for every cleaning mode.
It only has a single button on top. Sensors underneath the robot will read the cut out on the mops and automatically choose the cleaning mode based on that.
Disposable mops you say, what if I want reusable pads?
Yes, this robot uses disposable pads and it can get pretty costly if you use this every single day.
The good news is you can buy blue reusable pads (these are washable by the way) for around $20 for a pack of two. Each of these will last for around 150 to 200 uses – much longer than the disposables.
iAdapt 2.0
Unlike the Braava 340t that uses a “Navigation Cube”, this robot does not need a separate device to help it navigate.
It comes built-in with the iAdapt 2.0 navigation algorithm which is similar the navigation of top-of-the-line robots like the Roomba 980.
This simply means efficient navigation without going over the same area twice. It does not have any docking station so wet its done mopping, you’ll need to pick it up and plug to recharge.
Bottom line:
The Braava Jet 240 is a newer and cheaper version of the Braava 340t that uses a spraying mechanism to spray water. It has a similar efficient cleaning pattern as the 340t but without the need for the navigation cube. It mainly uses disposable pads but reusable pads are also available for sale.
3: ILIFE V7S Pro
The ILIFE V7S Pro is a hybrid robot vacuum and mop. It has a similar random navigating pattern as an iRobot but unfortunately it retains that random pattern in mop mode. So in essence this robot will be dragging a damp mop across the room. Not an issue if you’re cleaning relatively clean floors but it isn’t very useful on dirty surfaces.
Over the past two years, one brand has been making waves in the robot vacuum market niche thanks to its polished and yet affordable products.
I’m talking about ILIFE and the V7S Pro is one of its best products to date.
It combines excellent vacuum functionality and mopping capabilities that make it a popular choice among consumers, particularly in Europe.
The V7S Pro has one of the largest mops and water tank capacities in the market today. Its water tank is capable of holding 450 milliliters of water which is enough to mop a large room without a refill.
Here’s the mop in action…
Like most robotic mops in the market, this robot also relies on gravity to transfer water from the tank to the mop which also is one of its biggest downsides.
Since it only relies on gravity, water will continue to drip down even after you turn off the robot. Leave it long enough, the mop will become soaking wet and leave a very big wet spot.
Another downside is that this robot simply drags the mop around and does not have the mopping motion that a Braava has so agitation suffers a little bit.
But that issue is solved with the newer version called the V7S Pro. It has an upgraded water tank equipped with a valve that regulates the flow of water.
This valve is shut when the robot is off so water will not drip. Air passes through the valve only when the robot is on.
This system in theory will allow you to leave the water tank inside the robot without creating a puddle of mess.
One technique I like to use is pre-soaking the microfiber mop with distilled water then spray it will cleaner and having less water inside the tank.
Bottom line:
The V7S (and subsequently the V7S Pro) has the biggest water tank of the bunch. This allows it to mop a larger area. It does not have the mopping motion that a Braava has but it makes up for it by going back to the dock by itself when it finishes mopping. The newer V7S Pro also gives you the option to schedule mopping – this is a feature I’ve yet to see in other robot mops.
4: ILIFE X5 and V5 Pro
The ILIFE X5 and V5S Pro are similar product in that these robots don’t have a motorized brush. This makes these robots very usable on bare floor. Like the ILIFE V7S Pro these robots are both vacuums and mops that use a random cleaning pattern.
While the V7S has both mopping and vacuuming functionality it can’t do these functions at the same time.
Just in case you need a robot that can do both simultaneously you need to check the ILIFE X5 and V5 Pro.
In terms of product design, both of these products function like the V7S. It uses a water tank that relies on gravity to slowly drip water down to the microfiber mop.
The biggest difference would be the size of the mop. Instead of covering a third of the robot, the mop on the X5 and V5 Pro covers barely half.
This design feature will allow consumers to use the robot as a mop and vacuum simultaneously but minus the water tank.
If you want to damp mop and vacuum at the same time, you’d have to soak the mop in water and cleaning solution before attaching it.
Here’s the mopping demo of the V5 Pro…
Bottom line:
The X5 and V5 Pro are capable of dry mopping and vacuuming at the same time. This is great for cleaning areas with a lot of dust such as areas under furniture. Both of these machines are the same except for some scheduling improvements found in the V5 Pro.
Conclusion
These 5 robotic mops are the best in the market in my opinion in terms of value and performance.
If you want a true robot mop then I suggest you go with either of the two iRobot Braavas featured. But if you aren’t willing to spend more than $200 then any of the ILIFE robots will do.
All of them will do a decent job mopping any sealed floor surface.
