Photo by Jens Mahnke

Originally Posted On: https://www.wisesmarthomes.com/best-robot-mop-for-tile-floors-in-2020/

 

I hate cleaning, yet as I told my wife if I get to play with a gadget like a robot mop, then I will get in and do some cleaning, especially if I can control it with my smartphone. So, I was told, and I got to work trying out numerous Robot Mops and asking around and here is what I found. Also, as out the place has several tiled floors, this was my focus to find the best robot mop for tiled floors.

Here is my best of list:

• Best for Tile Floors: Braava Jet 240
• Best for HardWood Floors: iRobot Braava 380T
• Best All-Rounder: iRobot Braava Jet M6
• Best Price for Quality: iLife Shinebot W400
• Best Vacuum and Mop Combo: Roborock S6 Mop combo
• Runners Up

There is an evolution in the world of cleaning, and not many people have noticed it. When you think about mopping, autonomous robots don’t usually come to mind, nor does a robotic one that not only gives you the best satisfaction but also cleans your house from all the dust and dirt. At the same time, you sit and watch TV or whatever you want. With the help of a robotic cleaner, you will get a deep clean on laminated and tiled floors.

There is a difference between robotic mops and vacuums. There are important dissimilarities between the two, and it centers around which one cleans the floors better — a vacuum just vacuums. Its bristles attached with the roller pin and the rotating knobs sweeps the dust and sucks it up. Then, how about a robot mop, well read on.

A Robot Mop

This robotic machine can clean with a wet rag or is capable of spraying water and then scrub the floor. So, the best benefit of a Robot Mop is that it gives a deeper cleaning.

Moreover, you must not expect this robot mop to clean your carpets, because it doesn’t work like that. It does its magic on the laminated and tiled floors. If you have a hardwood flooring, then you can go for the rag option, as the water applying part may cause damage to the wood.

Only Mopping

You will find some models that are suitable for only the mopping part, as they have a reservoir to hold the water for the cleaning and has the rag underneath it. After the mopping is done, you will see the water has been sucked off the floor. If you have only tiles, then this is a good option for your home, and this will be more beneficial if you do not have a carpet to clean. If you have both, then there are more advanced models which work on tiles and carpets.

Dual Mop and Vacuum

You will find some models that can either be a mop and vacuum, but they can’t do both at the same time. They are great at doing their jobs, yet they are still a compromise. Due to the dual purpose, at this time they suit a small home, with carpet and tiles. When switching between modes (Vacuuming and Mopping), the reservoir which contains the dirt should be cleaned, due to this manual process, it is not fully automated, and you need to take care of where tiles met carpet.

Why should you get a Robot Mop?

Everyone has a different cleaning routine, and when considering a robot mop, it is the time and energy saved that is the key to having one, yet remember that a robot mop will become dirty and need to be cleaned. Also, the robot mops will not clean the corners of the room and hard stains. Robot mops are great for tiled floors and even better for laminated ones. Most of all, you want to get one that can be controlled from your smartphone, then you can really feel like The Jetsons – if your my age you will know what futuristic cartoon that was.

Tips to Buying a Robot Mop

Before you go and purchase a robot mop from a shop or online, you need to know some essential things about it. This will make your purchase worthwhile.

Type of Floor

The first thing you need to know if the type/s of floor you want to clean, Is it a Tiled Floor, wooden, marble or laminated? This matters because the battery life of the robot mop will be different on the various floor types, just thing about resistance, as a tiled floor will take more energy to clean than a smooth laminated surface. Also, if you have all the three types of flooring, then you can get a dual vacuum and mop robot. In the case you have hardwood, you should consider a higher-end mop device, that is suited to this surface and will care for it better.

Size of the Floor

Robot mops have different reservoir sizes and battery life, so you need to determine how large the floor size you will want to clean is. Don’t have a measuring tape, then just step it out as you just need a rough estimate, so you know is it 800 or 2000 or more?

The Robot Mop Control

This will depend on the version and the model you will be using. Some robot mops do not work with a smartphone, so you need to consider this. My wife and I enjoy having control via our smartphones, and yes, I will get in and clean if I get to play with a gadget. You will find some versions which work on voice command, yet I prefer using a smartphone as you can be in the other room watching TV.

The Efficiency of the Mopping Rag

The rag or cloth used in the robot mop is a core aspect of how well it will be able to do its job and should be at the top of your list to check before making a purchase. The microfiber ones are the best and have maximum contact with the floor, and a tiny amount of water is used. Most importantly it’s very gentle and won’t leave the tiniest scratch or damage on the vinyl or hardwood floors. Check the size of the mop, as it will make a difference of how much it can cover. As an example, the iLIFE V5s Pro Robot Vacuum Mop Cleaner has a large cleaning pad, and with a powerful battery ( up to 120 minutes), that will clean large areas, and the floor will be mopped very fast. Lastly, the robot mop has to be durable, as the replacement and parts are very expensive, you must look for a sturdy option. You can go for the replacement pad of ECOVACS and Braava series. This will cost around $20, and it’s very durable at this price. The best machines you can get at this price is bObsweep, iRobot, ECOVACS.

Tank Capacity of the robot mop

If your home or office requires frequent wet mopping, then, you must go for large tank capacity. This will reduce the need to refill the tank continually. For this, you can use V7s Pro or V5s Pro. These work better on the wooden planks, and the amount of water to be dispensed is good.

The Design

Consider the design of the robot mop, as it will need to fit under the furniture or other objects it encounters. The high-quality vacuums are normally designed well as to clean dirt and dust under the fitting, beds, sofas, and kickstands. The best thing about robot mop is they are designed to creep under those places and clean. You can find good cleaners such as Braava jet 240, and this will work in high traffic rooms. While the other hand, V5s will get stuck on occasion.

Replacement parts of robot mop

When you purchase a robot mop, you have to keep in mind that, these require frequent part replacement, unlike the vacuum cleaners which just needs the filter changed. For this reason, it is best to buy a branded robot mop that has parts with it. Don’t get fooled by the low priced mops, which can have poor replacement parts. Consider brands such as iLIFE, ECOVACS, and iRobot.

Best features

You should look for a robot mop with all the smart features with it, such as app controls, WiFi connectivity, and so one. If you are looking for a voice control mop, you can get that too, but that will cost a bit more. You can search for Alexa. Google and other automation platforms if you use them. The best thing about this that the robot mops and vacuum with smart facilities are a lot cheaper these days.

The Best Robot Mops

Nowadays, if you read the reviews and the capability of robot mops, you will notice iRobot is leading. If you are looking for an affordable option, then you can buy Braava series, which is gaining popularity. iRobot Braava is an excellent mop, and they have a 2 in one combo, which is generally really good.

Best for Tile Floors: Braava Jet 240

This one is for the people who are looking for deeper cleaning, and this is why Braava Jet 240 is one of the best in the market. The features of it are, features:

• Has three-mode floor cleaning technology
• Perfect for cleaning the grouted tiles
• Is compatible with iHome application
• Very good price

You can always give this one a chance for the floor cleaning of your home, and you will never be disappointed.

Best for HardWoods Floors: iRobot Braava 380T

If your home has a large space that has floors made of hardwood, laminate or tile, you will not get a better option than Braava 380T. This consists of 2 modes, one for damp cloth mop, and the other is dry mopping. This machine is also good for covering 1000 square feet, and it has a slim feature and is highly compatible with Swiffer brand dry and wet rags. If you are looking for a good maintenance cleaner for the floors, this one is good for cleaning wet and dry modes both. It doesn’t qualify for vacuum; it has a silent running system, along with smart features, will make the buy worthwhile.

Best All-Rounder: iRobot Braava Jet M6

If you love to use Google assistance or Alexa, you will be happy to know that iRobot Braava Jet M6 is the best one that is compatible with both assistances. This little cleaner can be attached to Roomba vacuums to improve efficiency. The vacuum will give the best shine to the floor, and the mop will clean very well. Moreover, it is not dual combination as it works with dry and wet slip-on pads, and you can dry the floor before mopping. Also, this Braava jet M6 is capable of cleaning 1000 square feet, meaning you won’t have to recharge for most areas of a house. This also has a virtual wall feature, which marks the carpets and walls, which I love about it. Has better precision in the water spraying, which makes it one of the best robot mops.

Best Price for Quality: iLife Shinebot W400

This robot mop cleans well and is cheaper than the Braava series. It has four modes for cleaning, as it can spray, scrub, and dry the floors while other machines just wipe the area with a wet rag. Also, it is capable of pre-wetting the surface, and then it scrubs the floor with its microfiber bristles and helps clean dirt that is stuck on the floor. This machine has the feature of separating the clean and dirty water to cease the contamination. The downside of this robot mop it has an area less than 1000 square feet and is huge. So, if you have a smaller place and low height furniture, this one is not perfect for you.

Best Vacuum and Mop combo: Roborock S6 Mop combo

This robotic mop can be enabled with both Alexa and Google’s assistant, and wit a powerful vacuum for dirt and dust. This can be used as the best alternative to robot vacuums in the market. It has a long battery life and can cover large areas in the house or office space. However, if you purchase Roborock S6 you will require to empty its dustbin because you have to think of the space and the water reservoir. This machine is tall on the side, and will not fit under the low height furniture, but it has the dual cleaning feature, which is worth the slight tall size.

Runners Up

Roborock S5

You already know about Roborock S6, this one is from Xiaomi and is a better option for the dual function of mop and vacuum. You will get better features with this machine, as it consists of, long-lasting battery, LED indicator, and a floating brush roll. Other than this, it has the feature of the dock and charges when the battery dies down. These make this robot mop a better option. The features of it are:
– Long-lasting battery
– Real-time mapping and smart routing
– Application for smartphone
– Compatible with Alexa voice control
– A slim and safe docking facility
– Onboard controls and buttons.There are two drawbacks of Roborock S5 is that it’s a bit tall on the side just like the S6, and it can’t go underneath the furniture. Another one is multi-level mapping is unavailable with this. It does not have the capacity of remembering more than one floor at the same time.

iLife V8s

This robot mop will not connect with your smartphone or any other device, but it has some good cleaning modes. This one is mid-range and does basic cleaning of the floor. It will give you more than average cleaning and has a low profile for cleaning under the furniture. This small robot mop is perfect for the basic dual function. Also, the price will not go over the head.

Bobsweep Robotic mop

This one is the earliest robotic mop company, and this very machine not that perfect in the mopping or vacuuming but does its job. Also, the price is affordable.

iLIFE V5S

The runner up to the best option if you have a hardwood floor.
This one is a dual robotic mop and has features such as:
– You will get auto-scheduling and programmable features
– It comes with an attached water tank
– Comes with an affordable price
The robot mop automatically goes to the docking station when the battery is low and requires recharging.The downside of iLife VFS are, it doesn’t have a full wet mop feature, and it’s not suitable for tiles as well. You can have it for light cleaning, although the vacuum is nice, you will not get a smart navigation system with it. If you have less space and more clutters in your house, then the machine will get stuck.

Conclusion

Consider what you need to clean and the best to do the job, listed above. Robot mops are still in development with more features coming, always look to the new models for the best in cleaning laminate and tile floors. Also, purchase a robot mop from a well-known brand; it will be worth it in the long run.