There are many robotic vacuum cleaners on the market, including several that are well rated, but I wanted to try one from the best-known maker, so I bought an iRobot Roomba Combo j5+ Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum & Mop from Target that retails for $360. This device not only vacuums but mops as well. There are other models that only vacuum.
Related Articles
Magid: Tuesday is Safer Internet Day. We can all do our part
Magid: Testing DeepSeek, the Chinese generative AI app
Magid: Testing prescription, over-the-counter continuous glucose monitors
Magid: ChefMaker makes me a better cook but not a ‘chef’
Magid: Smart ring tracks health, fitness data with long battery life
The robot did a pretty good job at vacuuming and mopping. Like many of the mid- to higher-end Roomba models, it came with a docking station that sucks out all of the debris it vacuums up so you don’t have to empty its small bin after every job or two. It instead empties the trash into a disposable bag, which, says iRobot, typically holds about two months worth of debris.
Although the Combo j5+ was able to mop, you have to swap out the dust bin with the Combo bin and manually empty the liquid from the bin. And if you have carpets, you need to set up “no mop zones” to avoid getting them wet. I wanted to try a robotic cleaner that did that automatically, so I contacted iRobot. They sent me their “flagship” Roomba Combo 10 Max robot + AutoWash dock vacuum and mopping system. At $1,199.99 (discounted from $1,399), it is nearly 10 times the price of the least expensive iRobot Roomba Vac Robot Vacuum (Q0120), which is currently available on Amazon for $129. And there are plenty of other options at nearly every price point in between.
Although the 10 Max is more powerful and more automated than the less expensive j5+, j7+ and j9+, they have much in common, starting with a smartphone app that you use to send the robot on its first mapping excursion. It travels to every room it can access without opening doors or climbing stairs to make a map of your environment. To my delight, it did a pretty good job with that map, even going so far as to identify rooms based, I assume, on what its cameras saw. It figured out which room was the kitchen, the dining room, a bedroom and even my home office without me having to tell it. You can later adjust the map if it gets it wrong.
The 10 Max uses the same app as the j5+. Because I had used an earlier Roomba, it offered to let me use the map that I had already created. But, since the 10 Max has more sophisticated sensors, I decided to let it create its own map. After running around for about an hour, it was ready to vacuum and mop.
What I liked about the 10 Max is that it knows the difference between a hard surface and a carpet . It automatically retracts its mopping pad when it encounters a rug. The less expensive j7+ and j9+ also have that feature The j5+ requires you to define “no mop zones.” The app lets you choose between whether to vacuum, mop or do both. Because we have a 13-month-old grandchild who likes to crawl around our floors, I frequently have to vacuum and mop. It automatically switches between the two modes. It vacuums an area and then extends its mop to wet-mop the area and moves on to vacuum and mop until it reaches a rug or carpet when it retracts the mop and just vacuums.
When it’s done with a job, it returns to its base where we hear a loud sound as it extracts the debris from the dirt bin into a disposable bag and then a quieter sound as it washes the mopping pad and refills the robot’s water tank from the base’s larger water storage tank. Sometimes it tells us to fill up the water tank or empty the dirty water tank.
Its app has what it calls a DirtDetect that uses sensors to identify dirtier spots on the floor and then automatically increases cleaning effort in those areas until it detects less dirt in that area.
There are some drawbacks to the robots I tested. Sometimes they need a bit of human help, such as when they get stuck behind an object or when its rollers pick up something that jams them, requiring you to clear the jam by hand. There were also a couple of times when I had to manually empty the dirt bin, but most of the time, it does it automatically. And there were times when it didn’t get 100% of the debris off the floor, requiring either another run or a human and a non-robotic vacuum cleaner. Over time, however, it does seem to be getting smarter and is missing fewer spots now than when I first started using it a couple of weeks ago.
Although it can get around objects, dog poop and wires, I still have to take large items off the floor if I want it to fully clean the area, and I’ve had to make small adjustments to its map via the app. If the robot does encounter a problem, the app will tell you how to fix it. If that isn’t enough, the company has very good phone support seven days a week. I called them a few times, and they were always very helpful.
We have a two-story house, so I brought it upstairs to map that area and carry it up the stairs to clean those rooms. It has edge detection to avoid falling down the stairs. If you’re interested in reviews of all types of vacuums, including robotic ones, Vacuum Wars website has lots of reviews and information and videos. They liked the j5+, j7+ and j9+ and other Roomba models, but were disappointed by the 10 Max.
Although the 10 Max has interesting technology and is highly automated, I suspect most users would be better served by spending less money on a well-reviewed unit that’s not quite ambitious, but a better value for the money like the iRobot j5, j7 or j9 series, or shop around for competing models from Eufy, Roborock, Dreme, Shark, Dyson and other companies. Or you could apply human rather than artificial intelligence and use a regular old vacuum cleaner and mop.
Related Articles
PG&E profits hop higher for full year but droop in final three months
This alien-like field of mirrors in the California desert was once the future of solar energy. It’s closing after just 11 years
Chevron plans to lay off 20% of workers in cost-cutting push
Apple brings TV+ to Android phones in bid to boost subscribers
Judge clears way for Trump’s workforce reduction plans
Larry Magid is a tech journalist and internet safety activist. Contact him at larry@larrymagid.com.
