iRobot Vacuum and Mop Combo Review

iRobot's new Combo J7+ is the company's first mop and vacuum robot. It's akin to the Roomba and comes with similar rug-smashing capabilities, however the mop's self-filling feature makes it compatible with more cleaning solutions.

If you ask it to mop using the iRobot Home voice assistant or app, a tiny robot arm will emerge from the base. The robot only deploys mop arms when it senses a hard surface. They do not drag over carpets and rugs.

Features

A robot vacuum and mop combination is a handy tool to keep floors clean without the need for the use of a broom or a Swiffer. It is able to remove the sticky mess and keep grime at bay. This means you do not have to worry about mess building up in areas that are prone to traffic such as mudrooms or kitchens. It also does a better job of cleaning hard floors than vacuums alone and it does so in a way that is automatic.

The majority of Irobot vacuum and mop combos are designed to be used on hard flooring and carpet, making them a good choice if you have a variety of flooring types in your home. The most effective models come with features that let you determine how often and how powerfully the robot cleans. Some models also have automatic emptying and can be controlled with voice control.

The j7 Combo+ is one of iRobot's most popular robot mop and vacuum combo. It can be converted into fully-featured robot cleaner simply by pressing only one button. Its advanced features include the same advanced obstacle avoidance technology as the j7 and new onboard acoustic sensors to aid in determining the type of floor. When in mop mode, the mop will only be activated when it senses hard flooring such as tile or wood and never over area rugs or carpeting. I tried several times to trick the j7 Combo+ into deploying over the rug however it always backed up and went back to where it had left off.

It's not as fast at picking up fine particles of dust that a vacuum may miss, but it's perfect for getting rid of dried milk stains. It comes with mopping pads that are easy to refill.

The j7 Combo+ is cheaper than other robot mop and vacuum combos, but it's still expensive for a basic appliance. It's limited in battery capacity and life, so it must return to the dock to recharge between cleaning sessions. You'll also need to manually move the machine to a new room for each cleaning session. Its small size and lacks an option to schedule it means that it can only clean 200 square feet.

Design

irobot has developed an app for its robots that lets you plan and track cleaning tasks and also create "clean zones" or "keep out zones." The robots can be controlled through the app or via voice activation using the smart speaker you prefer. Many robots have multiple power modes and some can even detect obstacles for navigation.

Unlike some mop and vacuum combinations that are unable to handle both tasks well, the Combo j9+ does an excellent job at both, picking up embedded crumbs, fur, and dirt. It also utilizes SmartScrub to scrub the floor with consistent pressure for deeper scrubbing of stubborn dirt such as grime and coffee. Dirt Detective, an application that learns from past cleaning efforts and prioritizes rooms with more dirt to make sure they are cleaned thoroughly.

The Combo j7+ comes with a mopping system which lifts the pad once it hits carpet or area rugs. This helps to avoid getting the rug wet and facilitates faster cleaning. It is the first robot combination that is capable of both vacuuming and mopping all kinds of flooring, making it an excellent option for those with a mixture of hard and soft floors.

The Combo J7+ appears similar to the standard Roomba j7 robot vacuum with a sleek black plastic body and a brushed aluminum top piece with a circular design bearing the latest irobot roomba logo. Its water reservoir is located at the back, while the mop pad is tacked to the bottom of the unit. The app shows you when the tank requires to be filled or empty.

The Combo J9+ is compatible with your WiFi network at home. It also has sensors onboard for navigation and obstacles to avoid. It collects usage information like how often the Combo j9+ moves around your home, and also mapping and image data. However it doesn't sell or share this information with third-party companies without consent. On its website, the company's Privacy Principles can be found.

Cleaning Performance

A good robot vacuum and mop combination can save you a lot of time, and keep your floors in a relatively clean state most of the time. It is still essential to use a mop in order to get rid of tough stains and dirty areas however it's less frequent than using a vacuum and a bucket of water and a brush. It's an excellent solution for areas with high traffic or that are particularly filthy, such as bathrooms, kitchens and mudrooms.

If you require superior cleaning capabilities look into a dedicated mopping robot. They typically make use of a microfiber pad with a reservoir of water filled with clean water and a scrub-like motion to remove dirt and dirt, making your floors look cleaner than a standard vacuum. Some of them models, like our top model, Braava Jet M6, even sprays detergent onto the pad to give it a more thorough clean.

The main drawback of a robot that just mops is that it cannot do anything about carpets or area rugs. If a robot encounters these surfaces in vacuum and mop modes, it will lower its pad to avoid getting the surface wet. Unfortunately, this also means that it isn't able to navigate around them unless you set up specific 'clean zones' and zones to keep out of the app.

Combination robots are more efficient at this, especially our top pick one, the iRobot Braava J7+ Combo. It's akin to a standard j7 however, it has a wet mop built in that it uses when it detects floors that are hard. It's a little more aggressive than other combo robots at crossing thresholds and rugs but it still backs up when it comes across them, rather than trying to mop over them.

If you're really looking to go hands-off with your cleaning, you'll need an automated vacuum that can understand the layout of your floors and move between rooms without assistance (our upgrade pick is the iRobot Braava Jet m6) or a model that incorporates a lidar navigation system (like the Roborock S5 Max). It is possible to create a clean zone and a 'keep out zone' in the app so that it knows where your furniture is.

Cost

A robot vacuum that is also a mop can do a great job of cleaning your floors. However, it's more expensive than a standalone vacuum cleaner or a dedicated mop robot. The cost depends on whether you want an expensive model that comes with mapping technology, which allows it to learn your home's layout and then clean the space without running out of battery power. This feature is essential when you have rugs or carpets in your home and the more recent Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni or Roborock S8 Pro Ultra are the best models with this capability.

Another thing to take into consideration is the size of your floors as well as the amount of rooms you'll need to vacuum and mop. Smaller rooms will require a more compact robot, robotvacuummops but you may be able to get by with a less expensive robot that just mops or vacuums but doesn't have the two capabilities. For example the iRobot Combo j7+ is an upgrade choice that comes with a mop machine with its highest-rated Roomba vacuum, and costs a fraction of the price of a standalone mop like the Braava Jet M6.

The Combo j7 Plus also includes iRobot's Clean Station, which auto-empties the dirty mop water from the cleaning tank when it's full. The base isn't included in the standard model of the j7 and has to be purchased separately. This is one reason why the combo robot costs $1,099 since it's not included in the standard model.

The J7+ is a sleek modern-looking hybrid vacuum and mop. It's almost identical to Roomba's i7 vacuum. It does, however, not have the features other mop-only robots have. It doesn't have the same powerful suction of 8,300Pa like irobot roomba combo vacuums. It does not have the automatic mop pad washing feature, which is becoming more commonplace in premium mop robots. You can purchase an add-on that washes your mop pad when not in use. This will keep the pads from drying and becoming messy. Apart from that, the J7+ is a great value and is among the best robots to clean your floors.