14 Smart Ways To Spend Left-Over Best Self-Emptying Vacuum Budget
Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuums and Mops
The Eufy 11S robotic vacuum is one of the most affordable self-emptying vacuums available on the market. It was able to efficiently remove dry oats from hard floors and carpets with a low pile during our tests. Its dustbin is easy to empty and open -- easier than those of other models in its price range.
It is charged at its base and then it resumes cleaning when it's done. Its obstacle-avoidance technology is caught in cords and socks and it is unable to reach thresholds that are low.
1. iRobot 11S
The 11S is one of the most affordable self-emptying robots, and a lot of people seem to like it. It is great at getting under furniture and is a good choice for those who have hard floors or for daily cleaning. Its suction might be a bit weaker than the suction of our top picks, but it gets the job accomplished. It comes with a huge dust bin as well as a long-lasting battery. The app allows you to schedule your daily cleaning or select a particular room. You can also create a map of your home to allow the device to stay clear of areas you don't want it to visit.
The app is easy to use and has an intuitive layout. It doesn't have any advanced features, but it's simple enough to use and makes it easy to keep track of the progress of your robot. It also includes an excellent tutorial that will help you understand the basics.
Its cleaning patterns don't always look logical - sometimes it follows straight lines, and other times it focuses on the edges of a room - however, Bounce Navigation ensures your entire floor is kept clean. It's not the best at negotiating obstacles, though - it struggled to get underneath our piano pedals and pet food bowls, and got stuck in our 2.25-inch shag rug multiple times.
While Read the Full Guide 's a great option for light cleaning however, we believe there are better robot vacuums than the 11S. The iRobot Roomba 694 is more robust and is easier to maintain. It also incurs lower recurring costs and is less time-consuming to charge. It also has a larger dustbin and is more effective on all surface types and can also overcome low-lying obstructions (like electrical cords) more easily.
The RoboVac 11S is an excellent choice for regular vacuuming. It has a very similar design to our top choice and is excellent in removing smaller and fine dust from hard flooring. It also does a decent job on medium- and low-pile carpet. It comes with a large dirt bin and uses BoostIQ for automatic suction power adjustment. It comes with a user-friendly remote control, and you can organize daily cleanings with the app. The battery lasts for around an hour and the dustbin can be easily empty by removing it from its dock.
2. Roborock S7 maxV Ultra
The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra is an excellent robot vacuum and mop, with a surprisingly wide array of automation features. It comes in three options, the basic S7, the S7 MaxV Plus, and the S7 MaxV Ultra. The S7 MaxV Ultra is the only model with an Empty Wash Fillet Dock (or an alternative Auto-Empty Dock). These docks let the robot return to its base after cleaning and empty the debris it has collected into a dust collection bag or reservoir, empty the dirty water tank and clean its mopping pad.
The S7's sensors work together to stay clear of obstacles and clean the floors. It can identify the types of floors and save a map for rooms and zones. It can even determine dirt levels. It's also capable of scheduling and executing spot cleaning sessions. It did well in the standard tests, but couldn't match the iRobot Roomba j7+ for the carpet deep cleaning test.
Using the companion app, you can program the S7 to run a cleansing cycle according to your schedule. You can specify a time day, week, or even a day as well as choose from a variety of cleaning options, such as eco, automatic, and deep clean. You can also select whether the robot should stop if it is running out of energy or encounters an obstacle.
If you don't have a smartphone but you can still use the S7 by connecting a remote to the charging dock. The controls are difficult initially, but they work well once you've mastered them. The power button acts as a 'Cleaning' button, and the Spot Clean button directs the robot to clean up an area around itself. The "Spot Clean" button also triggers the child lock.
Roborock's mobile app has been improved to include a live-view function that lets you see what the S7 does at home. You can enable this by pressing a particular sequence of buttons on the S7 and creating an unlock pattern in the app to use any time you wish to check out what the robot is up to.
3. Shark IQ SX
Shark's robot vacuums aren't as a hit as those from iRobot or Roborock. However, our hands-on tests have shown that Shark's model is among the most efficient self-emptying vacuums that are available. It's simple to set up, comes with a huge bin that is easy to empty (albeit a bit loudly) into a trash bin when full and can be programmed to complete a whole-home clean on a regular basis or when required.
The IQ XL is able to connect to your WiFi at home which allows you to keep track of its cleaning progress from the Shark app. The app lets you create a cleaning schedule, receive push notifications about its status it is in, and the ability to pause and resume cleaning, or set it to only one room. You can also control it via voice commands via Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The app will show the user which the current power mode is which is Eco Normal, Normal, or Maximum - however, we discovered that none of these modes made any significant difference in cleaning performance.
After it has completed cleaning after which the IQ XL automatically empties the dustbin into its base, which then automatically emptys itself. The bin can hold up to 60 days of debris It won't require emptying more often than that unless you have many pets with long hair. If you must empty it, all you have to do is untie the side bin, hold it up to a trash can and press a button that will let you eject the contents.
There's nothing to dislike about the Shark IQ XL, although it does feel slightly less robust than the Roomba 694. It is able to remove many messes on bare floors and does a decent job of maneuvering itself however it's not close to matching the iRobot Roomba i7 in regards to performance on carpeted floors. The i7 is also more robust and feels more durable. It is robust, has lower maintenance requirements, is able to charge lower costs for recurring expenses, charges faster, while offering similar battery performance, and offers far more advanced automation features like no-go zones and the capability to select certain rooms to be cleaned.
4. iRobot J7+
This robot vac/mop combo is a rare find, as it does both jobs extremely efficiently. The iRobot Combo j7+ has all the features of its j7 counterpart, including self-emptying and LiDAR mapping, however, it also comes with additional features for both mopping and vacuuming.
The new acoustic sensors help the j7+ recognize floor types, so it can decide between vacuuming and mopping on the first pass through the room. This information is also used to prioritize cleaning rooms with carpets or rugs versus those with hard flooring.
As with most robotic vacuums the j7+ is relatively quiet while it's running. It's even less noisy when it's mopping. The maximum reading on our decibel meter was 64db, which is similar to the noise of general office chatter.
It is easy to set up an cleaning schedule and then change the way that dust is cleaned when the canister gets full. The j7+ can be controlled by voice assistants such as Alexa, Google Assistant and others. The app lets you create and view maps from your home.
The j7+ performed admirably in our tests on carpeted and hard floors, removing all the dirt we threw at it. It isn't the best at dealing with pet hair and large debris such as sand, however it can remove these items with a little more effort. It has excellent navigational capabilities and two cliff sensors to prevent it from falling down the stairs or getting caught on furniture legs.
The J7+ has some small flaws, namely that it can get stuck on cords or rugs and it doesn't always turn off the mopping feature when it is done vacuuming. Overall, this is an excellent model that checks all the right boxes.
The j7+ from iRobot also comes with one of the top self-emptying systems we've tested. It drops its 14oz/0.4-liter dust container into the base station, and it automatically empties for you. This reduces the amount of garbage you need to dispose of and you'll need to replace the reusable dust disposal bag from the dock about every 60 days or so, depending on how often you use the j7+.