@Marie_Ciolfi) Updated 21/10/21 at 11:00 a.m. Share:
Floor mopping robots, also called mopping robots, complement the work of a vacuum cleaner by washing hard floors. Capable of removing small encrusted dust, these devices navigate within the home independently. While some consider these products to be mere gimmicks, robot mops offer similar performance to robot vacuums and some do the job with flying colors.
In household appliances, when we talk about floor maintenance, we think more often of stick vacuum cleaners, robots, sleds than of floor cleaning robots or robot mops. Yet they are an increasingly credible cleaning solution. If the market is still in its infancy, we see more and more players embarking on this field by offering quite varied models. Some are round, others are square, still others prefer the use of a roller to rub the floor with vibrating wipes, when, finally, some diffuse the soapy water by projection and not by capillarity.
If the washing system may vary from one model to another, the navigation system may also differ. Some robots are equipped with a laser rangefinder or a camera and orient themselves in space by carrying out a cartography. Others are only equipped with sensors to try to locate themselves in their environment. In fact, they navigate the room differently: some cover the surfaces methodically (in a zigzag fashion), while others, less pragmatic, can go back to the same place several times and empty their water tank on surfaces that have already been cleaned.
While most of the robots in our comparison are autonomous and return to their base spontaneously, some require special attention and manipulation to exit and return to their base. The connectivity of the device is also not a must. Some models prefer the remote control to the control app, it depends. Still unable to go down or up the stairs or to tackle the cleaning of furniture or baseboards, these products necessarily come to coexist with another floor cleaning solution.
iRobot, Hobot, Ecovacs, Amibot… all these brands offer mop robots at different prices. From entry-level to high-end, prices vary between €300 and €900. In order to help you make the best choice in your act of purchase, we offer you this comparison which lists many models.
Floor mopping robots, also called mopping robots, complement the work of a vacuum cleaner by washing hard floors. Capable of removing small encrusted dust, these devices navigate within the home independently. While some consider these products to be mere gimmicks, robot mops offer similar performance to robot vacuums and some do the job with flying colors.
In household appliances, when we talk about floor maintenance, we think more often of stick vacuum cleaners, robots, sleds than of floor cleaning robots or robot mops. Yet they are an increasingly credible cleaning solution. If the market is still in its infancy, we see more and more players embarking on this field by offering quite varied models. Some are round, others are square, still others prefer the use of a roller to rub the floor with vibrating wipes, when, finally, some diffuse the soapy water by projection and not by capillarity.
If the washing system may vary from one model to another, the navigation system may also differ. Some robots are equipped with a laser rangefinder or a camera and orient themselves in space by carrying out a cartography. Others are only equipped with sensors to try to locate themselves in their environment. In fact, they navigate the room differently: some cover the surfaces methodically (in a zigzag fashion), while others, less pragmatic, can go back to the same place several times and empty their water tank on surfaces that have already been cleaned.
While most of the robots in our comparison are autonomous and return to their base spontaneously, some require special attention and manipulation to exit and return to their base. The connectivity of the device is also not a must. Some models prefer the remote control to the control app, it depends. Still unable to go down or up the stairs or to tackle the cleaning of furniture or baseboards, these products necessarily come to coexist with another floor cleaning solution.
iRobot, Hobot, Ecovacs, Amibot… all these brands offer mop robots at different prices. From entry-level to high-end, prices vary between €300 and €900. In order to help you make the best choice in your act of purchase, we offer you this comparison which lists many models.
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What are the best floor mopping robots?
Let yourself be guided by our experts
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What are the different navigation systems of a floor mopping robot?
The navigation system differs depending on the sophistication of the robot mop. Some carry laser rangefinders; others incorporate cameras and still others prefer to rely on an armada of sensors. But on several occasions in the lab, we found that this configuration was not always effective. Rangefinders have a better reputation than cameras because they provide more accurate mapping and help robots handle obstacles well. In addition, laser rangefinders allow him to find his way around the house better when he is in the dark. It is the navigation system that defines the navigation in the room. While some so-called blind (and therefore entry-level) robots move randomly, more expensive models (with rangefinder or camera) provide methodical cleaning.
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What are the different mopping systems of a floor mopping robot?
Within the comparison, we saw three different washing systems. iRobot's Braava Jets sport fixed wipes that wipe the floor. At Hobot, we have seen that the wipes can vibrate up to 600 movements per minute to best remove the dirt embedded in the floor and polish the floors. Finally, at Amibot, it is a roller which rotates at high speed which acts as a brush.
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What type of floor can a floor mopping robot mop?
The floor mopping robot is intended for hard floors, of course! Parquet, tiles, linoleum, stone, waxed concrete resin, all these surfaces can be cleaned by robot-scrubbers. Most robots adapt their washing system according to the floor covering: they brush harder on tiles and waxed concrete than on parquet, for example.
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What is the autonomy of a floor mopping robot?
The autonomy of a robot mop varies between 1 h 30 min and 2 h. Most devices are smart in that once their battery runs out, they spontaneously return to their station to recharge their battery before resuming the cleaning session where it left off.
