How Roomba’s $1,000 robot vacuum handled my house of children and pets

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Roomba Combo j9+ is a $1,400 two-in-one robotic vacuum and mop that makes use of a retractable mop head. It is $400 off on the time of writing.
• Its greatest improve comes with the Clear Base, which may now mechanically refill the water tank.
• The mopping characteristic is simply satisfactory when tasked with large messes, particularly in comparison with rivals with twin oscillating mop heads.

The Roomba Combo j9+ has made its method into my rotation of robot vacuums — and let me let you know, I am very impressed. It is glossy and has a contemporary appear and feel, and iRobot went out of its approach to repair the shortcomings of the earlier Combo j7+. Essentially the most notable characteristic is the Clear Base’s Auto-Fill Dock, that means the robotic can merely return to the docking station every time it must refill its clear water tank.

Additionally: The best robot vacuum mops you can buy

The Combo j9+ is supposed to be iRobot’s best robotic but, using iRobotOS to map your property seven occasions quicker than earlier than. The robotic can mechanically label your map with as much as 90% accuracy, preserve its P.O.O.P. (Pet Proprietor Official Promise) assure, and accomplish that way more. I cherished my Roomba j7+ final yr, however was left wishing for extra with the Combo j7+. I now really feel as if the 2 worlds have collided efficiently with the Combo j9+.

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Straight out of the field

I like the high-end appear and feel of the Roomba Combo j9+. The robotic blends in fantastically with my furnishings and is not a machine that I’d tuck away in my laundry room or workplace so visitors do not see it. It’s bulkier than its predecessor, however that is as a result of this mannequin has a sturdier, refillable water tank, a drawer that holds the detachable mud bin, and storage on the within to maintain further mop pads. The trade-off is properly price it.

The robotic has a comparatively easy setup course of. You may have to discover a appropriate place towards a wall close to an outlet, get the Clear Base plugged in, and align the robotic with the charging port. Pair the gadget with the iRobot companion app and also you’re all set.

Additionally: The best robot vacuums, mops, and mowers from CES 2024

Subsequent, the mapping run. With the app updated, it took only a few minutes for the robotic to determine my dwelling’s structure. The robotic caught to the partitions and edges of the furnishings, used AI to attempt to predict the place the rooms had been divided, after which labeled them accordingly. I solely have to make a couple of tweaks to the mapping, so it was usually dependable. In case you already personal an iRobot gadget and you’ve got created a map of your property, you may switch the map from one gadget to a different within the iRobot app.

How does the Combo j9+ carry out?

After I first examined the robotic, I made a decision to run it simply hours earlier than internet hosting my household for Thanksgiving, as a result of who would not dwell life on the sting? One factor I instantly observed was how for much longer the robotic took to scrub my dwelling than my earlier j7+ mannequin. That is not essentially a nasty factor.

The Combo j9+ cleans in smaller, shorter passes versus the longer passes of the j7+. In methods, this lets the robotic clear at a finer tempo. To provide you an thought of how for much longer it took, the j7+ can clear my front room in 14 minutes whereas the Combo j9+ takes half-hour. This is not an enormous deal if you’re simply cleansing a room or two, however it positively made a distinction once I was cleansing my total dwelling. 

Additionally: The best robot vacuums: Expert tested

The largest distinction and most notable enhancements include the Clear Base. The Roomba Combo j9+ can now mechanically refill its clear water tank, fixing my greatest gripe with its predecessor. I not need to babysit the machine; the Combo j9+ is that self-sufficient. The water tank itself feels sturdy and holds a substantial quantity of cleansing answer earlier than it must be refilled.

The Clear Base additionally permits the Roomba j9+ to self-empty as wanted, storing the grime and particles within the disposable bag for about 60 days. Your mileage will range with this characteristic; my dwelling with pets and youngsters will definitely be dirtier than somebody’s dwelling of two. 

Simply as spectacular is how quiet the Combo j9+ self-empties. It’s noticeably quieter than any of the earlier Roomba models; I can run the Combo j9+ whereas my toddler sleeps, with out worrying that the suction from the auto-emptying will wake him up. I am unable to emphasize sufficient how a lot I like this characteristic. I can reset my principal dwelling areas within the night whereas getting my vacuuming and mopping finished. It is a very enticing characteristic and essential for folks with little ones.

Vacuuming efficiency

For what it is price, vacuuming has by no means been a problem for the Roombas I’ve examined. My house is continuously plagued by grime, particles, pet hair, meals crumbs, and extra, and I have been impressed time and time once more with the suction functionality of those robotic vacuums. Pet hair is cleaned up effectively, my rugs and carpets have fairly vacuuming traces, and the area below my eating room desk stays crumb-free. 

Additionally: This one feature could revolutionize the way robot vacuums and mops work

With the Combo j9+, you may select to have the robotic vacuum or each vacuum and mop. In case you ship the j9+ to a room with simply carpet, it by some means is aware of that will probably be performing a vacuum-only job. Plus, impediment avoidance is pretty dependable. My cords, pet toys, stray footwear, and the whole lot in between are at all times left untouched.

Mopping efficiency

The Clear Base liquid container is provided to deal with iRobot’s approved liquid cleaning solution, so that’s the solely liquid I put within the refillable container. I choose this over simply utilizing water as a result of my flooring require one thing a bit of extra highly effective.

Whereas the Combo j9+ will not put your native deep cleansing service out of enterprise, it is in a position to preserve flooring wanting tidy sufficient. Throughout testing, I observed the longer I went with out manually mopping, the extra streaks I noticed left from the robotic. The j9+ applies simply sufficient stress to wipe off most stains, grime marks, and different messes, so I’ve felt comfy with letting it clear the home throughout the week, whereas I manually mop on the weekend.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

I am totally impressed with the upgrades that got here to the Roomba Combo j9+ from the earlier mannequin. In case you’re like me and might get the heavy-duty mopping finished on the weekends, this machine goes to maintain your flooring clear in between these deep cleanings. In a home crammed with pets, youngsters, and the whole lot in between, that is a giant win for me.

It definitely helps that iRobot loves to run gross sales, particularly across the holidays, and I’ve seen this mannequin routinely drop beneath the $1,000 value level (from $1,400).