Robot cleaner's retractable mopping arm means no more manual switching
Thanks to its clever mop that lifts out of the way, the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ can move between hard floors and carpets without the risk of soaking your soft flooring. For homes with mixed flooring, particularly deep pile carpets, this clever trick will make this robot an ideal choice. It helps that it’s a smart navigator, avoiding common obstacles, and has excellent suction power. Its mopping is a little basic, though, and the small water tank could be annoying; those with many hard floors may find a robot with an agitating mopping pad a better choice.
Pros
- Mop lifts out of the way
- Clever obstacle avoidance
- Excellent app
- Powerful vacuuming
Cons
- Basic mopping
- Small water tank
Key features
- Type: Vacuuming and mopping
- Docking: Auto-empty dock
- Navigation system: PrecisionVision Navigation with camera
Robot vacuum cleaners that mop are brilliant for maintaining hard floors but can struggle when there’s also carpet involved.
The iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is here to solve that with a mop that lifts off the floor and tucks itself away on top of the robot. That makes this one of the most flexible robot vacuum cleaners I’ve reviewed.
The device is effectively the 2-in-1 sibling to the standard Roomba j7+, distinguishable by its retractable mopping arm that allows it to perform both key functions at once.
Despite it looking a bit like an invention designed for noughties BBC cult hit Robot Wars, the Combo j7+ is able to utilize this motorized arm to deal with hard surfaces and lift up out of the way on carpets and rugs.
The result of this Auto-Retract Mopping System, is a simplified cleaning cycle – one that doesn’t involve you manually separating the vacuuming and mopping portions.
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Add in its smart object avoidance, auto-empty dock and very clever app, and this is an excellent robot vacuum cleaner.
However, its mopping quality does lag behind the competition’s a bit; both the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni and the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra are better moppers and all-rounders, but both are also a lot more expensive too.
Read our full iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ to find out more.
Design and components
- Available with and without the auto-empty dock
- Anti-tangle brush
- Combined water tank and dust bin
The iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is available in two versions. The ‘plus’ version that I have on review comes with an auto-empty dock, and there’s a standard version that comes with a regular dock.
It’s mostly a choice about space, as the self-empty dock is quite tall, so won’t fit under a cabinet.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
There’s also the matter of cost. Not only is the dock more expensive, but the bags cost around $25 / £22 for a pack of three, each lasting between one and two months, depending on how much dirt the robot picks up.
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I prefer the self-empty station, as I’m too lazy to empty a robot, but there’s no physical difference in cleaning quality and features between the two models, so pick the one that best suits your home.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
Externally, the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is very similar to the iRobot Roomba j7+. Both are round vacuum cleaners, which have a camera on the front, which is used for navigation and smart object avoidance.
Flip the Combo j7+ over, and it’s very similar underneath, too. I’m a big fan of the contra-rotating rubber brushes, as these prevent hairs from getting caught.
Running my robot in a house with pets and girls with long hair, the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ avoided any tangles.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
A single side sweeper brush is there to sweep dirt from the edges of the room into the main suction path.
The big difference between this model and the standard j7+ is that the mopping pad starts life on top of the robot vacuum cleaner.
When the robot detects it’s on hard floor, the mop slides back and drops onto the floor; when carpet is detected, the mop lifts up out of the way, making the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ a standard vacuum-only robot.
This clever mechanism means that the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is completely safe to use on any carpet, as the mop is out of the way.
With the Roborock S8 Pro Ultra and the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni, they can only lift their mopping pads off the ground a small distance, so are better suited to homes with shortpile carpets.
There’s a combination bin and water tank at the rear. Holding only 210ml of water, the tank is small, so needs refilling after every clean, if not in the middle of one.
It’s good to see that this tank can take cleaning solution, with a sample provided in the box and official replacements costing around $15 / £15 for a 473ml bottle.
Features
- Clever obstacle avoidance
- Decent suction power
- Auto-Retract Mopping System
For a robot vacuum cleaner to be successful it needs to be able to navigate smoothly. Fortunately, the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+is one of the best.
Not only does it find its way around your home, but the camera on the front can spot and avoid common obstacles, such as cables, shoes and pet messes.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
In fact, iRobot is so confident of its mess-detecting powers that it offers the Pet Owner Official Promise (P.O.O.P). Should the robot run over a pet’s accident in your first year of ownership, you’ll get a brand-new robot.
Cleaning power is excellent. I found that this robot picked up mess from my carpets with ease, although it did take two passes to get bigger spills. Still, for regular mess, this robot is a great maintenance cleaner.
Moving to hard floors, the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ did brilliantly, picking up all of my test spills. Edge performance was good, too, although bigger messes will need some manual intervention.
Mopping function
- Impressive mop lifting
- Basic mopping for lighter stains
How the mop lifts out of the way is hugely impressive, letting the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ move from hard floors to carpet and then back again. That’s great news for rooms with rugs in, or for letting the robot move over carpet to get to a hard floor area.
Mopping power is rather more basic than with the main rivals, such as the Ecovacs Deebot T20 Omni. With no scrubbing option to agitate dirt, the Combo j7+ just drags its mop along. I found that it dealt well with surface stains, but tougher ingrained messes couldn’t be lifted.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
App and digital assistants
- Clever app with Jobs
- Supports multiple maps
Using a robot vacuum cleaner should be simple, and iRobot makes sure its app lives up to that promise. Multiple maps can be created, letting the deal with multi-floor homes with ease.
After a map has been created, it can be zoned to split it into different rooms. That’s worth doing, as it gives more control over cleaning, say telling the Combo j7+ to tackle just one room.
Each map can have zones added to control the robot’s behaviour. Keep Out Zones stop the robot from entering a location, which can be handy if it always get stuck in one place or you have delicate flooring; the
No Mop Zone prevents the robot from mopping. Given the lift-up mop, the latter feature may seem like it’s not needed, but it’s handy if you’ve got delicate floors that you don’t want to get wet.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
There are also Clean Zones. These are small areas you mark on the map for dedicated spot cleaning. For example, I have one where my dining table is, so that the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ can quickly tidy up after we’ve eaten.
Rather than just pciking the settings you want, the iRobot app works with Jobs. For each Job, you can define which rooms and/or zones you want to clean, the cleaning mode (vacuum or vacuum and mop), the amount of liquid to use for mopping, and the number of cleaning passes.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
Each Job can be a one-off, but it’s handy to save the ones you’ll use most often, as you can recall them with a tap from the screen.
There are also some clever options. As well as scheduling, the Combo j7+ can also be set to start a Job when the app detects you’ve left the house.
That’s great, as you can go out and come back to a clean house, without manually having to remember to put the robot on.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
As well as using Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant to start the robot, both voice assistants can be used to start a specific Job.
Battery life and maintenance
- Long battery life
- Easy to clean, particularly with the self-empty station
Real-life battery life is very good, and the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ can clean a significant area.
It managed to tackle the entire ground floor of my house, including mopping, without running out of charge, and there was enough power left to tackle some spot cleanings.
Overall, there’s more than enough battery life for any job.
(Image credit: The Ambient)
There’s not too much maintenance that needs to be done, particularly with the j7+ model: when the bin bag is full, it should be removed and emptied.
Otherwise, the mopping cloth will need to be removed and washed regularly to maintain cleaning performance, and the water tank should be filled when emptied.
It’s also worth washing the filter in the bin once a month to maintain suction performance.
Final thoughts
Regarding flexibility, there’s nothing quite like the iRobot Roomba Combo j7+. With its lifting mop, this robot can move from hard floors to carpets and back, acting as a mop when needed and a true vacuum-only robot where there’s carpet. Combined with its powerful navigation and high-quality suction, that could make this the right choice for homes with mixed flooring.
If you have mostly hard floors, and particularly if they get very dirty, then a robot with an agitating mop would be a better choice. And, if you have carpets mostly, then there’s no need for the mop at all.
You should bear in mind that a new flagship from iRobot is incoming though. The Roomba Combo j9+ takes everything we love from the Combo j7+ and adds a couple of nifty features to the mix, which should make mopping both easier and better. It’s about 25% pricier though, so the j7+ may well still be the machine for you.
How we test
When we publish our reviews, you can rest assured that they are the result of “living with” long term tests.
Robot cleaners usually live within an ecosystem, or a range of products that – supposedly – all work in harmony. And they are designed to offer a range of different cleaning options. Therefore, it’s impossible to use a robo cleaner for a week and deliver a verdict.
Because we’re testing smart home kit all day, everyday, we know what matters and how a particular smart cleaning machine compares to alternatives that you might also be considering.
Our reviews are comprehensive, objective and fair and, of course, we are never paid directly to review a device.
Read our guide on how we test robot vacuum cleaners to learn more.
