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This 2-in-1 robot vacuum saved my floors from muddy paw prints -- and it's $260 off right now
I'm a sucker for a great robot vacuum. At my age, the promise of clean floors with little-to-no physical labor is enough to make me smile. Add a built-in mop to the deal and you can consider me sold.
Also: Best robot mops: Wash your floors on auto-pilot
The Yeedi Mop Station Pro is the most recent robot vacuum to make its way across my floors. Having a puppy running in and out of the backyard through his doggy door all day, tracking dirt in, the vacuum-mop combo arrived at an appropriate time for me.
With terrible drainage and a lot of spring rains, my floors were constantly spotted with muddy paw prints that I had to wipe up multiple times a day. So, here's how the 2-in-1 robot fared when I passed the chores over to it instead.
ZDNET RECOMMENDS
Yeedi Mop Station Pro
One of the most balanced robot vacuums I've tested, with strong suction and effective mopping. And it's on sale right now.
As someone who never enjoyed having carpets at home, I value a robot vacuum that can both suck up any dirt and debris and mop up any messes, too. But many I've tried fail to do both tasks well.
Most of the robots that combine the two functions may provide great suction but typically consider "mopping" as dragging around a wet microfiber cloth. The Yeedi Mop Station Pro is one of the few on the market with rotating microfiber mop pads to do the job more effectively.
Also: Best Roborock robot vacuums: Top models starting at $200
The Yeedi robot vac comes with a charging station worthy of its 'Pro' moniker, with dedicated clean and dirty water tanks that you don't have to worry about until it's time to refill or empty, respectively.
The docking station doubles as a cleaning station for the mop pads, with the robot vacuum returning periodically during sessions to wash the mopping pads with clean water before resuming.
The Yeedi Mop Station Pro's two water tanks.
The Yeedi model doesn't have sensors to avert objects on the floor, unlike some newer Roomba units, so the first thing I do before starting the machine is pick up my three kids' toys and half-colored pictures from the floor.
Also: 6 things you can do to give your devices a spring cleaning
The vacuum is very powerful with 3000Pa of suction power, which is enough to rival any upright vacuum, as those tend to have about 1000-2000Pa of suction. You don't have to wonder whether the Yedi can pick up the Cheerios your toddler dropped or your husky mix's hair. In my experience, if it fits into the dustbin opening, then the Yeedi will get the job done.
I have the Yeedi downstairs covering about 700 square feet, including the living and dining rooms, entryway, office, laundry room, and kitchen. I like to run it every day, sometimes several times a day. If this seems excessive, I'll say that even when my floors look clean at the beginning, the robot still finishes sessions with a lot of dust and pet hair.
The Yeedi Mop Station Pro is not as compact as other vacuums, but its size is worth it.
After each cleaning session, the Yeedi docks itself, cleans the mop pads one last time, and dries them with a built-in fan. This prevents mold buildup and smells.
Review: Roborock S8 Pro Ultra: This 2-in-1 vacuum can do just about everything
For maintenance, you have to empty and rinse out the dirty water tank, which I do every 2-3 cleanings, and refill the clean water tank. The mop station also requires cleaning where the vacuum docks to charge itself, which is also where the mopping pads are scrubbed.
Rather than dragging a wet mopping pad, the Yeedi Mop Station Pro has rotating, self-cleaning mop pads.
The only thing that leaves me wanting more from the Yeedi Mop Station Pro is that it doesn't self-empty the dustbin, which is a popular feature on other robot vacuums. This is ultimately a mop-first robot, so I get it.
Despite that, I appreciate the larger dustbin for vacuuming as it holds enough dust and pet hair to not require immediate disposal after every cleaning.
Also: Best tech for pet parents from auto feeders to smart litter boxes
There are two dust bins included: One that holds the spinning mop pads that I empty out after each clean and a larger, 750-milliliter capacity with no mop pads that only needs emptying every few cleaning sessions -- like when you just want to run the device in vacuum mode.
Since getting the Yeedi, I've been running it on both vacuum and mop modes daily, and it comes to the rescue as soon as I need it. What's even better is that, at the time of writing, the 2-in-1 combo is on sale, dropping down to $530 on Amazon.