I have a perhaps inappropriate, anthropomorphic relationship with whatever robot vacuum is running in my house. No matter how much trouble they cause me—if they get trapped in the ledge by the fireplace or lost under the couch—I never forget that it’s here to help me battle the chaotic mess that my two kids and two dogs perpetrate upon me daily. (I have similar anthropomorphic feelings about my dishwasher and washing machine.)
Have I convinced you that you need one, too? You’re in luck because the Amazon Prime Day vacuum deals lineup includes five of my top picks. Whether you need an all-in-one cleaning station, a simple picker-upper after dinner, or one with an air freshener, we have you covered. Read our ultimate Amazon Prime Day deals list for more discounts.
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The Best Vacuum Deals
Of all the Dysons in our guide to the Best Dyson Vacuums, this is my favorite. For one low price, you get not one, but two cleaning functions—that of the regular Dyson V15s and then with a wet head, or Submarine, attachment. This wet head is possibly the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and it’s even quicker and easier than using an automated robot mop. Just fill the small reservoir with clean water, screw it back in, and hold the trigger the way you would vacuum with a normal vacuum. The head rotates and scrubs the floors quickly and easily.
I have used it to clean my children’s truly epic messes, such as one day when I used the vacuum head to vacuum an entire bag of spilled dry tapioca, then swapped it out for the wet head to mop up the spilled flour on the floor (we were “making” cherry pies). There are several points here, which may be considered drawbacks: First, you can’t just buy the wet head attachment and add it to other Dyson vacuums. Second, the 8-ounce reservoir is a little small, although I have found it to be perfectly adequate for cleaning about 200 square feet of hardwood floors. Finally, you have to rinse the mopping head and tray manually, which is always the worst part of mopping. Still, this tool is almost miraculous in how easily it helps me keep the kitchen from turning into a disaster. Dyson even unveiled a recent update that I’m not excited about, because there’s just no way it could be better.
My family got a new puppy several weeks ago. She’s adorable and I wouldn’t trade her for the world, etc. Also, she pees everywhere (it’s OK, she’s just a baby). In my pre-baby and pre-puppy life, these were items that I rented from Home Depot once every six months, and I’ve never been more grateful to own a portable one myself. Hashtag CleanTok certainly thinks so; this is part of our guide to Viral TikTok Gifts.
Reviewer Brenda Stolyar remarks that this isn’t the miracle it appears to be in a 20-second video clip. You do have to put in some elbow grease to get real stains out, as she discovered when she tried it on her living room rug and stained upholstery. However, the proof is in the pudding, or rather, the dirty water tank, which is fully grungy by the time she finishes and empties it out. Do you need something a little more heavy-duty? Check out our guide to the Best Carpet Cleaners.
The Best Robot Vacuum Deals
Although I have yet to include it in our roundup, this is one of the best and most effective robot vacuums, for the best price, that I have tried recently. The Yeedi M12 Pro+ is the high end of Yeedi’s product line. Like with Roborock before it, I have been shocked by the improvement in Yeedi’s software and hardware over the past few years.
The cleaning station has a new sleek look and is remarkably compact, considering it comes with a self-emptying dust bin and two huge, 4-liter water tanks—one for clean water and one for dirty. The helpful, but somehow still creepy, extendable arm reaches into every nook and cranny to mop, and the dock now has a hot air dryer so the mop pads don’t get moldy. After several weeks, I even sniffed them to see, and they still smelled clean (the things we do for testing). You can even start a cleaning session by tapping the bumper with your foot, although with a new puppy in the house this is not as convenient a feature as you might think. It is regrettable that getting a premium robot vacuum mop for under $800 is a steal in this economy. However, if you’re in the tax bracket that is considering hiring a house cleaner, this is a purchase that will help you put off that decision for a little longer.
Did I mention we recently got a puppy? And she’s only a baby, and I love her? Still, despite my best efforts and despite confining her to the living room most of the time, there is a very, very faint smell of pee. My 9-year-old daughter has started stealing my perfume, but she wouldn’t have to if we were still running the Ecovacs Deebot T9+ (8/10, WIRED Recommends). I thought the air freshener function would be a gimmick, or at least sickly and horrible, but I was surprised at myself that I enjoyed popping the little cartridge in and having my house freshened up before people came over.
Eight hundred dollars is about what I’d expect to spend on a new mop-vac combo, but at $400 this is positively reasonable, especially with this fun extra gimmick. The Deebot T9+ also doesn’t use cameras to navigate, so you won’t find pictures of yourself ending up on Reddit. The only major downside is that unlike more expensive mop-vac combos, you will need to replace the disposable mop pad pretty frequently, but that’s easy enough to do and I like being able to take off the wet pad if I want to vacuum immediately after mopping.
But perhaps you are not impressed by the foofaraws and the frippery and you haven’t been saving up an extra mortgage payment just for something to help you clean your house. In that case, you want an affordable robot vacuum that will work, and just won’t break. Of those, the classic, reliable Roomba is the least likely to fail you. Even the cheapest iRobot vacuums have features like Dirt Detect, where it spot-cleans specific areas.
The app is simple and easy to use, the vacuum is quiet and powerful, and it has stellar navigation capabilities. There are some minor differences in Roomba’s older offerings—for example, the 694 has a roller brush, while the slightly more expensive E5 has iRobot’s signature brushless roller. Different vacuums may have different button styles, but for the most part, if you can find a Roomba for $300 or less, it’s a great buy.
