More than a year ago, instead of an iPhone 11 Pro Max, I bought my wife an iPhone 11 and a couple of additional gadgets for the difference in their cost. I took an air humidifier and one of the top Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P robotic vacuum cleaners with wet cleaning capabilities. I paid almost 30 thousand rubles for the “electric broom”.
Would you buy it again if you could go back in time a year ago? It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally. Rather yes than no. It does not replace a regular vacuum cleaner and mop with a bucket of water . However, it makes it possible to take them out of the closet a couple of times less often. Now I’ll tell you more.
First, briefly about Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P
Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P is one of the manufacturer’s top models, if you do not take into account the more advanced line of Roborock robotic vacuum cleaners. It not only supports wet cleaning, but can also work in combined mode : both sucking in dust and washing floors.
Like other Xiaomi devices, this one links to the Mi Home mobile app. It allows you to control the power of the vacuum cleaner (silent, standard, medium, turbo) and the water level for the mop (low, medium, high). Through it you can update software and create automation.
Yes, the vacuum cleaner can be programmed to clean at a specific time every day. It will automatically turn on, vacuum and return to charge for further instructions. This technique will not work with wet cleaning, because a wet mop will remain on it, which will ruin the floor covering.
The vacuum cleaner can be either white or black. The dust on the body of the latter is very visible, so I recommend choosing a light one. By the way, the plastic is quite practical; after a year of daily cleaning, the robot vacuum cleaner looks like it came straight from the store : it was not used particularly carefully.
On the top of the vacuum cleaner there is an analogue of the LiDAR from the iPhone 12 Pro for laser navigation. It scans the space at a height of several centimeters from the surface. For the rest of the space, there are a couple of sensors and a bumper that understands when the robot bumps into something.
Comparison of the best Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners
The table below examines the 10 best models of Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners that have proven themselves to be the best.
| Model | Container type | Type of cleaning | Battery operating time, min | Design Features | price, rub. |
| Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner (Global) | For dust 0.42 l | Dry | 150 | Soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by days of the week, built-in clock, quick and local cleaning | 16100 — 25000 |
| Mijia Sweeping Vacuum Cleaner 1C (Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop) (Global) | For dust 0.60 l and for water 0.20 l | Dry and wet | 90 | Alarm when the battery is low, local cleaning, soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by day of the week, built-in clock, fine filter | 14200 — 22000 |
| Mi Robot Vacuum Cleaner 1S | For dust 0.42 l | Dry | 150 | Cleaning area limiter, soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by days of the week, built-in clock, quick and local cleaning, low battery alarm | 18100 — 24300 |
| Xiaowa E202-00 Robot Vacuum Cleaner Lite | For dust 0.64 l | Dry and wet | 90 | Calculation of cleaning time, fine filter, soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by days of the week, built-in clock | 10300 — 19000 |
| Viomi Cleaning robot | For dust 0.42 l | Dry and wet | 180 | Soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by days of the week, fine filter | 22200 — 31900 |
| Mijia LDS Vacuum Cleaner (Global) | For dust 0.58 l and for water 0.20 l | Dry and wet | 120 | Local cleaning, soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by days of the week, built-in clock | 19500 — 30000 |
| MiJia Sweeping Robot G1 | For dust 0.60 l and for water 0.20 l | Dry and wet | 120 | Fine filter, soft bumper, timer, programming by days of the week, built-in clock, control from a smartphone | 10200 — 15100 |
| Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P | For dust 0.55 l and for water | Dry and wet | 110 | Programming by days of the week, soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, built-in clock, local cleaning, fine filter | 26100 — 32300 |
| Xiaomi Dreame F9 | For dust 0.40 l and for water 0.20 l | Dry and wet | 150 | Automatic installation on a charger, soft bumper, timer, control from a smartphone, programming by days of the week, built-in clock, quick and local cleaning | 16300 — 24600 |
| Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop Essential SKV4136GL | For dust 0.60 l and for water 0.20 l | Dry and wet | 90 | Fine filter, control from a smartphone, power adjustment, automatic return to base, programming cleaning schedule | 12400 — 15100 |
This vacuum cleaner is only suitable for daily cleaning.
In order to keep the apartment clean and calmly walk on the floor in white socks, previously it was necessary to clean at least twice a week: vacuuming and washing the floors. When a smart robot drives around the house every morning, the intervals between full cleaning can be extended to a week, a week and a half, or even two.
However, you won’t be able to completely give up cleaning yourself. To confirm this fact, I conducted an experiment. I left two types of debris on the floor: needles that fell off the Christmas tree after installation, as well as sawdust after sawing the trunk for installation in a stand with water.
For the purity of the experience, I chose the maximum power of the vacuum cleaner and forced it to clean the entire apartment not once, but twice. After the first run, his tank overflowed, so he began simply spreading garbage throughout the apartment. But after the second I collected about 90–95% of everything that was scattered.
The photographs clearly show that both needles and sawdust remained on the floor. A regular vacuum cleaner would do a much better job and faster. But to do this, I would have to put aside writing the introduction for this article and pick it up. Therefore, I emphasize: the robot is good for daily cleaning, but not for full cleaning.
As for the wet cleaning mode, it works normally only if you manually wet the included mop and only then install it on the vacuum cleaner. Otherwise, it simply does not have time to become wet, and most of the floor of my small apartment is simply rubbed to a shine.
Comparison table of the presented models
| Characteristic | Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P | Xiaomi Mijia 1C | Xiaomi Mijia G1 | Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum STYJ02YM | Xiaomi Roborock Robot Vacuum Cleaner S5 |
| Connection | Wi-Fi (802.11): 2.4 GHz (up to 300 Mb/s) | Wi-Fi (802.11): 2.4 GHz (up to 300 Mb/s) | Wi-Fi (802.11): 2.4 GHz (up to 200 Mb/s) | Wi-Fi (802.11): 2.4 GHz (up to 200 Mb/s) and remote control | Wi-Fi (802.11): 2.4 GHz (up to 200 Mb/s) and remote control |
| Working hours | up to 1.5 hours | up to 1.5 hours | 70-90 minutes | 110 minutes | 150 minutes |
| Battery capacity (mAh) | 2400 | 2400 | 2500 | 3200 | 5200 |
| Serviced area (sq.m.) | 180 | 100 | 60 | 180 | 250 |
| Dust capacity (ml) | 600 | 600 | 500 | 600 | 460 |
| Liquid tank volume (ml) | 200 | 500 | 500 | 200 | 280 |
| Power, W) | 40 | 40 | 25 | 55 | 58 |
Thanks to the article, you received information about the best Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaners in 2021, which are equipped with a wet cleaning function. In the list above, you will be able to find devices in both the mid-price category and cheaper ones, but at the same time performing their duties for cleaning the house very well.
The positive aspects of this particular robot vacuum cleaner
Good quality of cleaning. I have no questions about the quality of the robot vacuum cleaner. When I bought it, I thought that it would only keep the house clean. He will not be able to clean up even a small apartment on his own, so there is simply no need for high expectations.
Do-it-yourself dry cleaning. In my apartment, the robot cleans 34 square meters (58 in total, but the rest is discarded due to furniture). In such an area, its tank becomes clogged with dust by about 70–80% in 3–4 days. It turns out that for dry cleaning, it is enough to flush the contents of the tank down the toilet twice a week.
Full Russian localization. I use the international version, which is completely translated into Russian. This is not only about the Mi Home menu, but also about voice notifications. You don’t need to dance with a tambourine for this: you just need to update to the latest firmware.
Building a room map. Not all robot vacuum cleaners do this. This feature allows you to choose the cleaning location: either a specific area or a room. It also makes it possible to add virtual walls and limit the area in other ways. Without this it wouldn't be the same.
Usually the map is not built by the cheapest robots. For them, an apartment or office is a surprise every time. That’s why they take a very long time to clean, and may not enter some rooms, and work unpredictably. In general, I would not call such vacuum cleaners smart.
Pets are not afraid of him. In addition to the vacuum cleaner, which we called “Arkasha” (I don’t know why: guys with that name, sorry!), there is also a dog in the apartment at all times. She hasn’t ridden the robot yet, but after a week she’s no longer afraid of it. By the way, the security alarm also does not respond to the device.
Connecting to the application
Having tested the Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Mop in action, we came to the conclusion that the vacuum cleaner copes with its tasks very well. But this is a smart robot vacuum cleaner, it’s time to connect it to the application. To do this you will need Mi Home. When you first connect, some recommendations are given.
Using the application significantly expands the functionality of the Xiaomi vacuum cleaner. The settings provide hints on maintenance schedules for consumables.
In addition, the robot vacuum cleaner can be used in smart scenarios or set a personal work schedule.
The main window of the control plugin contains a map of the room and quick launch keys for Mi Robot Vacuum Mop. Below you can select the appropriate cleaning mode: dry or wet.
Where exactly did the Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner disappoint me?
Manufacturing defect. This is not the first robot vacuum cleaner that has come into my hands. First I received a defective model with a problem on one of the electric drives. The device first spun in place, and then gave an error. I returned it and took another one just like it: there haven’t been any troubles in a year, but anyone can get into trouble.
Insufficient autonomy. The manufacturer claims more than 200 square meters of cleaning. In practice, dry cleaning of 34 squares at full power takes about 35-40%, wet - about 45-50%, combined mode - at least 65-70%. Most often it’s enough for me, but the apartment is small.
Inconvenient wet cleaning. To do this, you need to pour water into a universal tank, remove the filter from it, install it in the robot, and attach a mop with a wet rag to it. After cleaning, it is important to remove all this so that the laminate or parquet does not get wet under the vacuum cleaner.
All this makes regular wet cleaning impossible. You have to monitor the vacuum cleaner while remaining indoors. This is not completely, but still negates the process of cleaning floors yourself. Plus, you can’t put on the whole body kit in advance, so you won’t be able to plan a regime either.
The need for regular cleaning. Long hair is very tightly wound around the circular brush, which, one way or another, falls from the head. The more there are, the less effective the cleaning is: moreover, the robot does not report this in any way. It needs to be pulled out and cleaned at least once a week or more often.
Total omnivorousness of the robot. There are more expensive and smart vacuum cleaners on the market that recognize objects scattered around the house. This one can’t do anything like that, so it has no problem snacking on a curtain that hangs on the floor, a dog’s diaper and other small objects.
How to set up Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Mop. Plugin, map, scripts
When we open the vacuum cleaner plugin in Mi Home, we are presented with a map of the room (appears after the first cleaning) with the vacuum cleaner marked on it and information on the charge level, time spent on cleaning and the number of square meters vacuumed.
Below are the settings for the cleaning mode and water supply level. You can choose silent, standard, intensive and turbo cleaning modes and one of three water supply intensity options. I use the standard one with high water supply. Quite clean, but the noise level does not cause any inconvenience. To enable wet cleaning on a Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner, simply install a container of water.
Next is a menu with scheduled cleaning settings. You can set the time and days of the week on which the vacuum cleaner will clean.
The next item is card management. Here you can find one of the most useful functions - installing a virtual wall. A virtual wall for the Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner allows you to prohibit it from entering a certain territory. This function becomes available after several cleanings and the complete construction of the map. Also in the settings, in the “Experimental functions” menu, you need to enable the map saving mode. The total number of virtual walls is not limited in any way - apply as many as you need. You can also set up zone cleaning on this Xiaomi robot vacuum cleaner. To do this, on the main screen on which the map is displayed, click on the square with a plus sign. This feature allows you to clean within a zoned area.
There is also a separate menu with settings where you can:
- adjust the volume of notifications;
- view cleaning history;
- go to the maintenance tab and find out when you need to replace consumables;
- start manual control using the on-screen remote control;
- and update the firmware.
What nuances in the operation of a vacuum cleaner are also important to consider?
Using wet mode. The robot kit includes two tanks: for dry cleaning and a universal one for dry and wet cleaning. With the second, floor washing without dust suction will not start until you remove the special filter located on the back of it. I found out this a couple of months after the purchase.
Special knife for hair. Under the top cover of the robot, which you need to open to pull out the tank, there is also a convenient knife for cutting hair. Using it, it is convenient to clean the rotating brush on the bottom of the vacuum cleaner. The wife learned about the purpose of this thing only a year later.
Carpets and thresholds in the room. I have a couple of small rugs with long soft pile, and the vacuum cleaner can handle them without any problems. It also easily moves over the horizontal legs of a dryer up to a centimeter high with washed clothes when it has to be removed from the balcony.
Yes, I have no problems with this. But if there are large thresholds between rooms and carpets covering the entire floor, you need to think twice about buying such a device. It is unlikely to overcome high obstacles, especially with a mop. And the effectiveness of carpet cleaning, it seems to me, will be close to zero.
Second floor in a house or office. There are special sensors on the bottom of the robot that control that it is on the floor. If you pick him up, he will immediately become indignant. They won’t let him fall down the stairs, if there is one. But there are no maps for two floors, so each needs a separate device.
International or Chinese. All my Xiaomi smart devices are international and are linked to one local account. They cannot be added to a Chinese account, just as Chinese gadgets do not support international ones. This is extremely important to keep in mind when purchasing.
Appearance and equipment Xiaomi Mi Robot Vacuum Mop Global
The kit includes everything you need to operate the device:
- charging station with a Euro plug (the type of plug depends on the region for which the product is intended);
- side brush and turbo brush;
- comb for cleaning the brush;
- water tank and cloth;
- instructions and warranty.
In terms of design, the robot looks just great. It has no protruding parts at the top, resulting in a height of only 81.5 mm.
The top cover is made of white glossy plastic, and the side surfaces are made of matte. On the lid there are power and home buttons, as well as a navigation camera.
Underneath is a dust container with a capacity of 600 ml. In my case, this is completely enough to clean a two-room apartment with an area of 57 square meters (37 meters excluding furniture). During one cleaning, carried out every 3 days, the container is filled by 20 percent.
In front there is a black stripe, behind which there are 7 infrared sensors for detecting obstacles.
At the bottom there are sensors that allow you to avoid falling down the stairs and an optical flow sensor that helps you navigate on carpets. There is also a small brush on the side and a large turbo brush in the center.
A water tank is also attached here.
Pay attention to the wheels. The robot can overcome thresholds up to two centimeters high.
Access to everything that requires maintenance, such as the brushes, water tank and waste container, is well thought out. They are easy to take out and just as easy to put back on.
