iRobot Roomba Plus 405 Combo Robot Vacuum

Summary

When we tried this robot vacuum at home, what we liked most, besides the fact that it vacuums and mops effectively with spinning mop pads that press down to remove stuck-on stains (something other models don’t do), was its self-emptying station, which only needs attention every 75 days and frees up time for other things.

We were happy with the navigation too: it avoided furniture, chair legs and the toys that always end up scattered around the house.

We think it’s ideal if you have pets, children or little time, because the app lets you schedule cleaning by area, day and time. One of the details we liked most is that you can see the full cleaning history and make changes if needed.

What we didn’t like is that the station takes up quite a lot of room, so we had to think about where to put it. It also doesn’t show the water level in real time, so you have to check it by hand every few runs.

On Amazon.co.uk it’s listed as the Roomba 405 Combo Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Mop & AutoWash Dock in black (ref. G185040, same ASIN as the one we reviewed), sold by Atlantic Electrics, a third-party seller. It’s the same robot and station we tested. If you’d like to know more about what to look for, take a look at our ranking of the best robot vacuums.

Analysis and verdict

Suction power – Score: 9/10

When a brand doesn’t state a model’s suction figure we tend to be sceptical, but here the power is clearly right for its class. It vacuums every corner of the house, including the edges (thanks to its side brush), more effectively than other models at the same price.

It detects rugs and boosts its power to leave them really clean, better than we expected, because it removes fluff and pet hair with its anti-tangle rubber brush. It made us forget the weekly chore of pulling tangled hair off our old robot.

One weakness is that you have to check the water tank by hand, as we’ve also found with other models from the brand.

Battery life – Score: 10/10

It’s an eye-catching, elegant model, although it’s taller than the latest models we had tried (10.3 cm). Even so, it gets under most of the beds and sofas in our home without any trouble. The station is also a little taller than others, but finding a spot for it isn’t complicated.

What we loved about the station is how long it goes between maintenance: we didn’t have to touch it for 75 days, because the whole process is automatic, and if anything goes wrong the app tells you.

We hadn’t really noticed how long the battery lasts until we cleaned a 150 m² space and it was still going, as it can run for 180 minutes without any problem, so it’s ideal for medium to large homes.

🆚 Quick comparison with other models

The Roomba Plus 405 Combo really stands out for its station, which washes and dries the mop pads automatically.

Compared with the Roborock Q10 S5+, which has good suction and vibrating mop pads, the 405 Combo offers pressure mopping, so it cleans dried stains more effectively. Its laser navigation with a front camera avoids small obstacles more precisely than other models.

✅ Pros and ❌ Cons

• Pro: vacuums and mops effectively with spinning mop pads (200 rpm) that press down and remove stuck-on stains.
• Pro: self-emptying, self-cleaning station (washes and dries the mop pads, cleans the ducts), with manual maintenance only every 75 days.
• Pro: detects rugs, boosts power on them and lifts the mop pads so they stay dry.
• Pro: laser navigation with a front camera that precisely avoids furniture, chair legs and small objects.
• Pro: app with a full cleaning history and scheduling by area, day and time.
• Con: doesn’t show the water tank level in real time; you have to check it by hand.
• Con: the station takes up quite a lot of room, so plan where it goes.
• Con: you can’t see how worn the mop pads are from the app.

Mopping – Score: 9.5/10

We tried it on ceramic tiles and were very pleased to see how its spinning mop pads (200 rpm) and firm pressure on the floor managed to lift dried-on sauce stains, going over them several times when necessary. What we liked most is that it leaves no mop marks and the water tank is fairly large (240 ml), so we only needed to refill it every 2 or 3 runs.

Another detail we really liked is that the station is self-emptying and self-cleaning: it doesn’t just suck all the dirt into the station, it also washes and dries the mop pads and cleans the water ducts so they don’t clog.

When it detects rugs, it lifts its mop pads so they stay dry.

🧠 Navigation and obstacle detection

While we were trying this model we noticed that its navigation was more precise at avoiding toys on the floor, and that’s when we realised that it doesn’t just use a laser, it also has a built-in camera that lets it recognise each object and avoid it far better than laser-only robots. (The UK listing only mentions its ClearView LiDAR navigation.)

The biggest advantage is that you don’t have to tidy up before setting the robot off, which is very convenient. We saw that it cleans in very neat rows without going over the same spots, which cheap robot vacuums often do.

That said, if you put down new objects it hasn’t recognised before, it could occasionally get stuck.

📱 App and smart features

An easy-to-use app for our robot vacuum has made cleaning the house much easier. Its sensors create a very accurate map of the home, which you can view in the app to decide how, when and where you want it to clean.

Since then we create plans by day, time and room, and it’s so simple that we no longer worry about checking the cleaning, because the robot gets on with it.

We like how it detects everything from cables and socks to chair legs and furniture, handling them really well thanks to the combination of laser and camera. So there are no more collisions or socks being dragged around while it’s running.

Our test

Test 1: Suction power – rice and flour on hard floor and rug

We tested this model in Spain, with the same robot and AutoWash dock you get from Amazon.co.uk. We had already run this same test with other robots, and the difference shows as soon as it reaches an area with pet hair: we spread 30 g of rice and flour over a 50 cm square, on both parquet and a short-pile rug, and let the 405 Combo make a single pass on maximum. With its quoted 4,000 Pa we weren’t expecting surprises, but the side brush got right into the corners of the square without leaving loose debris, something we’ve had to clean up by hand afterwards with other similarly priced models.

When we went over the area with a handheld vacuum, there wasn’t a trace of the mixture left on the hard floor, and on the rug the robot detected the change of surface and raised its power by itself, also pulling out the dog hair tangled in the fibres without clogging its anti-tangle rubber brush. What we can’t vouch for is how well that extra power holds up on thicker or long-pile rugs, because our circuit only included short pile.

Test 2: Battery life – living room, hallway and bedroom circuit with rugs

Unlike other robots we’ve tested that need two charges to finish a medium-sized flat, here we set up our usual circuit: living room, hallway and bedroom with two rugs, cleaning continuously on medium until it returned to the station by itself. The 405 Combo quotes 180 minutes of battery life for up to 160 m², and on this kind of circuit that margin shows, helped by the fact that the station washes and dries the mop pads every time it returns, so we didn’t have to step in at any point between passes.

We don’t have an exact time to publish for this particular circuit, because it finished in one go without returning to the station midway. That matches what we saw when we let it clean a 150 m² space without it running out, within the manufacturer’s quoted margin. What we can’t guarantee is the real-world time in a larger home or one with thick carpet, because our living room, hallway and bedroom circuit doesn’t reach those sizes.

Test 3: Mopping – dried milky coffee and tomato stains on laminate and porcelain tiles

Compared with robots that simply drag the mop without pressing down, here we left a milky coffee stain and a tomato sauce stain to dry for 30 minutes on laminate and porcelain tiles, and gave it two passes with the mop on medium flow. The 405 Combo’s spinning mop pads work at 200 rpm and press noticeably into the floor, so on the most stubborn tomato stain it had to go over it several times to lift it completely, just as we’d found when we first reviewed this model.

The result on the tiles was clean, with no rings once dry and the edges of the stain properly covered; on the laminate it didn’t leave mop marks either, which is welcome because that doesn’t always happen. When it reached the rug on our circuit, the robot detected it and lifted its mop pads before going over it, so nothing got wet, and with the 240 ml tank there was no need to refill it halfway through the test. What we can’t vouch for is how it would cope with a much more ingrained or older stain, because ours had only been drying for half an hour.

If you want to know more about what to look for, take a look at our robot vacuum buying guide, with the best models we’ve tested to help you choose the right one for you.