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iRobot Roomba Combo i5+ Review (2025): Reliable auto-empty, basic mopping, excellent pet-hair pickup

John Carter Doe

September 3, 2025

8.2

Good

Is the Roomba Combo i5+ actually right for you?

Here's the quick take

Look, if you want a robot vacuum that's super low-maintenance and can do a bit of light mopping, the Roomba Combo i5+ is a really interesting choice. It empties its own bin—a huge plus—navigates in nice, neat rows, and believe it or not, those dual rubber brushes are fantastic with pet hair. The trade-offs? The mop is pretty basic; you have to physically swap in a special bin for it. It can't lift that mop for rugs, and it doesn't have a camera to dodge things like socks or cords. It's a wonderfully stress-free cleaner for homes with mostly hard floors. But if your place is full of thick rugs or has a spill-prone kitchen, you might want to look at a more advanced model.

Is the Roomba Combo i5+ actually right for you?

Where it really shines

Day-to-day reliability is where this thing just works. The Clean Base empties the robot every time—it's loud for about 30 seconds, sure, but it means you're not constantly dealing with a full dustbin. That's a game-changer. It's excellent on hard floors, and I'm not kidding, those iRobot rubber brushes resist hair tangles better than almost anything else out there. The app is smart, too. You can name your rooms and just tell it to 'clean the kitchen.' And if the battery runs low, it just goes back, recharges, and picks up right where it left off. The mopping part is genuinely handy for dust and light grime. You click in the bin, attach the pad, and it gives your floors a decent wipe-down without soaking them. There's nothing flashy here—just solid, predictable cleaning that's easy to live with.

But let's be real about what it can't do. That mop pad doesn't lift up on its own. So if you have a mix of rugs and hard floors, you'll either have to tell it to only mop specific rooms or remember to take the pad off yourself. It's not going to scrub up dried-on spills, either; think of it more for daily maintenance, not a deep clean. It also doesn't have the fancy front camera for avoiding obstacles like phone chargers, so you do need to tidy up first. You can set up 'Keep Out Zones' in the app, which helps a lot. None of these are deal-breakers if it's the right fit for your home. But it’s these little things that really separate the people who will absolutely love this robot from those who should probably keep looking.