GoKawiiliRobot may be best known for its robot vacuums, but like competitors Dreame and Roborock, it's also getting into the wet-and-dry mopping category. The Roomba Electro Plus is the company's first non-robot vacuum product, but it's also another first: It uses electricity to clean and disinfect hard floors instead of a traditional cleaning solution.
"The device uses tap water, which contains naturally occurring free chlorine," said Adam Pope, iRobot chief engineer and vice president, in a video interview with me. "A small electrical current creates hypochlorous acid from this chlorine, a safe and effective disinfectant applied to the roller and floor to kill germs."
The Electro will self-clean and self-dry when you press a button after it's docked. iRobot
The Roomba Electro Plus is essentially creating electrolyzed water on demand that can be used in place of regular floor cleaners. According to Pope, it can kill 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other germs without any added chemicals, toxins or steam, making it safe for pets and kids and environmentally friendly. I asked Pope if it would still take a cleaning solution for those who preferred a particular scent, for example, and he told me that while a standard cleaning solution isn't compatible, an iRobot cleaning solution would be available.
In other respects, the Electro Plus is more of a traditional wet-and-dry cleaner, though it comes with all the bells and whistles we've come to expect from similar units we've tested, such as the Roborock F25 Ultra. It has the PowerSpion roller mop we've seen on iRobot's robot vacuums, with automatic dirt detection that adjusts roller speed and water flow for deeper cleaning. The rollers use anti-hair wrap technology, and the included docking station automatically heats, washes, dries and sanitizes the mop when you press a button after docking it.
The Electro is designed to replace most other floor cleaning options. iRobot
According to iRobot, it can be controlled with just one hand because, like the F25 Ultra, it has powered assistance wheels and is fairly lightweight. The design can lie flat up to 180 degrees to get under furniture, and its battery life should last for around 35 minutes in the eco-mode setting.
The Roomba Electro Plus will cost $400 at launch and will be available starting July 7.
An all-new robot vacuum lineup
The entire lineup of the Roomba models includes the 415, 515, 575, 715 and 775. iRobot
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