Rowenta X-Plorer Série 80 (robot vacuum cleaner Mopping function with Alexa compatibility): our review

Coming home to fewer crumbs beneath the kitchen chairs is a modest ambition, but a useful reason to consider the Rowenta X-Plorer Série 80. Its advertised battery life provides a decent cleaning run before it returns to recharge. Want routine floor cleaning to stop borrowing time from your evening? That is the attraction here, provided your expectations centre on regular upkeep.

Battery life needs context. The advertised duration reflects the gentlest setting; stronger suction or mopping will shorten the run. Nor does endurance establish how much of your house it can cover before charging. We would plan around the rooms that need attention most often, rather than assume the entire home will be finished together. Overall, this model is well placed in our assessment, with useful everyday functions behind that judgement.

The charging time of 3 h calls for patience: this is a recharge that takes its time, better suited to a daily cleaning run than repeated cleaning sessions close together. If the hallway needs attention before work and the kitchen needs another pass after lunch, that pause belongs in your plans. Think in routines, rather than rapid turnarounds.

Compatibility with Alexa and Google Assistant gives you a voice-control option when your hands are occupied with packed lunches or washing up. We like that convenience, although asking for clean floors still leaves you with some preparation. Follow manufacturers’ instructions by clearing charging cables, small objects and socks before a run. The robot gets a cleaning job; your teenager retains responsibility for the socks. A scheduled household rhythm makes more sense here than expecting an immediate response to every fresh scattering of crumbs.

The DJI Romo A is better suited if you want to cover the whole home in one go, thanks to higher battery life. The DJI Romo A has a lower charging time, too. Those differences matter if your preferred routine involves a broad sweep through the house with less waiting before another cleaning session. The DJI Romo A is also better rated overall.

For this robot, no-go zones offer a different practical attraction: you can designate areas to leave outside the cleaning route. A corner reserved for a floor-based project is a plausible reason to use them. A boundary is useful organisation, not a substitute for preparing the room. Keep the choice centred on your routine. A longer cleaning window matters when uninterrupted coverage is your priority; exclusions matter when parts of the floor should remain outside the job.

Wooden flooring in the living room and kitchen tiles can make damp floor care feel like another task waiting behind the vacuuming. The mopping function gives this robot an additional role in that routine. We would treat it as help with light upkeep, without expecting the result of a determined session with a household mop. Sticky marks beneath the breakfast table can still demand your attention.

Keep expectations grounded. Mopping is confirmed, but that alone is no reason to promise vigorous scrubbing or effortless carpet transitions. For unfinished, waxed or poorly sealed wooden flooring, manufacturers advise checking that the surface tolerates moisture before using a mop. Before ordering, check replacement mop pads and brushes, warranty support and the returns policy with the retailer. Those practicalities will matter when the novelty has worn off and cleaning has become pleasantly ordinary again.