The 6 Best Roomba Vacuum Cleaners For Stairs of 2025

Unleash a comprehensive floor cleaning assault with the iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo, a true powerhouse designed to eliminate manual intervention. This flagship model tackles both vacuuming and mopping with sophisticated flair, featuring innovative Extending Spinning Mop Pads that reach deep into edges and SmartScrub technology for tackling stubborn, dried-on messes. Its advanced ClearView Pro LiDAR and PrecisionVision AI work in tandem to expertly map your entire home and deftly navigate around common obstacles like cords and pet messes, ensuring a thorough clean without getting stuck.

Performance is where the Roomba 505 Combo truly shines, offering 70x more suction than base models alongside its dynamic mopping capabilities. It intelligently adapts to different floor types, automatically lifting the mop pads when transitioning to carpet, preventing unwanted dampening. Crucially for multi-level homes, specialized sensors ensure this intelligent cleaner won’t take a tumble down stairs, providing peace of mind as it operates near drops. The inclusion of the AutoWash Dock elevates convenience, handling self-emptying, pad washing, and heated drying for weeks of autonomous cleaning.

Compared to models like the iRobot Roomba Combo i5, the 505 Combo offers a vastly superior, fully automated mopping experience thanks to its AutoWash dock and extending pads, whereas the i5 requires manual bin swapping and pad cleaning. While a significant investment, its blend of top-tier navigation, powerful suction, advanced mopping, and extensive automation makes it ideal for users demanding the utmost convenience and cleaning performance across hard floors and carpets on any single level it’s placed on, offering unparalleled value for its extensive feature set.

The iRobot Roomba 105 delivers reliable, intelligent vacuuming without unnecessary complexity, making it an excellent mid-range option for streamlined floor care. Featuring 70x more power-lifting suction than entry-level models, it effectively pulls in everyday dirt and debris from various floor types. Its ClearView LiDAR navigation ensures the robot cleans in neat, efficient rows and quickly maps your home for targeted room cleaning, simplifying the cleaning process significantly.

In real-world use, the Roomba 105’s navigation proves quite effective for covering open areas and maneuvering around furniture. The system of sensors allows it to reliably detect edges and avoid falling down stairs, a critical safety feature for homes with multiple levels where the robot will be used independently on each floor. While it sticks to vacuuming only, its 3-Stage Cleaning System with a multi-surface brush is adept at handling typical household messes, offering consistent performance day after day.

Positioned above basic models like the iRobot Roomba Vac Essential which uses simpler navigation, the Roomba 105’s LiDAR mapping provides a much more systematic and controllable cleaning path. However, it lacks the advanced AI obstacle avoidance of the iRobot Roomba j7+, meaning you still need to pick up cords or socks. It’s best suited for users seeking dependable, mapped vacuuming on a single floor without the need for mopping or advanced object recognition, offering a strong balance of performance and usability for its category.

Engineered for pet owners and busy households, the iRobot Roomba j7+ (Renewed Premium) tackles floor cleaning with remarkable intelligence and convenience. Its standout feature is PrecisionVision Navigation, using a camera to actively identify and steer clear of obstacles like pet waste (backed by a guarantee), charging cords, and shoes, providing a truly hands-free experience. Combined with the Clean Base Automatic Dirt Disposal, this robot handles vacuuming autonomously for months, emptying its bin into a sealed bag.

Performance is robust, utilizing a 3-Stage Cleaning System with 10x the power-lifting suction of base models and flexible Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes that adapt to various floor types. The robot learns your home and routines, offering personalized cleaning suggestions and allowing for targeted spot cleaning of sudden messes. Standard navigation sensors also ensure the Roomba j7+ safely avoids drops and stairs, making it a reliable cleaner for navigating different levels of your home once manually moved.

Compared to LiDAR-only models like the iRobot Roomba 105, the j7+’s camera-based AI offers superior obstacle avoidance, particularly crucial in cluttered environments or homes with pets. While it doesn’t offer mopping like the iRobot Roomba Combo i5+, its focus on intelligent vacuuming and self-emptying makes it a top contender for users prioritizing hassle-free vacuuming and guaranteed avoidance of common floor hazards, representing excellent value for its AI capabilities and convenience features.

Offering versatile floor cleaning, the iRobot Roomba Combo i5+ is a dual-purpose machine designed to vacuum and mop, providing a comprehensive clean on hard floors. This model features a clever design where you swap the vacuum bin for the Roomba Combo Bin to engage the mopping function, utilizing a specialized microfiber pad. It employs Imprint Smart Mapping to learn your home layout, allowing for targeted room cleaning and efficient navigation, ensuring it covers designated areas effectively.

Performance includes a 4-Stage Cleaning System with powerful suction and Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes capable of handling pet hair and debris. When the vacuum bin is installed, its Dirt Detect Technology focuses extra attention on dirtier zones. While mopping requires swapping the bin and doesn’t include advanced scrubbing, it effectively tackles light footprints and dust. Like other mapping Roombas, its navigation system includes sensors to prevent falls down stairs, providing essential safety for multi-level homes.

Compared to the high-end iRobot Roomba Plus 505 Combo, the Combo i5+’s mopping is less automated (manual bin swap, no self-washing/drying), but it offers the convenience of self-emptying for vacuuming, a feature the standard iRobot Roomba Combo i5 lacks entirely. This makes it an appealing choice for users who want both vacuuming and light mopping capabilities on a single floor with the added bonus of reduced vacuum bin maintenance, delivering a strong value proposition for its combined features.

The iRobot Roomba Vac Essential is a straightforward, budget-friendly robot vacuum focused on delivering core cleaning functionality with ease. It utilizes a 3-Stage Cleaning System with three levels of suction power to tackle dirt and dust on both carpets and hard floors. Designed for simplicity, it’s ready to clean right out of the box with minimal setup, making automated cleaning accessible to everyone without complex configurations.

Navigation is methodical, with the robot cleaning in neat, straight rows to ensure systematic coverage of open areas. Its sensors are key to its operation, helping it navigate around furniture and, importantly for homes with varying levels, avoid falling down stairs. This provides a necessary layer of safety for placement near drops. With up to 120 minutes of runtime and automatic recharging, it handles typical cleaning tasks efficiently within its operational area.

Unlike more advanced models such as the iRobot Roomba 105 or Roomba j7+ which feature LiDAR or camera mapping for targeted room cleaning, the Roomba Vac Essential relies on simpler navigation patterns and lacks room-specific control via mapping. However, its reliable stair avoidance and basic, effective cleaning make it an excellent entry point into robot vacuuming for users on a tight budget who need a simple, safe automated cleaner for a single floor, proving that essential performance can come at an accessible point.

The iRobot Roomba Combo i5 provides the flexibility of both vacuuming and mopping in a single machine, ideal for users wanting to maintain hard floors without buying two separate robots. Its 2-in-1 design requires swapping between a vacuum bin and the Roomba Combo Bin (with a mop pad) to switch functions, offering a practical solution for diverse floor cleaning needs. Utilizing Imprint Smart Mapping, it learns your home’s layout, enabling you to send it to clean specific rooms or zones via the app or voice commands.

Performance is solid, featuring a 4-Stage Cleaning System and Dual Multi-Surface Rubber Brushes effective at pulling in dirt and pet hair. When the mop bin is inserted, the specialized microfiber pad is designed to handle everyday footprints and dust on hard surfaces. Its navigation system, based on Smart Mapping, also incorporates sensors to prevent it from falling down stairs, ensuring safe operation near drops. This makes it a versatile tool for managing different floor types on a single level.

Compared to vacuum-only models like the iRobot Roomba 105, the Combo i5 adds valuable mopping functionality, offering more comprehensive hard floor care. While it lacks the self-emptying feature of the iRobot Roomba Combo i5+, it provides the core 2-in-1 capability and smart mapping at a more accessible point. It’s a strong value proposition for users seeking a versatile robot to handle both vacuuming and light mopping on one floor, prioritizing combined functionality over autonomous bin emptying.