Next-Level Home Cleaning under $1,500 AUD | Roborock Q Revo S

Automated docking station

The Q Revo S dock combines several maintenance functions. It washes the mop pads using a three-stage process: a slow pre-wash, a medium rinse and a high-speed spin for drying. The app also includes a deep-clean setting for the mop pads.

After washing, the dock dries the pads with warm air. This is intended to speed up drying and reduce the stale-water smell that can develop over time. The dock also automatically empties the robot’s dustbin using a powerful vacuum, and testing found no debris left in the robot’s internal bin after cleaning.

The package includes two dust bags in total, with the storage period estimated at around seven weeks. Actual duration depends on how much debris is collected. The dock has a 4L clean-water tank and a 3.5L dirty-water tank. The clean-water supply covers about 330 square metres of mopping, although water use varies with the app settings.

Vacuuming and battery performance

The Q Revo S uses a rubber roller designed to reduce hair tangles. Hair moves towards the ends of the brush, which can be removed for easier cleaning. The roller was found to work well on wooden floors and with long pet hair, while also helping collect debris from thick-pile carpet.

Maximum suction is rated at 7,000Pa. When operating at that level, the main brush also increases its speed by approximately 10%. In testing, standard suction with carpet boost provided a balance between cleaning performance and battery life. The robot left no debris on tested wooden and tiled floors, while sand, dust, dog fur and children’s mess were handled on carpet.

In a 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom home with two lounge rooms, standard suction and carpet boost enabled, the robot completed the clean with about 21% battery remaining. At 20% battery, it returned to the dock, took roughly an hour and a half to recharge, then resumed cleaning. Turning off carpet boost provides a significant battery improvement and may suit homes without pets. Charging is described as 30% faster than the previous-generation S7 models.

Mopping and carpet handling

The Q Revo S uses two rotating mop pads, which can spin at up to 200 RPM. During testing with muddy boots and dried muddy stains, the robot left the tested areas spotless after one cleaning cycle. The app can be set to clean an area twice when additional cleaning is needed.

To avoid carrying dirty mop pads between rooms, the robot returns to its dock approximately every 15 minutes to wash them with fresh water before continuing. The mopping module lifts 10mm when the robot moves onto carpet, helping keep wet pads away from the carpeted surface.

Navigation and app controls

The robot uses obstacle avoidance and mapping to navigate around the home. Reactive obstacle avoidance can be enabled in the app, using structured-light algorithms to detect objects in real time. This was described as particularly useful in a home with children’s toys and other objects on the floor.

Shoelaces were still best kept out of the robot’s path, but the testing experience allowed more flexibility with cables and Lego compared with a robot that requires extensive preparation before every clean. The docking station is relatively slim horizontally, although it is fairly tall. Its detachable base panel can be clipped off to make cleaning the dock easier.