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I'm no stranger to robot vacuums or robot mops. A decade ago, I tested both as part of my job at America's Test Kitchen and, frankly, most models left a lot to be desired. At that time, robot vacuums weren't very "smart" and still required a fair amount of supervision to get the job done. Brands had yet to find a way to effectively combine vacuuming and mopping into their robots; mopping functions were essentially motorized Swiffers and your floors had to have already been vacuumed for the robot to do any semblance of a decent job. When I moved over to Business Insider, I was very happy to let finding the best robot vacuums be someone else's job.
Today's robot vacuums have more features than ever. Many are self-emptying, most have advanced mapping technology that allows you to clean your whole home or a single room, and mopping features are integrated more seamlessly. When an opportunity came up to test the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop, which has all the aforementioned features, I decided it was time to dip my toes back into the world of robot vacuums and see if the landscape had finally changed for the better.
I tested the Shark Matrix Plus in my 1,650-square-foot home over the course of six months. Despite a few cons, I really love this vacuum. It's saved me tons of time, and my floors have never looked cleaner. Read on for my full experience testing the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum.
This moderately priced robot vacuum comes with a luxury suite of features, including simultaneous mopping and vacuuming, a self-empty base, and intelligent home mapping.
- Mops and vacuums at the same time
- Intelligently maps your entire home
- Self-emptying
- App and troubleshooting are buggy
- Doesn’t self-empty in mopping mode
- Struggles with larger pieces of debris
Setup and design
The Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum has four main components: the robot, its self-emptying docking base, a vacuum attachment, and a mopping attachment. Each of those main components has several smaller pieces to install.
The robot itself has a main brush roll and a side brush for sweeping debris out of corners. The robot has a circular design with two big wheels and two smaller wheels for nimble navigation. Compared to other robot vacuums I've seen, the brush roll is quite small, at exactly 6 inches. iRobot models, by comparison, typically have two brush rolls, up to 9.5 inches each. A longer brush roll usually translates to faster and more thorough cleaning, so I was curious to see how this smaller brush fared.
The self-emptying base has three parts that assemble quickly: a main unit that plugs into a standard outlet, an ejectable dustbin, and a round mat that snaps onto the unit. The overall profile is fairly unobtrusive, but the dock needs to be placed against a wall with at least 1 foot of clearance on either side and 2 feet of clearance in front. I found such a place in the corner of my dining room. The base contains a HEPA filter to keep allergens locked in until the dustbin is ready to be emptied. Shark purports that the dustbin can hold up to 60 days of debris, but I've found that to be an exaggeration. I usually empty it every couple of weeks.
The robot has two attachments: a dry vacuum attachment and a mop/vac combo attachment. Both slot into the back of the robot and click in easily. The dry vac attachment is ready to go as soon as it's installed, but the wet mop/vac attachment requires a few extra steps: installing the mopping pad and filling the mopping reservoir. The side of the attachment has helpful fill lines that show you how much water and floor cleaner to add. The robot came with a small sampler bottle of Shark's own floor cleaner, but you can use only water or a floor cleaner of your choice. I've personally been using Windex all-purpose cleaner since my sample bottle ran out. Importantly, the robot only self-empties into the base when the dry vacuum attachment is installed. If you're using the mop/vac attachment, you'll have to empty the debris yourself when the robot is done cleaning.
To get the full functionality of the robot vacuum, you need to download the Shark app on your phone. I was surprised to see that hardly any instructions were included in the box with the robot. Instead, the setup is almost entirely directed through the app. It walks you through setting up the base, connecting the robot to the WiFi, and conducting the robot's first exploratory run of your house to create a custom map. I found some of these setup instructions lacking and had to do some Googling for more in-depth instructions (I could not figure out how to attach the docking mat to the base), but aside from a few hiccups, the setup was pretty straightforward.
During the exploratory run, the robot basically wanders around your home, taking stock of walls, furniture, and other obstacles. Shark is tight-lipped on the exact technology it uses for navigation, but based on its design and my experience with other robot vacuums, I would venture it uses a combination of ceiling mapping to get a basic layout of the room and laser light detection and ranging (lidar) for more detailed obstacle detection.
My exploratory run took about 45 minutes, and when it was done, a comprehensive and accurate map of my home was uploaded to my Shark app. From there, I was instructed to delineate the borders between rooms and give them names. I was also asked to set any no-go zones (I opted to set these up around my cat's food bowls and areas where we have a lot of wires) and mark any carpeted areas so that the robot avoids them when mopping. In addition to on-demand cleaning, you can use the app to set a cleaning schedule that the robot will automatically follow. (I chose not to because I have a very sensitive cat who gets freaked out when the robot is cleaning.)
Our review of the Shark Matrix vacuum
I've used the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum as part of my cleaning routine for months now, and it truly does feel like having a little Rosie the Robot to clean alongside me. Since owning the Shark Matrix, I've only had to break out my stick vacuum a few times, and usually just for quick spills/spot cleans that I know would take the robot longer to address.
Ease of use
Like all robot vacuums, the Shark requires you to prep your space a bit before vacuuming or mopping. For me, this means picking up rogue cat toys, moving smaller furniture like dining chairs, and ensuring any cords are tucked away. A few minutes of tidying up the space helps you get the most out of the robot's cleaning.
When it's time to run the robot, I make sure I have the right attachment installed and use the app to decide which rooms I want to clean and how much suction power I want the robot to use. Generally, the more suction power and the more rooms you have it clean, the longer it will take. For me, a whole home clean takes about 90 minutes, whereas a single 200-square-foot room clean can take as little as 10. The robot automatically senses whether the dry vac or wet mop/vac is attached and tailors its cleaning accordingly. For example, when the wet mop/vac attachment is installed, the robot will skip all carpeted rooms and area rugs, as long as you have them marked on your map.
If you choose a single-room clean, you can opt for a "Matrix" clean. This is an extra deep clean where the robot moves in a grid-like pattern and makes multiple passes to get as much debris as possible up. I've used the Matrix function most often in our carpeted rooms because I've found that regular, deep vacuuming really helps control my dust allergies. Matrix cleaning takes significantly longer (typically around 45 minutes for our bedroom), but it is definitely the most thorough cleaning mode available on the Shark. I notice a significant difference in how the carpeting looks after a 15-minute standard clean versus a 45-minute Matrix clean.
If you're doing a Matrix clean, multi-room clean, or whole-home clean, the robot will return to the base every 30 minutes to empty itself, after which it'll resume cleaning where it left off. On the rare occasion I have it do a whole-home clean, the robot also usually needs to return to its base to recharge once before completing the clean. Once it does, it will again pick up where it left off.
Cleaning performance
I find myself using the wet mop/vac attachment most often. This attachment allows the robot to vacuum and mop simultaneously, which I find most useful since most of our living areas have hard flooring. The technology isn't groundbreaking here: a water tank deposits a steady stream of water and floor cleaner onto a cloth cleaning rag that velcros onto the attachment. Since it sits behind the brush roll, the robot can vacuum first before the mopping pad follows behind to Swiffer the area. The robot wiggles side to side while mopping to loosen up any stuck-on debris, but you'll need to address really tough and sticky spills or stains by hand. Still, I find it does a really great job of handling everyday dirt and dust and making floors look fresh.
Both my cat and I are prolific shedders, and the robot does a solid job of picking up all our hair. I've noticed that the cat hair can sometimes ball up and get stuck in the inflow port when using the wet mop/vac attachment. Since this attachment needs to be manually emptied, I usually just pull the ball out when I'm doing that task. My own hair causes more issues: it tends to wrap around the brush roll and extracting it can be a bit of a chore, but more on that below.
Like most robot vacuums, the Shark Matrix functions best when used nearly every day rather than for periodic deep cleaning. While the vacuum does a stellar job with everyday dust, dirt, and flour spills, it struggles a bit more with larger pieces of debris. I occasionally find cat treats, pieces of plastic food wrappers, and popcorn kernels rattling around in the space between the brush roll and the intake port. It's also prone to leaving some debris behind and does a mediocre job with corners, but you'll notice these shortfalls less if you use it to maintain clean floors rather than expecting it to completely transform long-neglected floors. That said, the beauty of a robot vacuum is that you can vacuum or mop every day without hardly lifting a finger. Since introducing this robot vacuum into my life, my floors have never looked so consistently clean.
Noise
The robot's noise level depends a lot on what setting you're using. The higher the suction setting, the more noise it will make, but even at the highest levels, I don't find it obtrusive or obnoxious. It does sound like someone is vacuuming — I don't think there's any way around that, but I can still hold a conversation or take a work meeting when it's running. The loudest part of the cleaning is when the robot empties into the self-cleaning base. This sounds a bit like the ignition in a car revving up and was startling the first time I heard it. Now I'm used to it, and it's only about 5 seconds of loud noise.
Maintenance
There's not much to do in terms of day-to-day maintenance and cleaning. After using the mop attachment, I remove the wet mopping pad from the robot and throw it in the wash (though I admit I've let it sit a few days before — it eventually dries on its own and doesn't leave a wet spot on the floor).
Every couple of weeks, I empty the dustbin from the dock. This is far more frequently than the advertised 60-day dustbin capacity, but I don't really mind doing it once a fortnight. The dustbin easily pops out from the base, a button releases its contents into the trash, and then it pops right back into the base again. Every month or so, I have to grab a pair of scissors and release the spool of hair that has wound its way around the brush roll. I wish it had a quick release for hair like some other brush rolls I've seen since I'm always paranoid that I'm going to knick the bristles with my scissors, but anyone who has a lot of hair knows that this chore is just a fact of life for any vacuum.
Cons to consider
The hallmark of a good robot vacuum is that it's unobtrusive: you set it to run, and it does its job without bothering you or constantly asking for attention. On most fronts, the Shark does a great job in that department — it empties itself, recharges itself when needed, and operates fairly quietly. However, I'd say once every four or five cleans, it needs some sort of attention because its brush roll is tangled, it's run out of cleaning fluid, or there's something stuck in the intake. This is pretty typical for robot vacuums, but what I find frustrating about the Shark is that it'll verbally announce its issue once and then never again. If you miss the first announcement, you have to play a guessing game of what's wrong with the robot. Curiously, the app usually doesn't help here. I'd expect the app to tell you what's wrong and what you need to do to remedy it. It only does so about half of the time.
I've found that the app, in general, can be buggy. It often inexplicably logs me out. The most current glitch I've been experiencing (and it's been going on for several weeks) is that I often have trouble selecting multiple rooms to clean on my map. I have to close and reopen the app for full map functionality.
The good news is that apps are constantly being updated, so I expect these bugs to be addressed in time.
My other quibbles are that the robot does not self-empty when the wet mop/vac attachment is installed, and the process of changing attachments based on whether you want to mop or not sometimes feels tedious. I'm sure there is a smart way to take a page from the best wet-dry vacuums and combine these functions into one unit.
What are your alternatives?
Shark makes several other robot vacuums, including a Matrix robot vacuum without the self-emptying base and another option without mopping. Surprisingly, neither of these less inclusive options is less expensive than the model I tested. We've also tested the Shark Detect Pro, which is more expensive, but automatically tailors its suction power based on your floor type and the amount of debris it detects. It does not have mopping capabilities, however.
Other robot vacuum brands we've tested and love include Roborock, Eufy, Ecovacs, and iRobot. The comparable models to the Shark Matrix from those brands are the Roborock Q5 Pro+, the Eufy X10 Pro Omni, and the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Omni. We're currently testing the iRobot Roomba Combo J9+, which can switch between vacuuming and mopping without swapping pieces. We're also really excited to test the Eufy S1 Pro when it becomes available; it's supposed to feature a self-cleaning mop roll that automatically lifts up into the body of the robot when it cleans carpets.
The bottom line
Overall, I really love this vacuum and highly recommend it to anyone who struggles to keep their floors clean using a traditional vacuum or mop. It's so satisfying to plop down on the couch after tidying my home and let the robot handle the floors. So far, this is one of the best integrated vacuuming and mopping robots I've seen (though I still think there's more to innovate on here).
With an entry price point of $500 (sometimes dropping to $400 on sale), this is a moderately-priced robot vacuum with a luxury suite of features. If time is money, the Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum will save you thousands in lost cleaning time, and your floors will never look better.
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Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at reviews@businessinsider.com.
