Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni robot vacuum and mop review: more than a gimmick

The Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni robot vacuum’s claim to fame is its hot water mop pad washing. While it seems like a minor thing to hang your hat on, it does actually work (with some slightly gross side effects). But, it does much more than add this feature.

In fact, its performance is on par with many of the best robot vacuums whether it’s vacuuming or mopping. I appreciate the intuitive nature of the app and the solid mapping of this robot vacuum as well. It does have some issues that are specific to it.

For instance, you’re going to pay for that hot water mop pad washing. And, it creates a lot of dirty water that needs to be emptied regularly. But, it still has its place, making cleaning generally much more convenient.

I’ll let you decide whether it’s the best vacuum for you, but it’s not a hard one to recommend, especially if you use it in an area with mostly hard flooring. While Ecovacs vacuums often get a nice sale, the going price of the DEEBOT T20 Omni is not cheap. At $1,099.

99 / £951. 65 / AU$1,799, it vies for flagship status alongside models like the iRobot Roomba Combo J7 Plus , a very highly rated and expensive model that also adds in mopping. At the very least, this Ecovacs vacuum is widely available unlike the US-only Yeedi Cube .

However, the Yeedi Cube offers vacuuming and mopping for a relatively cheaper price of $699 (about £559 / about AU$1,054), not to mention that it’s regularly on sale as well. Considering how expensive the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni is, it’s surprising that it doesn’t come with any cleaning solution. If you want to buy that as well, you’ll have to spend an extra $27.

99 / £23. 99 / AU$28. The Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni comes in a white and silver colorway with an all-white self-emptying charging station.

The robot vacuum itself is of the circular variety that somewhat differentiates itself visually from other models by the fact that there’s a removable top plate which hides the dustbin – most robot vacuums have the dustbin accessible in the back of the unit. It also has two side brushes to sweep debris in front of it compared to the single side brush many come with. While there’s just a single brushroll underneath, there’s up to 6000Pa of suction, which is more than enough, as we’ll discuss in the next section.

More uniquely, most robot vacuums that can mop use a single pad that’s dragged along the floor. Instead of going that route, Ecovacs has included two circular pads for mopping duties that actually rotate and apply downward pressure when in use. Plus, they can raise off the floor when needed, such as when in vacuum only mode or it goes over carpeting.

A big part of the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni’s design (and price) is that self-emptying charging station. It’s pretty large, about 22 and a half inches tall (57cm) and 17 inches wide (43cm) – certainly not ideal for smaller spaces. However, it’s big for a reason.

It contains four liter clean and dirty water tanks for not only mopping but for cleaning the mop pads as this particular station uses hot water to remove oil and stains. This feature is apparently unique to the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni. The charging station will also dry the mop pads as well as automatically empty the contents from the robot vacuum’s dustbin so you don’t have to clean it out between cleaning sessions.

While the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni is not unique in the fact that it both vacuums and mops, it’s a bit rarer in that it does both well. I’ve seen robot vacuums that have added mopping as a bit of an afterthought, and so end up leaving streaks and uneven results. That’s not the case here as the Ecovacs easily vacuums up dirt, debris, and lots of pet hair and does in an orderly pattern so it gets every inch.

Since the mopping pads apply downward pressure and spin, they actually scrub the floors. I ran it once after a dog had stepped in some poop and tracked it through the foyer. While major remnants had been cleaned up, the floor was still far from clean.

After a pass from the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni, there was no sign of any mess. While this robot vacuum does a good job of vacuuming and mopping, it does have the issue that all robot vacuums seem to have to a certain degree, it doesn’t do so well getting edges and corners. In fact, there’s a mode to improve that in the app but the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni will only do it once every seven days and only in auto or housekeeping mode.

When it comes to object avoidance, the execution is a little above average. It can avoid larger obstacles and doesn’t get stuck on any venting, but still gets tangled on cables and cords. While that’s worth noting, it’s also an issue that robot vacuums inherently have, just like the mediocre edge cleaning.

Back on the positive side, the hot water mop pad washing is a nice addition. It does mean that cleaning four rooms takes a couple hours to do as the robot vacuum regularly returns to the charging station to not only replenish on clean water, but to clean the pads properly. Having emptied the dirty water tank multiple times since I’ve started testing it, I can say that whatever is being washed out of the pads makes me wonder how clean the floors are when using other mopping robot vacuums that don’t have their mopping pads regularly washed.

Here, the base station does it for you. The only downside to it is that you have to empty the dirty water tank every few uses as it fills rather quickly. When first using the Ecovacs app, you have to scan the QR code on the robot vacuum for setup.

It’s a fairly intuitive process, much like using the app in general, and is followed by the robot vacuum scanning your space to create a map. Possibly one of my favorite parts of the app is the fact that once the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni has mapped out the space, the app has intelligently and automatically segmented it into rooms, requiring minimal effort on your end (it did combine two rooms due to an open-floor layout). On top of that, you can view the map in 2D or 3D.

Beyond its mapping capabilities, adjusting cleaning strength, combination of vacuuming and/or mopping, and which areas to clean is straightforward. And, if you do any menu diving, you can adjust how wet the mop pads get, the interval at which the robot vacuum returns to the station to clean the mop pads, and a whole lot more. There really isn’t anything missing.

If there’s one quibble, it’s the fact that despite this robot vacuum’s support for Alexa and Google voice assistant, only settings for its own voice assistant, Yiko, is easy to find within the app. So, integration with Alexa is a bit less intuitive (you have to go through the Alexa app to set up). At least, Yiko is very responsive whenever I ask it to clean a particular room or go back to the charging station.

While the battery life is rated at 190 minutes, you’ll probably never see the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni run for that long. Whenever I ask it to clean everything, it will go for maybe ten or fifteen minutes and then return to the base station to empty the contents, clean the mop pads, and charge back up. Even if you manage to have it run for that long, 190 minutes is very good for robot vacuums.

Many very good models last between 100 – 120 minutes. Still, the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni whenever it needs to so you don’t have to worry about running it, charging it, and then running it again. You want stellar mopping Between the hot water mop pad washing and mop pads that actually spin and apply downward pressure, you’ll end up with very clean floors.

You want voice assistant support Whether it’s Ecovac’s own assistant or Alexa / Google +, you can use this vacuum completely hands-free, making the Evocavs DEEBOT T20 Omni even more convenient. You want no-hassle mapping Mapping is hit-or-miss between different robot vacuums. Thankfully, it’s on point here.

So, if you want something that does a great job and requires little map-editing, then consider this model. You’re on a budget It might have a reasonable price for what it offers, but the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni is still expensive. You can spend much less and still get decent vacuuming and mopping capabilities.

You don’t care about mopping While mopping is a nice feature, it might not be something you care about. If your space is mostly carpeted, for example, you’re better off with something that focuses on just vacuuming. Not sold on the prowess of the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni? Below are a couple of alternatives that you can consider.

Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base This Shark 2-in-1 robot vacuum might be expensive, but it’s cheap compared to many alternatives with a self-emptying base station. It also does a good job cleaning, not to mention that the app is a pleasure to use. However, battery life and charging is a bit disappointing.

Read our full Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum and Mop with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base review Yeedi Cube The Yeedi Cube does a good job vacuuming and mopping, while offering self-emptying capabilities, all for a lower price than many robot vacuums that automatically suction both debris and dirty water into the base station. However, the mapping is a bit underwhelming. Read our full Yeedi Cube review To test the Ecovacs DEEBOT T20 Omni, I used it for a couple weeks to vacuum and mop the hardwood floors in my house.

I also tested all the features listed in the app, from mapping to different levels of cleaning. I took note of how well the vacuum cleaned the edges of a room as well as around obstacles, not to mention running it over different surfaces including two different types of hard flooring and carpeting. I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years from air fryers and vacuum cleaners to laptops and audio equipment, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.

I also make sure that when I reviewed, I hold up a product to what it’s supposed to do and whether it’s worth the price. Read more about how we test First reviewed December 2023.