updated: January 05, 2023

How smart is the iRobot Braava Jet m6 robot floor mop? And is it a smart investment? Find out in our detailed review.

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Our rating: 9.1
Price: Average

The iRobot Braava Jet m6 may look like a simple little box. But in reality, it’s an extensively upgraded version of the Jet 240. The Jet m6 is a tech lover’s kind of mop, complete with mobile app control and Alexa /Google Home voice commands. It’s also versatile, acting as both a dust mop and a wet mop.

iRobot Braava is the compact model of a robot mop
iRobot Braava is the versatile model, acting as both a dust mop and a wet mop.

So, what’s the catch? Like every other product on the market, the Jet m6 has its limitations. One being price. It’s an expensive little machine, so you’ll have to decide if all its features are worth it to keep you from dragging out the mop and bucket so often.

What’s in the box

When you unbox your Jet m6, you should find the following:

  • iRobot Braava Jet m6 robot mop (duh)
  • 2 wet mop pads
  • 2 dry mop pads
  • Charging dock with power cord
  • Sample size of Braava Jet Hard Floor Cleaning Solution

One of the smartest features on this mop occurs when you attach the cleaning pads. The robot mop knows which pad you put on it and will start the cleaning cycle based on that pad – either a dry sweep or a wet mop cycle.

You should find these items in the box
iRobot Braava Jet m6 unboxed.

These pads are disposable, however, so you’re not going to get a lot of use out of them. There are washable pads available. The only issues there are that they’re pricey and also gray, which somewhat camouflages all that satisfying dirt and grime the pad has picked up.

The manufacturer recommends using only water and the Braava Jet Hard Floor Cleaning Solution. If anything happens to your machine while you’re using a different cleaner, it may void the warranty. Consider yourself warned.

Braava Jet m6 design and size

  • Dimensions: 10.6” W x 10.6” L x 3.5”H
  • Weight: 4.85 pounds
  • Warranty: 1-year limited

An entirely white body with gray, black, and silver accents give this mop a modern, techy appeal. The m6 has a maximized edge design (it’s square) to help it better reach corners, under furniture, and along edges. It’s not very tall so it can get under most toe kicks in the kitchen and bathroom.

Stephen A. Hancock - Cleaning Expert
You will need a good WiFi and bluetooth connection to get this app (and those of other robotic appliances) synced to your devices.
Stephen A. Hancock
Robotics Expert

There are 3 onboard buttons to power it on, tell it to clean, or go to the charging dock. More advanced controls are available through the iRobot HOME app.

What makes the Braava Jet m6 so smart

It’s good at geography

At least when it comes to mapping out your home. With iAdapt 3.0 Navigation with Imprint Smart Mapping, the m6 learns, maps, and adapts to your home. This allows it to know exactly where it needs to go, even in complicated layouts, so it’s not wandering in circles like lost shoppers in a mall parking lot on Black Friday. It also keeps the robot from hitting furniture and walls.

With the app, you can choose different zones and name them. So when you click “kitchen”, it’ll go right there and get busy. The more it travels, the better it learns the area so it can keep up with where it’s already cleaned vs. where it hasn’t. You can even set Keep Out Zones and virtual walls so it won’t try to mop pet beds, shoes, power cords, etc.

The m6 learns, maps, and adapts to your home.
It could take a few rounds for m6 to get maps right but it learns and adapts to your home.

Yes, this may take a few rounds to get it right, so be patient with m6. He’s just a little robot.

Now, what he does struggle with is dark flooring. The cliff sensors that keep the m6 from falling down stairs tend to freak out when they come across black tile floors or black patterns on rugs. It just won’t go over some of these areas. It also struggles in rooms that are too dark, so don’t expect it to work the night shift while you sleep.

It listens

Pair your m6 up with Alexa or Google Home Assistant. Once you’ve named the particular zones in your house, you can say, “Braava, clean my kitchen (bathroom, hallway, etc.).” And off it will go like a good little soldier.

Conserves water

A generous 15 oz. (540 ml) reservoir holds enough water to mop multiple rooms without wasting water. The tank is accessible from the top of the robot and removable for easy refilling.

The tank holds enough water to mop multiple rooms without wasting water and easily accessible.

The precision jet spray sprays water where you want it – on the sticky messes and grime rather than all over the cabinets, furniture and walls. Oh, and get this – you can adjust the amount of spray from full to half, which is better for some floors.

The iRobot app will alert you when it’s time to refill the tank. For those of you with particularly big rooms, you may find yourself having to refill the tank mid-cycle, which is kind of a pain if you want it to mop while you’re out of the house.

Knows when to relax

Braava Jet m6 automatically returns to the charging dock to juice up.

When the cycle is complete or if the battery runs low mid-cycle, the m6 will automatically return to the charging dock to juice up. This robot mop can cover up to 1,000 square feet in one cycle. Dry mopping, of course, covers more ground per charge.

The only big downside is the battery life isn’t as long as comparable robot mops. It will run for 30 – 60 minutes depending on which cycle and cleaning modes you use.

If it recharges during a cycle, it will go to the last place it cleaned and start mopping again.

Plays well with others

You'll never have to touch wet, dirty pads.

If you happen to be the proud owner of a Roomba i7 or Roomba S9, with Imprint Link, you can pair the m6 with either of them for a cool vacuum/mop duo.

You do this through the iRobot HOME app (of course) by choosing a specific area or room to clean. The vacuum will be the first to deploy. Once it’s done the deed and come back to its dock, the m6 will set out to mop the freshly vacuumed floor.

How’s that for smart?

When it’s done mopping, just press the pad release button over your garbage can or washing machine, and you’ll never have to touch the wet, dirty pads.

What are customers saying about it

They love all the control they have via the iRobot HOME app, especially the ability to set specific cleaning zones. Other customer praises include how the m6 automatically detects which cleaning pad you’ve attached to it and that it returns to the charging dock on its own.

Stephen A. Hancock - Cleaning Expert
Robot mops should only be used on completely sealed floors. Unsealed wood floors (like hardwood) should not be wet-mopped.
Stephen A. Hancock
Robotics Expert

Besides not doing well on dark floors, several customers said their mops wouldn’t cross thresholds that were higher than 3 mm. If you have continuous flooring, that won’t be an issue. Some people thought it left too many visible streaks on darker floors and left too much moisture on wood floors.

Is the Braava Jet m6 worth the cost

For tech lovers who aren’t on a tight budget and those with good WiFi connections, the m6 will probably become one of your favorite cleaning buddies. It will do especially well if you have rooms with continuous sealed flooring that’s not too dark.

PROS

    PROS:

  • Excellent, customizable navigation
  • Easy to set zones and virtual barriers
  • WiFi connectivity through smartphone, Alexa, and Google Home
  • Precision water spray
  • Auto detects the type of cleaning pad
  • Auto return to charging dock
  • Pairs with Roomba i7 or S9 for vacuum/mop combo
Thumbs-up
CONS

    CONS:

  • Expensive
  • Doesn’t navigate well on very dark floors or in dim light
  • May leave streaks on darker flooring
  • Battery life per charge is relatively short
  • Comes with only 4 disposable pads
  • Washable pads are pricey
  • Has trouble going over thresholds higher than 3mm
Thumbs-down
Optional accessories
Braava jet m Series Washable Pads Multi-Pack, (1 Wet & 1 Dry Pad)
Includes 1 wet and 1 dry washable pad. Only compatible with Braava Jet m6.
Braava Jet Hard Floor Cleaning Solution, Compatible with all Braava Robot Mops
16 oz. Ideal for all sealed hard floors. Compatible with all Braava robot mops.
Author
Stephen A. Hancock received his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (Robotics Track) from University of Utah in 2004. Since then, he’s contributed to numerous articles and has been a consultant for many technical publications and websites.

image description Comments
James John
May 14, 2022 at 4:41 pm

The Roomba is a fantastic product.
Unfortunately the Braava is not.
For some strange reason the company has given it a different navigation system to the Roomba and as a consequence it behaves like a teenage child and not doing what you want it to do.
The key issue is that it won’t operate on a dark floors and it will not go over the same thresholds that the Roomba gets over with ease
Worryingly the company doesn’t disclose these fact on the pre-sales blurb.
Not worth the money unless you have a home where the floors are white and there are no raised thresholds
IRobot need a complete overhaul of this product.

Marilyn G
March 1, 2022 at 3:19 pm

My mop pads get so wet that the cardboard holding it on, breaks off and I cant keep using the pad.

richard stevens
December 20, 2021 at 5:43 pm

Ive sent my m6 back after a 30 day trial. The roomba hoovers are great (have an i3), but the mop is entirely useless. Constantly getting stuck on open floors, getting stuck on rugs. Refusing to start. Unable to dock.. etc etc On the rare occasion it does clean anything, it tends to just shift the dirt around really, and then say it’s completed after doing a tiny area.

I’m sure the reviews for these are gamed, as they get 4/5 stars everywhere, but you read the comments and it seems that most people agree they are junk.

Lee J Morris
February 2, 2022 at 2:47 am

I absolutely love mine, it recognizes carpets, thresholds and even my open staircases!

james john
May 14, 2022 at 4:43 pm

absolutely agree. the Roomba is great. The Braava is is a 0/9 as it has so many issues

Jim Shu
October 19, 2021 at 11:59 pm

I just got an Irobot 5. It SUCKS. The battery doesn’t last more than 15 minutes. I tried calling customer support. Got through after 1 hour only to get ignorant customer service rep. Got a supervisor who said she will send me a new battery but I need the serial number. Have tried calling from home with the s/n twice. First time on hold > 1 hour. I am currently on hold and have been for more than an hour. I hope all of those that are giving a good review need to contact customer support sometime – that’ll change your mind about this company.

Lee J Morris
February 2, 2022 at 2:48 am

Mine runs for 3 1/2 hours??

Rebecca McAllister
November 22, 2022 at 12:35 pm

That’s a shame. I have the J7 and the Brave M6 and they are both fantastic! I have 7 people living at home, 2 inside poodles and 2 cats and they have made my life so much easier! I’m a cleaner and love not having to do my own floors. My floor is uneven as it’s slate but I also have bamboo floors and lots of rugs down. I don’t find my robots get stuck at all. Prehaps that’s because the J7 is so fantastic at mapping and those maps are shared with the brava mop. The only improvement I would love to see is the mop also having a light so it can navigate in the dark like my J7

MALKA HAMADANI
April 11, 2021 at 8:38 pm

i was bought this device since Sep 2020 and when i bought it from the m as any device from any store in USA there is will be return policy for whole year and i can return it but from this website if you bought and its the official site for this unhelp protect it told you you can return it for whole year but after you bought the device and spend a lot of money they trick you and when you called leas this time it tell you oh sorry you Can’t return it because in this policy you will need to return it before 2 months ONLY!!! otherwise your money will be GONE??? its fake company want just to sell this device for you and NO money back

Hugh Turner-banks
March 28, 2021 at 6:51 pm

Got two of this crap and both can’t climb on their own base , returned them got another one the black and gold one and the same issue. Not worth it.

David
February 11, 2021 at 11:35 pm

The rating is much too high. I have 4 Roomba robots and there is no comparison to their effectiveness. The m6 “mapping” runs do not just map , it’s still spraying once per 2-4 ft strip of flooring mopped. Mapping is really slow . My new unit has been out 4 times. 3 of the 4 times it ran out of battery power without returning to base for a recharge. It got stuck on a low pile oriental rug edge, and a chair leg that never would have held up a Roomba. It’s VERY SLOW. The claim that it cleans 1,000 sq ft on a full charge is misleading.

richard stevens
December 20, 2021 at 5:48 pm

I had exactly the same experience – spraying when it should be mapping, never finishing (or resuming) a map. Really poor cleaning, forever getting stuck both randomly on clear floor, and every time on a doormat.. These units are complete junk.

Harjit S. Batra
December 5, 2020 at 11:57 pm

Bought this before reading all the reviews, including the one about thresholds higher than 3mm and that was a big disappointment in my case. We have an open floor plan, with many different hard floor types (marble, tile, hardwood and linoleum) and carpeted areas on the lower level of our house. The transition points between most of these areas is a gently rounded wood threshold (about an inch wide and about 2 – 3 mm high at the highest point). The Braava M6 is woefully incapable of managing this transition making it a very poor cousin to the Roomba s9+ vacuum which easily goes over these thresholds almost as if they didn’t exist. Quite disappointed with the Braava Jet M6 as a result!

Karl van cauwenberge
June 27, 2020 at 11:23 am

Don.t rate is 9,9 when listing so many cons.

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