The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
No matter if you have a carpet that is high or low-pile, there’s a robot vacuum for you. These machines are intelligent and can automatically navigate your home, suck up dirt and clean under furniture.
A lot of them come with advanced features, like mapping, which allows them to navigate your home and recall furniture positioning. They can also increase the suction power to take on dirtier surfaces.
iRobot Roomba 694
The iRobot Roomba 694 is a basic robot vacuum that performs well on both carpets with low pile and bare floors. It has good suction and cleans up most debris, though it struggles with bigger debris like sand or rice. It is capable of cleaning pet hair, but it isn’t as resistant to tangling as the premium Roomba models like the j7 and I6.
The Roomba is easy to operate. It has three buttons on its top cover: ‘Clean’ starts an entire cleaning cycle and ‘Dock’ allows it to be put back into its charging station and ‘Spot Clean’ activates a targeted clean. It can be controlled via a smartphone app that lets you schedule and stop/start cycles, as well as adjust settings. You can also pair it with smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-controlled operation.
This vacuum is slower than the others, however it’s still able to get into the most crevices and corners. It comes with a large dust bin that is ideal for reducing the frequency which you need to empty it. It is compatible with digital maps and virtual barriers which let you restrict it to certain areas or stop cleaning altogether if you want to keep it from getting stuck on something.
It’s not the best for its price, however it’s better than the majority of other options. The Roborock E4 is more advanced than the Roomba 694 with a much better cleaning performance on carpets with low and no pile. It also has a longer-lasting battery and a better path. It also feels more durable and has fewer parts that need regular maintenance, is less expensive to own over the course of its life and charges more quickly than the 694.
You should also consider other models from the iRobot range, such as the v7 and the 981. The 981 and v7 are more expensive, but they offer significant improvements in cleaning performance, both on low and bare pile floors. They also have a bigger dirt compartment and charge faster, move more easily and are easier to pair up with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This budget self-emptying robot does a decent job on hard floors as well as carpets with a low pile. Its combinator brush gets to corners and edges, and it automatically increases suction as soon as it senses carpet. It also is effective in cleaning dirt that is embedded in the middle of the pile carpet. The IQ has a tiny footprint and a self-emptying function. If you’d like to change the floor level or set no-go areas, you’ll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ’s app has some advanced mapping and automation features but it’s missing no-go zones, which are available on iRobot models. Its smart-pathing navigation system provides greater maneuverability, and its high-pile carpet cleaning mode cleans well, though it does have a tendency to get caught up in rug tassels. Additionally, its iHome speaker allows you to operate the heavy duty robot vacuum by voice commands.
During our tests, we found that the IQ was able to handle pet hair effectively. It was able to eliminate lots of debris on floors that were not bare, and a fair amount of medium-pile rug. It was less effective with shag carpets, where it had a hard time reaching dirt and dust embedded within the fibers. It was able to navigate the legs of a chair, tiny spaces, and even the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. We did notice that it was a little slower on floors that were not paved, but it regained speed and performed better than the other robots we tested.
The IQ is a better choice over the iRobot Roomba 694 for most uses. It has a larger dustbin, lasts longer on a charge, and is more capable of getting around obstacles. It also has mopping attachments that are able to handle sticky mess. The iRobot, however, feels better constructed and has less components that require replacement or maintenance and incurs fewer cost per year, and can create virtual no-go zones using its companion application. It can continue cleaning where it left off even if the battery is out before it finishes. The iRobot can also be controlled via voice, which is a huge benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The eufy RoboVac 11S isn’t the most feature-rich robot vacuum on the market, but it does offer great cleaning power for a low price. It’s designed for those who don’t require a complex mapping system or an app to control the device. The robot can run for more than an hour and comes with an remote, cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base and extra filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek with an upper deck of tempered glass that covers plastic finished to appear like brushed aluminum. It’s a nice stylistic departure from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more utilitarian and industrial.
In our tests, the eufy 11S was excellent at picking up large particles and fine dust on hard floors. It was unable to thoroughly clean high-pile and medium-pile carpets. The device has a tendency to bump into people and furniture in its route. However, it can detect obstacles using sensors. It stops and emits a loud ring when it encounters an obstruction. You can then manually steer the device around it and restart it.
Another great aspect of the eufy 11S is its BoostIQ mode, which allows you to set the robot to automatically adjust its suction strength to match the floor type and the level of dirt. The remote control makes it simple to direct the 11S to the desired location.
If you don’t have a lot of furniture in the space where you’d like to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an excellent option. The eufy will spend up to 30 minutes cleaning the area it is assigned.
Edge Cleaning is another option that can limit the time spent on each surface to just 20 minutes. This will maximize the battery’s life. With this option, the eufy will move in a spiral pattern taking care of edges and corners for a thorough clean.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range canister robotic vacuum that is a top performer on carpet. Its performance on floors that are not bare is also outstanding. It can pick up fine debris like rice with ease and it doesn’t suffer from suction power even when its dirt bin gets full. Its allergy-friendly design and air-sealed body captures allergens to keep your family healthy. It has an onboard HEPA and self-emptying bin so you don’t need any additional filters or a vacuum bag.
It’s not as powerful as more expensive models, but it’s great for tackling stains and deep cleaning. Its two front cameras deliver live feeds of images on your smartphone, and it has one of the top obstacle avoidance systems we’ve seen. It has a large bin, a long running time and the ability to clean up quickly and without bumps.
Unlike most other robots, unlike most other robots, Complete C1 can switch between two powerheads, a standard one and a turbo head to suit different floor types. The turbo head works best on low-pile or high-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is good for robot vacuum brands bare floors and light carpets. It also has an automatic height adjustment system that allows it to adapt to various types of flooring without manual adjustments.
This model comes with a SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors as well as medium-pile carpeting. The powerhead can be easily maneuvered and can reach hard-to-reach areas. It has five different surface adjustments as well as a brushroll-off switch to prevent tangled hairs.
The Classic C1 has a self cleaning brush roll, the UtraClean Mode that cleans the same area up to three times and a self-emptying dustbin that can be emptied by pressing a button. Its noise level is a little higher than other models however its powerful 1,200-watt motor and robust construction make it worth the extra cost.
If you’re willing to spend some extra money it is the Miele Complete C3 canister Robot vacuum brands vacuum is a great all-around robot vacuum. It performs better on carpets than the Classic C1. It performs better on any type of flooring and is more robustly built, and comes with an HEPA filter.