The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
There's a robot to suit every carpet type, whether it's high-pile or low-pile. These intelligent appliances can navigate through your home, pick up dirt and clean under furniture.
They have advanced features like mapping that help them navigate through your home and remember where furniture is. They can also increase suction power to clean up areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba 694 from iRobot is a robot vacuum for entry-level use that is able to work on carpets with low pile and bare floors. It has good suction and cleans most debris, however it struggles with larger particles such as rice or sand. It also does a good job of cleaning pet hair, but it's not immune to tangling like top Roomba models like the j7 or I6.
The Roomba is easy to use. It has three buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' starts an entire cleaning cycle and 'Dock' places it back into its charging station and 'Spot Clean' triggers the targeted cleaning. You can control it using a smartphone application that allows you to schedule cycles, stop/start them, and alter settings. It is also possible to pair the device with smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant to control it by voice commands.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than others, but can still get into the most crevices and corners. It has a huge dust bin which is ideal to reduce the frequency at which you need to empty it. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers, which allow you to make the robot avoid certain areas or stop cleaning completely to stop it from getting stuck.
It's not the top in its price, but it's still better than most other options. The Roborock E4 is more advanced than the Roomba 694 with superior cleaning performance for carpets that are low and bare. It also has the most efficient cleaning method and has a longer battery life. It is also more comfortable to use and has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, costs less to own over its lifetime and charges faster than the 694.
You should also consider other models within the iRobot range, including the v7 and the 981. The v7 and 981 are more expensive but have significant improvements in cleaning performance, for both bare and low pile floors. They also have a larger dirt compartment they charge faster, can 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 and low-pile carpet. Its combination brush reaches corners and edges, and it automatically increases suction when it spots carpet. It also is effective in cleaning dirt embedded in carpets that are mid-pile. The IQ has a small footprint and has a self-emptying feature. If you'd like to change the floor level or set no-go areas, you'll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ app offers some advanced mapping and automated functions, however it lacks no-go zones. These are available only on iRobot robots. Its smart-pathing navigational system results in greater maneuverability, and its high-pile carpet mode cleans well, though it is prone to get caught up in rug tassels. Its iHome speaker lets you control the robot with voice commands.
In our tests, we observed that the IQ was able to handle pet hair effectively. It was able to get rid of lots of debris on floors that were unfinished and a decent amount of medium-pile rug. It was a little less effective on shag carpet, where it struggled to get at dirt and dust that was embedded in the fibers. It was able to maneuver the legs of a chair, tiny spaces as well as the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a bit slower on flooring that was not fully covered however, it was able to recover speed and did better than other robots we test.
The IQ is a better choice for the majority of users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a bigger dustbin and a longer battery life and is more adept at navigating obstacles. It also comes with a mopping attachment that can handle sticky mess. The iRobot however, feels more sturdy, has fewer components that require maintenance or replacement, incurs less recurring costs, can create virtual no-go zones with its companion application. It can even restart a cleaning session from where it left off in case it has run out of battery before finishing the job. The iRobot can be controlled by voice commands, which is a huge plus for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S robotic vacuum isn't one of the most feature-rich models, but it provides powerful cleaning power at an affordable price. The RoboVac 11S is designed for budget-conscious consumers who don't need a complex mapping system, or even an application to control it. The robot can run for a long time and includes the remote, a cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base and extra filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek and has a tempered-glass upper deck that looks like brushed aluminum. It's a nice departure from the utilitarian and industrial designs of Roomba, Samsung and Neato.
The eufy11S performed well in our tests of removing larger particles and fine dust from hard floors. It was unable to thoroughly clean carpets with high and medium piles. The device has a tendency to hit furniture and people along its path. However, it can detect obstacles with sensors. When it comes across them, it halts and emits an alarm so get more info that you can manually steer it around the obstacle and then get it back to work.
Another fantastic feature of the eufy 11S is its BoostIQ mode, which allows you to set the robot to automatically adjust its suction strength to match floor type and the level of dirt. It's also simple to use the remote to direct the 11S to where you'd like it to move.
If you don't have many furniture in the area you're looking to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an excellent alternative. The eufy will take 30 minutes cleaning the area it's assigned.
Edge Cleaning is another option that limits the time spent on each surface to 20 minutes. This will extend the battery's life. This feature allows the eufy to move in a spiraling pattern, cleaning corners and edges.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range canister robot vacuum that is a top performer on carpet. Its performance on bare floors is also exceptional. It can remove small particles like rice effortlessly and doesn't lose suction performance even as its dirt bin gets full. Its design that is allergy-friendly and sealed with air traps allergens and keeps your family healthy. It comes with an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying bin, so you don't have to buy additional filters or a separate bag for your vacuum.
It's not as effective as more expensive models, but is still excellent for deep cleaning and fighting staining. It has two front cameras that provide live feeds to your smartphone. It also comes with one of the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems. It has a huge bin, a long runtime and an easy, bump-free clean-up.
The Complete C1 is unlike most robots because it can switch between the standard head and turbo for different types of flooring. The turbo head works best with high-pile or low-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is ideal for bare floors and light carpets. It also has an automatic height adjustment system that allows it to adapt to different types flooring without manual adjustments.
This model is bundled with the SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead, which can be used on carpets with a hard surface and carpets with a medium pile. The powerhead is also easy to maneuver and can be used to reach difficult areas. It comes with five different adjustments to the surface and a switch that stops the brushroll to prevent tangled hairs.
The Classic C1 has a self cleaning brush roll as well as a UtraClean Mode that cleans the same area up to three times, and a self-emptying dustbin that you can empty by pressing a button. Its noise level is a little higher than that of other models however, its powerful 1,200-watt motor as well as solid construction make it well worth the extra expense.
If you're willing to pay a bit more then the Miele Complete C3 is an excellent all-round canister robot vacuum that is more effective on carpet than the Classic C1. It performs better on all kinds of floors, is more solidly constructed and comes with an HEPA filter.