The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
Whether you've got low or high-pile carpet There's a robot vacuum for you. These smart devices are able to navigate your home on their own, pick up debris and clean under furniture.
They have advanced features like mapping that help you navigate around your home and help you remember where furniture is. They can also increase suction power to clean up areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba by iRobot is a budget-friendly robot vacuum that is effective on both plain flooring and floor carpets with a low pile. It is able to suction well, but struggles with larger debris such as grains of rice or sand. It does a good job cleaning pet hair but is not as resistant to tangling as premium Roomba models like the j7 and I6.
The Roomba 694 is easy to use. It has a trio of buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' launches the cleaning process, 'Dock' puts it back in its charging station, and 'Spot Clean' triggers an targeted clean. It can be controlled via an app on your smartphone which lets you schedule and stop/start cycles, as well as alter settings. It can also be paired with smart home devices like Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-controlled operation.
This vacuum is slower than the others, however it's still able reach the majority of crevices and corners. It comes with a large dust bin that is ideal to reduce the frequency at which you need to empty it. It's compatible with digital maps and virtual barriers, which allow you to restrict it to certain areas or stop cleaning altogether in order to prevent it from getting stuck on something.
It's not the best in its price, but it's still better than the majority of other options. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning efficiency than the Roomba 694 and it is able to clean both low-pile and bare carpets. It also follows a more efficient cleaning path and has longer battery life. It is also more robust, has fewer components that require regular maintenance, and costs less over its lifetime, and charges faster than 694.
You may also want to consider other models from the iRobot range, including the v7 or 981. The 981 and v7 are both more expensive, but they offer significant improvements in cleaning performance both on low and bare pile floors. They also have a bigger dirt compartment, charge faster, move more easily, and are easier to pair up with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner does a great job on carpets with low piles and hard flooring. Its combinator brush gets to the edges and corners and automatically increases suction when it senses carpet. It also does a great job of cleaning dirt on carpets in the middle of the pile. The IQ's compact dock footprint and self-emptying feature are nice touches. If you'd like to change the floor level or set areas that are not allowed to be used, you'll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ's app has some advanced mapping and automation capabilities however, it's not able to access no-go zones, which are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing system of the app permits for better maneuverability and the high-pile feature of its carpet cleaning mode is efficient but it could get caught on rug tassels.
During our tests, we observed that the IQ was able to handle pet hair effectively. It was able to get rid of the majority of hair on floors that were not bare and a decent amount of medium-pile rug. It was less effective on shag carpets, where it had a hard time reaching dirt and dust embedded within 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 floors that were not paved but it was able to recover speed and was more efficient than the other robots that we evaluated.
The IQ is a better option over the iRobot Roomba 694 for most applications. It has a bigger dust bin, lasts longer on a charge and does a better job of moving itself over obstacles. It also comes with a mopping attachment that can deal with sticky mess. The iRobot on the other hand feels more sturdy, has fewer components that need maintenance or replacement and incurs fewer cost per year, and can create virtual no go zones with its companion application. It can even resume cleaning from where it left off in case it has run out of battery before it has completed the task. The iRobot can also be controlled using voice commands, which is a major benefit 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 affordable prices. It's designed for those who don't require a complex mapping system or app to control the device. The robot is capable of running for up to an hour and includes the remote, a cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek, and features a tempered-glass upper deck that appears like the brushed appearance of aluminum. It's a nice change from the utilitarian and industrial designs of Roomba, Samsung and Neato.
The eufy11S was successful in our tests at removing larger particles and fine dust from floors. It struggled to deep clean high-pile and medium-pile carpets. The device is prone to bump into people and furniture in its route. However, it is able to detect obstacles with sensors. It stops and emits a loud noise when it encounters an obstruction. It is then possible to manually steer the device around it to restart it.
Another excellent feature of the eufy 11S is its BoostIQ mode that allows you to set the robot to automatically adjust the strength of its suction to match the floor type and the level of the mess. It's also simple to use the remote to direct the 11S where you want it to move.
Single Room Mode is a great alternative if you have a small amount of furniture in the area you want to vacuum. The eufy will take 30 minutes intensely cleaning the area it is assigned to.
You can also opt for Edge Cleaning which restricts the amount of time in each area to 20 minutes for maximum battery life. This option allows the eufy to move in a spiraling pattern cleaning edges and corners.
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 carpets with no floor is also impressive. It can pick up rice and other small particles effortlessly. The suction power doesn't diminish as the dirt bin fills. Its air-sealed and allergy-friendly design traps allergens to keep your family safe. It comes with an onboard HEPA and self-emptying bin so you don't need any additional filters or vacuum bags.
It's not as powerful as the more expensive models, but it's still excellent for dealing with dirt and deep cleaning. The two cameras on the front of the unit provide a live image feed on your smartphone, and it has one of the best obstacle avoidance systems we've ever seen. It also has a large dustbin, a long running time, and a fast and smooth clean-up.
Contrary to other robots unlike other robots, the Complete C1 can switch between two powerheads, a standard one and a turbo head to accommodate different types of floors. The turbo head is ideal for low-pile and high-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is great on unfinished floors and light carpets. It also has an automatic height adjustment system that allows it to adapt to different kinds of flooring, without manual adjustments.
The model comes with an SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and carpeting with a medium pile. The powerhead can be easily moved and can reach hard-to-reach areas. It has five levels of surface adjustment and an off-brush switch to prevent hairs from getting tangled.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll, an UtraClean mode that moves around the same area three times for the best cleaning and mopping robot possible clean, and a self-emptying dustbin that can be emptied with the push of the button. The noise level is slightly higher than some other models however its powerful 1,200-watt motor and solid construction make it well worth the extra expense.
If you're willing a bit more it's worth it. Miele Complete C3 is an excellent all-round canister robot vacuum that is more effective on carpet than the Classic C1. It is better suited for all kinds of floors, is more solidly constructed and comes with an HEPA filter.