The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
There's a robot that can be found for all carpet types, regardless of whether it's high-pile or low-pile. These smart appliances automatically navigate your home, suck up dirt and clean under furniture.
Many of them have advanced features, such as mapping, which helps them navigate your home and recall furniture positioning. They also can increase the suction power in order to clean up surfaces that are dirtier.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba by iRobot is a basic robot vacuum that performs well on both floors that are unfinished and carpets with low pile. It has a good suction however it has trouble with larger debris like grains of rice or sand. It does a good job cleaning pet hair but is not as resistant to knots as premium Roomba models such as the I6 and j7.
The Roomba 694 is easy to use. It has a trio of buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' initiates the cleaning process and 'Dock' places it back into its charging station and 'Spot Clean' initiates an targeted clean. It can be controlled with an app for smartphones that lets you schedule and stop/start cycles, and also adjust settings. It can also be paired with smart home devices like Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-controlled operation.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than other models, but it can reach most corners and crevices. It has a large dustbin that is ideal for reducing the frequency with which you must empty it. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers which allows you to make the robot avoid certain areas or stop cleaning altogether to prevent it from getting stuck.
It's not the most effective in its price range 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 with low and no pile. It also follows a more efficient cleaning path and has longer battery life. It is also more comfortable to use, has fewer parts that need regular maintenance, is less expensive to own over its lifetime and charges faster than the 694.
It is also worth considering other models in the iRobot range, such as the v7 and the 981. They're more expensive, but they offer significant improvements over the 694 in terms of cleaning performance on both low- and bare floors, follow an efficient cleaning path, have a bigger dirt compartment, are quicker to charge, can move more easily, and are more easy to connect with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robot with a budget does an okay job on hard floors and carpets with a low pile. Its combinator brush gets to corners and edges and then automatically boosts suction once it senses carpet. It also excels at cleaning dirt and debris that are embedded in the middle of the pile carpet. The IQ's small footprint for docks and the self-emptying feature are great features. However, if you wish to change the floor levels on the map, or set no-go zones, you'll need to manually reset it in order to do so, which is quite an inconvenience.
The IQ app offers some advanced mapping and automated functions, however it does not have no-go zones. They are only available on iRobot robots. Its smart-pathing navigational system results in greater maneuverability and its high-pile carpet cleaning mode cleans well, but it does have a tendency to get caught up in rug tassels. Its iHome speaker lets you control the robot using voice commands.
In our tests, we found that the IQ was able to handle pet hair effectively. It was able to remove the majority of hair on floors that were not bare and a good amount of medium-pile rug. It was less efficient on shag carpets, which was a struggle to reach dirt and dust embedded in the fibers. It was capable of maneuvering the legs of chairs and tight spaces, as well as the wooden base of an IKEA step stool. It was a bit slower on floors that were not paved, but it regained speed and performed better than other robots we tested.
The IQ is a more suitable option for most users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a bigger dustbin, a longer battery life and is better in navigating around obstacles. It also comes with a mopping attachment that can deal with sticky mess. The iRobot is, on the other hand feels better constructed, has fewer components that require maintenance or replacement, incurs less ongoing costs, and can even create virtual no-go zones using its companion app. It can continue cleaning from the point it started, even if its battery runs out before it finishes. The iRobot is also controlled by voice, which can be an enormous benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S eufy robot vacuum isn't one of the most advanced models, but it provides powerful cleaning power at affordable prices. This robot vacuum is designed for budget-conscious consumers who don't need a complex mapping system, or an app to control it. This robot will last for over an hour. It includes a remote control, cleaning tool, and AC power adapter.
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 departure from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more practical and industrial.
In our tests, the eufy 11S was very effective in removing larger particles and fine dust on hard flooring. It struggled to deep clean carpets with high and medium piles. It is also prone to hit furniture and people in its path however, it's able detect these obstacles using sensors. If it encounters them it stops and lets out a loud beep so you can manually steer it around the obstacle and get back to vacuum mop robot cleaner work.
Another excellent aspect 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 type of floor and the level of mess. The remote control makes it simple to direct the 11S to the desired area.
Single Room Mode is a great option if you have little furniture in the space you want to vacuum. The eufy will spend 30 minutes cleaning the area it's assigned to.
You can also select Edge Cleaning that restricts the amount of time spent in each area to 20 minutes to ensure optimal battery life. This option allows the eufy to move in a spiraling pattern by cleaning edges and corners.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range canister robotic vacuum that can be a great performer on carpet. Its performance on floors that are not bare is also exceptional. It is able to remove rice and other fine debris easily. The suction power doesn't diminish when the dirt bin is full. Its air-sealed and allergy-friendly design traps allergens, keeping your family healthy. It uses an onboard HEPA filter and a self-emptying dustbin, which means you won't need to purchase additional filters or a separate bag for your vacuum.
It's not as powerful as the more expensive models, but it's ideal for deep cleaning and taking on the toughest stains. The two cameras on the front of the unit provide live images to your smartphone, and it features one of the best obstacles-avoiding systems we've seen. It comes with a large bin, a long running time and an easy, bump-free clean-up.
The Complete C1 is unlike most robots because it can switch between the standard head and turbo head for various kinds of flooring. The turbo head works best with high-pile or low-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is suitable for floors with no flooring and light rug. It also comes with an automated height adjustment system, which allows it to easily adapt to different types of flooring without any manual adjustments.
This model is bundled with the SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead, which can be used on both carpets with a hard surface and carpets with a medium pile. The powerhead is also easy to move and can get into difficult spots. It has five levels of surface adjustment and a switch that lets you turn off the brushroll to prevent hairs from getting tangled.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll, an UtraClean mode that goes back and forth over the same area three times to give the best cleaning possible, and a self-emptying dustbin which can be filled with the touch of the button. The noise level of this model is more pronounced than other models. However, its powerful motor with 1,200 watts and sturdy construction justify the additional cost.
If you don't mind spending some extra money it is the Miele Complete C3 canister robot vacuum is an excellent all-around robot vacuum. It is more effective on carpets than the Classic C1. It is better suited for all kinds of floors and is built more securely and comes with an HEPA filter.