Watch Out: What Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet Is Taking Over And What Can We Do About It
The Best Robot Vacuum For CarpetThere's a robot to suit every carpet type, whether it's high-pile or low-pile. These smart devices navigate your home automatically and pick up dirt and clean under furniture.
Many of them have advanced features, such as mapping, which allows them to navigate your home and remember furniture positioning. They can also increase suction power to clean up areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The iRobot Roomba is an entry level robot vacuum that is effective on both plain flooring and carpets with low pile. It has a decent suction and can clean most debris, however it isn't able to handle larger debris like rice or sand. It also does a decent job of removing pet hair, but it's not impervious to tangling as premium Roomba models like the I6 or j7.
The Roomba 694 is easy to use. It has three buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' launches a cleaning cycle and 'Dock' places it back into its charging station, and 'Spot Clean' initiates a targeted clean. You can control it using a smartphone application that allows you to schedule cycles, stop and start the cycle and change settings. You can also pair the device with smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant to control it by voice.
This vacuum cleaner is slower than some others, but can still be able to reach the majority of corners and crevices. It has a big bin, which makes it easier to empty. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers which allows you to program the robot to stay out of certain areas or stop cleaning altogether to prevent it from becoming stuck.
It's not the most effective for its price, however it's better than the majority of other options. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning capability than the Roomba 694, and it is able to clean both carpets with a low pile and bare. It also has the most efficient cleaning method and has a longer battery life. It also feels better-made, has fewer parts that need regular maintenance, is less expensive to maintain over its life, and charges faster than the 694.
It is also worth considering other models in the iRobot range, such as the v7 or 981. They're more expensive, however they offer significant improvements over the 694 in terms of performance on both low and bare floors, follow the most efficient cleaning method, have a bigger dirt compartment, are more efficient to charge, can move more easily, and are much easier to connect with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This budget self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner does a good job on low-pile carpet and hard flooring. Its combo brush reaches into corners and edges and it automatically increases suction when it detects carpet. It also does a great job of cleaning dirt on carpet in the middle. The IQ's tiny footprint for docks and the self-emptying feature are nice touches. However, if you want to alter the floor level on the map, or set no-go zones, you'll need to manually reset it to do so, which is a bit of an inconvenience.
The IQ app comes with advanced mapping and automated features, however it isn't equipped with no-go zones. These are only available on iRobot robots. Its smart-pathing system permits for better maneuverability, and the high-pile mode of its carpet cleaning mode is very effective but it could get caught in the tassels of the rug.
In our tests, the IQ was capable of handling pet hair effectively, clearing huge amounts of debris from floors that were not bare and fair amounts of medium-pile carpet. It was less efficient on shag carpets, where it struggled to reach dirt and dust embedded in the fibers. It was robot vacuum cleaner capable of maneuvering around chair legs and tight spaces, as well as the bottom of an wooden IKEA step stool. We did notice it was a little slower on floors that were not paved however it soon recovered speed and performed more thoroughly than the other robots we tested.
The IQ is a better choice over the iRobot Roomba 694 for most applications. It has a larger dustbin and a longer battery life and is better at navigating around obstacles. It comes with a mopping tool that can clean up sticky messes. On the other side, the iRobot is more durable and has fewer parts that require replacement or maintenance and has lower recurring costs and creates virtual no-go zones using its companion app. It can continue cleaning where it left off even if the battery runs out before it's finished. The iRobot can also be controlled with voice commands, which is an enormous benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S eufy robot vacuum isn't among the most advanced models, but it offers great cleaning power at affordable prices. This vacuum was designed for consumers with a tight budget who don't require a complicated mapping system, or even an app, to control it. This robot can run for up to 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 aesthetic departure from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more industrial and utilitarian.
In our tests, the eufy 11S was excellent at picking up large particles and fine dust on hard floors. However, it was unable to give high and medium pile carpets a thorough clean. The device is capable of bumping into furniture and people along its route. However, it can detect obstacles with sensors. It ceases and emits a loud noise when it encounters an obstruction. You can then manually steer the device around it to get it to work again.
Another fantastic feature of the eufy 11S is its BoostIQ mode that allows you to set the robot to automatically adjust its suction power to match the type of floor and level of mess. The remote control makes it easy to direct the 11S to the desired place.
Single Room Mode is a great option if you have little furniture in the area you'd like to vacuum. The eufy will spend up to 30 minutes cleaning the space it is assigned.
Edge Cleaning is another option that limits the time spent on each area to just 20 minutes. This will extend the battery's life. This option allows the eufy to move in a spiraling manner cleaning edges and corners.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 canister robot is a fantastic mid-range vacuum cleaner that performs well on carpet. Its performance on floors that are not bare is also exceptional. It can pick up small particles like rice easily and it doesn't suffer from suction efficiency even as its dirt bin fills. Its design is a breathable one and its air-sealed body traps allergens and keeps your family healthy. It has an onboard HEPA and self-emptying bin, which means you don't require additional filters or a vacuum bag.
It's not as powerful as more expensive models, but it's excellent for dealing with stains and deep cleaning. The two cameras on the front of the unit provide a live image feed on your smartphone, and it comes with one of the most effective obstacles-avoiding systems we've seen. It comes with a large bin, a long running time and the ability to clean up quickly and without bumps.
In contrast to other robots, the Complete C1 can switch between two powerheads, a standard one and a turbo head to suit different types of floors. The turbo head is ideal for carpeting with high-pile or low-pile and the standard powerhead is great on floors that are unfinished and light rug. It also has an automatic height adjustment system that allows it to adapt to various kinds of flooring without manual adjustments.
This model comes bundled with an SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and carpeting of medium-pile. The powerhead can also be easily moved and can reach hard-to-reach areas. It comes with five levels of surface adjustment and a brushroll off switch to avoid hairs getting caught in tangles.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll and an UtraClean mode that cycles around the same area three times to give the best cleaning possible and a self-emptying bin which can be filled with the press of a button. The noise level is slightly higher than other models however, its powerful 1,200-watt motor as well as sturdy build make it worth the extra 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 performs better on carpets than the Classic C1. It is more effective on all kinds of floors, is more solidly constructed, and comes with a HEPA filter.