The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
There's a robot to suit all carpet types, regardless of whether it's high-pile or low-pile. These intelligent appliances can navigate through your home, pick up dirt and clean under furniture.
A lot of them come with advanced features, like mapping, which can help you navigate around your home and keep track of furniture positioning. They can also increase suction power to tackle dirtier areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba from iRobot is a basic robot vacuum that performs well on both bare flooring and low-pile floor carpet. It has good suction however it has trouble with larger debris such as grains of rice or sand. It is effective in cleaning pet hair but is not 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' launches a cleaning cycle and 'Dock' places it back in its charging station, and 'Spot Clean' triggers an targeted clean. It can be controlled via an app on your smartphone that lets you schedule cycles, stop/start them, and alter 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 others, but it is able to reach most corners and crevices. It has a big bin which makes it much easier to empty. It is compatible with digital maps and virtual barriers, which allow you to set it to avoid specific areas or stop cleaning altogether when you want to stop it from getting stuck on something.
It's not the top in its price range however it's superior to other models. The Roborock E4 has a better cleaning performance 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 is also more robust, has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, is priced less over its life and charges faster than 694.
You should also consider other models within the iRobot range, including the v7 or the 981. The v7 and 981 are more expensive, but they offer significant improvement in cleaning efficiency, for both bare and low pile floors. They also have a larger dirt compartment, charge faster, move more easily, and are easier to pair with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This budget self-emptying robotic vacuum cleaner does an excellent job on carpets with a low pile and hard floors. Its combination brush reaches the edges and corners, and automatically increases suction when it spots carpet. It is also effective at cleaning dirt and debris that are embedded in carpets that are mid-pile. The IQ has a small footprint and has a self-emptying feature. If you wish to alter the floor levels or set zones that aren't allowed, you'll have to manually reset the map.
The IQ's app comes with advanced mapping and automation capabilities however it doesn't have no-go zones that are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing navigational system gives you greater maneuverability and its high-pile carpet mode is clean well, but it does have a tendency to get caught up in rug tassels, and its iHome speaker allows you to control the robot with voice commands.
During our tests, we found that the IQ handled pet hair with ease. It was able to get rid of a large amount of debris on bare floors and a decent amount of rug with a medium pile. It was less effective on shag carpet, which was a struggle to reach dirt and dust that was embedded in the fibers. It was able navigate the legs of chairs, small spaces and even the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a bit slower on floors with no flooring, but it regained speed and performed better than other robots we tested.
The IQ is a more suitable choice for the majority of users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a larger dustbin, lasts longer on a charge and is more capable of maneuvering itself over obstacles. It comes with mopping tools that are able to clean up sticky mess. The iRobot, however, is better built and has fewer parts that require maintenance or replacement, incurs less ongoing costs, and can even create virtual no-go zones with its companion application. It is able to continue cleaning from where it left off even if the battery runs out before it's finished. The iRobot is also controlled by voice commands, which is an enormous benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S from Eufy isn't the most feature-rich robot vacuum on the market, but it does offer powerful cleaning capabilities at an affordable price. The RoboVac 11S is designed for budget-conscious consumers who do not require a complicated mapping system, or even an app, to control it. The robot is able to last for up to an hour. It comes with a remote control, cleaning tool and AC power adapter.
The 11S is slim and elegant and has a tempered glass upper deck that appears like brushed aluminum. It's a nice different from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more industrial and utilitarian.
The eufy11S did well in our tests of removing larger particles and fine dust from flooring. However, it was unable to provide medium and high pile carpets a thorough clean. The device is prone to bump into furniture and people in its route. However, it is able to detect these obstacles using sensors. It ceases and emits a loud sound when it comes across an obstacle. You can then manually guide the device around it and get it to work again.
The BoostIQ mode is another great feature of the Eufy11S. It lets you configure the robot to automatically adjust suction strength based on the floor type and the level of mess. The remote control makes it easy to direct the 11S to your desired location.
Single Room Mode is a great alternative if you have a small amount of furniture in the space you'd like to vacuum. The eufy can spend 30 minutes focusing on cleaning the area it's assigned.
Edge Cleaning is another option that limits the time that is spent on each area to a maximum of 20 minutes. This will extend battery life. This feature allows the eufy to move in a spiraling fashion cleaning edges and corners.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 canister robot is a top mid-priced vacuum cleaner that excels on carpet. Its performance is also exceptional on bare floors. It can pick up rice and other fine debris effortlessly. The suction power doesn't drop as the dirt bin fills. Its design is a breathable one and its air-sealed body will trap allergens to keep 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 the more expensive models, but it's ideal for fighting staining 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 top obstacle avoidance systems we've ever seen. It comes with a large bin, a long runtime and the ability to clean up quickly and without bumps.
Contrary to other robots best robot vacuum and mop unlike other robots, the Complete C1 can switch between two powerheads, a standard one and a turbo head for different flooring types. The turbo head is great for carpeting that is high-pile and low-pile, while the standard powerhead is great on floors that are unfinished and light rugs. It also comes with an automatic height adjustment system, which allows it to easily adapt to various kinds of flooring, without manual adjustments.
The model comes with a SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and medium-pile carpeting. The motor can also be easily moved and get into difficult areas. It comes with five levels of surface adjustments and a brushroll off switch to help prevent tangled hairs.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll and an UtraClean mode that cycles across the same area three times for the most thorough cleaning and a self-emptying trash bin that can be empty at the push of the button. The sound level of this model is higher than other models. However its powerful motor of 1,200 watts and durable construction make it worth the additional cost.
If you're willing to pay more, the Miele Complete C3 is an excellent all-around canister robot vacuum that performs better on carpet than the Classic C1. It is more efficient on all floor types and is more solidly constructed and comes with an HEPA filter.