The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
If you have carpet with a high or low pile there's a robotic vacuum for you. These intelligent appliances can navigate around your home, and can scoop up dirt and clean under furniture.
They come with advanced features like mapping that help them navigate through your home and help you remember where furniture is. They can also boost the suction power in order to tackle dirtier surfaces.
iRobot Roomba 694"
The iRobot Roomba 694 is an entry-level robot vacuum that is able to work on carpets with low pile and bare floors. It has a good suction, but struggles with larger particles such as grains of rice or sand. It also does a decent job of cleaning pet hair, but it's not immune to tangling like top Roomba models, such as the j7 or I6.
The Roomba is simple to use. It has three buttons on its cover: 'Clean' starts the cleaning process, 'Dock' puts it back in its charging station and 'Spot Clean' triggers an targeted clean. It is controlled by an app for smartphones that lets you program or stop/start cycles and also adjust settings. It is also possible to pair the device with smart home devices like Alexa or Google Assistant to control it via voice commands.
This vacuum is a little slower than other models, but it's still able to reach the majority of crevices and corners. It has a big bin which makes it much easier to empty. It is compatible with virtual barriers and digital mapping that let you make it impossible to clean certain areas or to stop completely cleaning when you want to stop it from getting stuck on something.
It's not the top in its price range but it's better than most other options. The Roborock E4 is more advanced than the Roomba 694 with a much better cleaning efficiency on both bare and low-pile carpets. It also follows an efficient cleaning route and has longer battery life. It also feels better-made and has fewer components that require regular maintenance, is less expensive to own over its lifetime and charges faster than the 694.
You may also want to consider other models from the iRobot range, like the v7 and the 981. The 981 and v7 are both more expensive, but offer significant improvement in cleaning efficiency, 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 with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robot with a budget does a decent job on hard floors and carpets with low pile. The combo brush can reach into corners and edges and it automatically boosts suction when it senses carpet. It also does a good job of cleaning embedded dirt on carpets in the middle of the pile. The IQ's tiny footprint for docks and its self-emptying feature are nice touches. If you want to change the floor's levels or define areas that are not allowed to be used, you'll need to manually reset the map.
The IQ's application has advanced mapping and automation capabilities however it doesn't have no-go zones, which are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing system of the app allows for greater maneuverability and the high-pile feature of its carpet cleaning mode is effective, although it can get caught in the tassels of the rug.
In our tests, the IQ was capable of handling pet hair well, clearing an impressive amount of debris from bare floors and moderate amounts from medium-pile carpet. It was less effective on shag carpets where it struggled to reach dirt and dust embedded in the fibers. It was able navigate the legs of a chair, tiny spaces, and even the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a bit slower on bare flooring but it was able to recover speed and did better than other robots we have test.
The IQ is a better option for most users than the iRobot Roomba. It has a larger dustbin and a longer battery lifespan, and is better at navigating around obstacles. It has mopping tools that are able to remove sticky debris. The iRobot is, on the other hand feels better constructed, has fewer components that require replacement or maintenance and has lower ongoing costs, and can even create virtual no go zones using its companion application. It can even resume the cleaning process 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 via voice, which is a major benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The eufy RoboVac 11S robot vacuum isn't among the most feature-rich models, but it offers powerful cleaning power at affordable prices. This robot vacuum is designed for budget-conscious consumers who do not require a complicated mapping system, or even an application to control it. This robot can run for up to an hour and includes a remote, cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek, with a tempered glass upper deck that covers plastic and is made to look like brushed aluminum. It's a nice departure from Roomba, Samsung, and Neato designs that are more practical and industrial.
The eufy11S did well in our tests of removing larger debris and fine dust from flooring. However, it was unable to give high and medium pile carpets an effective deep clean. The device also has a tendency to bump into furniture and people that are in its path however, it's able detect those obstacles using sensors. It stops and emits a loud sound when it comes across an obstacle. It is then possible to manually steer the device around it to get it to work again.
The BoostIQ mode is a great feature of the eufy11S. It allows you to set up the robot to automatically adjust suction force based on the floor type and the amount of dirt. The remote control makes it simple to direct the 11S to the desired location.
If you don't have many furniture in the space where you want to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an excellent option. The eufy will take 30 minutes intensely cleaning the area it is assigned to.
You can also select Edge Cleaning, which reduces the amount of time spent in each area to 20 minutes to ensure optimal battery life. This feature allows the eufy to move in a spiraling manner by 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 excellent on bare floors. It is able to remove small particles such as rice with ease, and it doesn't lose suction power even when its dirt bin gets full. Its design is a breathable one and its air-sealed body captures allergens to keep your family healthy. It comes with an onboard HEPA and self-emptying bin, which means you don't require additional filters or vacuum bags.
It's not as powerful as the more expensive models, but it's ideal for fighting staining and deep cleaning. It comes with two cameras in front which provide a live feed to your smartphone. It also comes with one of cleaning robots the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems. It comes with a large bin, an extended runtime and an easy, bump-free clean-up.
The Complete C1 is unlike most robots in that it is able to switch between the standard head and turbo head for various types of flooring. The turbo head is great for carpeting with high-pile or low-pile and the standard powerhead can be used on floors that are unfinished and light rug. It also features an automatic height adjustment system, which lets it easily adapt to different kinds of flooring without manual adjustments.
This model comes bundled with an SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle hard floors as well as carpeting with a medium pile. The powerhead can be easily moved around and reach difficult spots. It has five different surface adjustments as well as a switch that stops the brushroll to prevent hairs getting caught in knots.
The Classic C1 has a self cleaning brush roll as well as it has a UtraClean Mode that will clean the same area up to three times and a self-emptying dustbin that can be emptied by pressing a single button. The volume of noise produced by this model is higher than other models. However, its powerful motor of 1,200 watts and durable construction make it worth the extra cost.
If you're willing to spend more it's worth it. Miele Complete C3 is an excellent all-around canister robot vacuum that performs better on carpet than the Classic C1. It performs better on all types of floors and is more solidly constructed, and includes a HEPA filter.