The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
There's a robot that can be found for every carpet type, whether it's low-pile or high-pile. These machines are intelligent and can automatically navigate through your home, pick up dirt and clean under furniture.
A lot of them come with advanced features, like mapping, which helps them navigate your home and recall furniture place. They can also increase suction power to tackle dirtier areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba from iRobot is an entry level robot vacuum that performs well on both floors that are unfinished and floor carpets with a low pile. It has a good suction and is able to clean most debris, however it struggles with larger debris like rice or sand. It also does a good job of cleaning pet hair, but it's not resistant to tangling like the high-end Roomba models such as the I6 or j7.
The Roomba 694 is easy to use. It has a trio of buttons on its top cover: 'Clean' initiates a cleaning cycle and 'Dock' allows it to be put back into its charging station and 'Spot Clean' initiates the targeted cleaning. It can be controlled via an app for smartphones that lets you schedule cycles, stop/start them and adjust settings. You can also pair it with smart home devices such as 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 comes with a large bin, which makes it easier to empty. It is compatible with digital maps and virtual barriers that let you set it to avoid specific areas or to stop completely cleaning in order to prevent it from getting stuck on something.
It's not the best in its price, but it's better than the majority of other options. The Roborock E4 is more advanced than the Roomba 694, with better cleaning performance for both bare and low-pile carpets. It also has an efficient cleaning route and has a longer battery life. It also feels better-made, has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, is less expensive to maintain over its life, and charges faster than the 694.
You should also consider other models within the iRobot range, including the v7 and the 981. The 981 and v7 are both more expensive, but they provide significant improvements in cleaning performance, for both bare and low pile floors. They also have a larger dirt compartment and charge faster, move more easily and are easier to pair up with smart home devices.
Shark RV1001AE IQ
This self-emptying robot with a budget does a good job on hard floors as well as low-pile carpet. The combo brush can reach into corners and edges and it automatically increases suction when it spots carpet. It also is effective in cleaning dirt and debris that are embedded in mid-pile carpet. The IQ has a small footprint and also a self-emptying function. 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 this, which is somewhat of an inconvenience.
The IQ app comes with advanced mapping and automated features, however it does not have no-go zones. These are only available on iRobot robots. Its smart-pathing navigation system provides superior maneuverability and its high-pile carpet cleaning mode cleans well, but it tends to get caught up on rug tassels. Its iHome speaker allows you to 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 eliminate lots of debris on floors that were unfinished and a decent amount of medium-pile rug. It was less efficient with shag carpets, as it struggled to get at dirt and dust buried within the fibers. It was able to navigate chair legs, small spaces, and even the base of an IKEA wooden step stool. It was a bit slower on floors that were not paved however it soon recovered speed and performed better than the other robots we tried.
The IQ is a better option than the iRobot Roomba 694 for most uses. It has a bigger dust bin and lasts longer on a charge, and does a better job of maneuvering itself around obstacles. It comes with mopping tools that are able to remove sticky mess. On the other side the iRobot is more durable and has fewer parts that require maintenance or replacement and incurs lower costs for recurring maintenance and creates virtual no-go zones using its companion app. It is able to even resume the cleaning process from where it left off if it has run out of battery before finishing the job. The iRobot can also be controlled using voice, which is a major benefit for many users.
Eufy 11S
The eufy RoboVac 11S robot vacuum isn't among the most advanced models, but it provides great cleaning power at an affordable price. This vacuum was 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 an remote control, a cleaning tool, and AC power adapter.
The 11S is slim, sleek and has a tempered-glass upper deck that resembles polished aluminum. It's a refreshing departure from the utilitarian and industrial designs of Roomba, Samsung and Neato.
In our tests, the eufy11S was excellent at picking up larger debris and fine dust on hard flooring. However, it was unable to give medium and high pile carpets a thorough clean. The device also has a tendency to smack into furniture and people that are in its path, but it's able to detect obstacles with sensors. If it encounters them it stops and lets out a loud beep so you can manually guide it around the obstacle and then get it back to work.
The BoostIQ mode is another great feature of the Eufy11S. It allows you to set the robot up to automatically adjust the suction strength based on the floor type and the amount of dirt. It's also simple to use the remote to direct the 11S in the direction you want it to go.
If you don't have many furniture in the room you're looking to vacuum Single Room Mode is an excellent alternative. The eufy can spend 30 minutes intensely cleaning the area that it's assigned to.
You can also choose Edge Cleaning which limits the time spent in each area to 20 minutes for optimal battery life. This option allows the eufy to move in a spiraling fashion, cleaning corners and edges.
Miele Complete C1
The Miele Complete C1 is an excellent mid-range robot vacuum that can be a great performer on carpet. Its performance on floors that are not bare is also exceptional. It can remove rice and other fine particles easily. The suction power doesn't decrease as the dirt bin fills. Its air-sealed design and allergy-friendly design snuff out allergens and keep your family healthy. It comes with an onboard HEPA and self-emptying bin so you don't need additional filters or vacuum bags.
It's not quite as powerful as the more expensive models, but is still great for deep cleaning best buy robot vacuum and fighting staining. Its two front cameras deliver a live image feed on your smartphone, and it features one of the most effective obstacle avoidance systems we've seen. It comes with a large bin, a long runtime and an easy, bump-free clean-up.
In contrast to other robots, the Complete C1 can switch between the standard powerhead and the turbo head to suit different floor types. The turbo head is great for carpeting with high-pile or low-pile and the standard powerhead works well on unfinished floors and light rugs. It also comes with an automatic height adjustment system that enables it to adjust to different kinds of flooring without manual adjustments.
This model comes with the SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead, which can be used on carpets with a hard surface and carpets with a medium pile. The powerhead can be easily maneuvered and get into difficult areas. It has five different surface adjustments as well as a switch that stops the brushroll to prevent hairs from getting tangled.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll as well as an UtraClean mode that cycles around the same area three times to give the best cleaning possible, and a self-emptying dustbin that can be empty at the press of one button. The sound level of this model is higher than other models. However its powerful motor with 1,200 watts and sturdy construction are worth the extra cost.
If you're willing to spend a little more, the Miele Complete C3 canister robot vacuum is a great all-around robot vacuum. It performs better on carpets than the Classic C1. It performs better on all floors and feels more sturdy, and includes an HEPA filter.