The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
If you have carpet with a high or low pile, there's a robot vacuum for you. These smart appliances will navigate your home in a way that is automated clean up debris and clean under furniture.
Many of them have advanced features, such as mapping, which helps them navigate your home and remember furniture placement. They can also increase suction power to tackle dirtier areas.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba 694 by iRobot is a robot vacuum for entry-level use that performs well on both carpets with low pile and bare floors. It has a decent suction and can clean all kinds of debris, but it isn't able to handle larger debris like 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 is easy to use. It has a trio of buttons on its cover: 'Clean' initiates a cleaning cycle and 'Dock' allows it to be put back in its charging station and 'Spot Clean' initiates the targeted cleaning. It can be controlled with an app for smartphones that lets you program or stop/start cycles as well as alter 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 other models, but it can get into the most crevices and corners. It comes with a large bin, which makes it easier to empty. It is compatible with digital mapping and virtual barriers which lets you program the robot to stay out of certain areas, or even stop cleaning completely to stop it from becoming stuck.
Although it's not the top model in its price range, it's better than many other options. The Roborock E4 is more advanced than the Roomba 694, with better cleaning efficiency on carpets that are low and bare. It also has a more durable battery and a better path. It also feels more durable, has fewer parts that need regular maintenance, is less expensive to own over the course of its life, and charges faster than the 694.
It is also worth considering other models from the iRobot range, like the v7 and the 981. They're more expensive but they are significantly better than the 694 in terms of cleaning performance on both low and bare floors, follow a more efficient cleaning route and come with a larger dirt compartment, are faster to charge, maneuver themselves 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 floors. Its combinator brush gets to corners and edges and automatically boosts suction once it senses carpet. It also does an excellent job of cleaning dirt off carpets in the middle of the pile. The IQ's tiny footprint for docks and the self-emptying feature are both nice features. However, if you wish to alter the floor level on the map, or set no-go zones you'll have to manually reset it in order to do so, which is somewhat of trouble.
The IQ's application has advanced mapping and automation features however, it's not able to access no-go zones that are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing technology allows for superior maneuverability and the high-pile feature of its carpet cleaning mode is efficient however it can be caught in rug tassels.
During our tests during our tests, the IQ was capable of handling pet hair effectively, clearing huge amounts of debris from floors with no flooring and fair amounts of medium-pile carpet. It was less effective on shag carpet, where it struggled to get at dirt and dust buried in the fibers. It did a decent job of navigating the legs of chairs, tight spaces, and the wooden base of an IKEA step stool. It was a bit slower on bare flooring, but it recovered speed and did better than other robots we test.
The IQ is a better option over the iRobot Roomba 694 for most applications. It has a larger dustbin, lasts longer on a charge, and does a better job of getting around obstacles. It has a mopping tool that can clean up sticky debris. On the other side the iRobot feels better-built, has fewer parts that require replacement or maintenance, incurs lower recurring costs and creates virtual no-go zones using its companion app. It can even restart a cleaning session from where it left off in case it is unable to recharge its battery prior to having completed the task. The iRobot can also be controlled with voice, which can be an advantage for many users.
Eufy 11S
The RoboVac 11S by eufy isn't exactly the most feature-rich robot vacuum available however it offers great cleaning power for a low price. It's designed for budget-conscious buyers who don't need a complicated mapping system or an app to control the device. This robot can run for up to an hour and comes with the remote, a cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek, and features a tempered-glass upper deck that appears like polished aluminum. It's a nice change from the utilitarian and industrial designs of Roomba, Samsung and Neato.
The eufy11S was successful in our tests of removing larger debris and fine dust from flooring. It was unable to thoroughly clean medium and high-pile carpets. It is also prone to hit furniture and other objects in its path however, it's able detect these obstacles using sensors. It stops and emits a loud sound when it encounters an obstruction. Then, you can manually steer the device around it and restart it.
Another excellent feature of the eufy 11S is its BoostIQ mode that allows you to set the robot to automatically adjust check here the strength of its suction to match the type of floor and level of mess. It's also easy to use the remote to direct the 11S where you'd like it to move.
If you don't have a lot of furniture in the room you want to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an excellent option. The eufy will spend 30 minutes cleaning the space it's assigned to.
Edge Cleaning is another option that can limit the time that is spent on each area to 20 minutes. This will increase battery life. This feature 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 canister robotic vacuum that can be a great performer on carpet. Its performance is also exceptional on bare floors. It is able to remove fine debris like rice with ease and it doesn't suffer from suction power even when its dirt bin gets full. Its air-sealed and allergy-friendly design capture allergens, keeping your family healthy. It comes with an onboard HEPA and self-emptying bin, so you don't need any additional filters or a vacuum bag.
It's not quite as powerful as the more expensive models, but it's great for deep cleaning and tackling stains. The two cameras on the front of the unit provide a live image feed on your smartphone, and it has one of the most effective obstacles-avoiding systems we've seen. It has a large bin, a long runtime and an easy, bump-free clean-up.
The Complete C1 is unlike most robots in that it can switch between two heads, a standard and a turbo for different types of flooring. The turbo head is great for low-pile and high-pile carpeting and the standard powerhead works well on unfinished floors and light carpets. It also features an automated height adjustment system, which allows it to easily adjust to different kinds of flooring without manual adjustments.
This model comes bundled with a SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors and carpeting with a medium pile. The powerhead can also be easily moved around and get into difficult areas. It comes with five different surface adjustments as well as an off-brush switch to avoid hairs from getting tangled.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll as well as an UtraClean mode that moves 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 push of the button. The sound level of this model is greater than other models. However, its powerful motor with 1,200 watts and durable construction justify the additional cost.
If you're willing to spend a little more, the Miele Complete C3 is an excellent all-around canister robot vacuum that performs better on carpet than the Classic C1. It has a better performance on all floors and is more solidly constructed, and includes a HEPA filter.