The Best Robot Vacuum For Carpet
There's a robot that can be found for all carpet types, regardless of whether it's low-pile or high-pile. These intelligent appliances can navigate your home, suck up debris and even clean under furniture.
Many of them have advanced features, such as mapping, which can help you navigate around your home and keep track of furniture positioning. They can also increase the suction power in order to clean up surfaces that are dirtier.
iRobot Roomba 694
The Roomba from iRobot is a budget-friendly robot vacuum that is effective on both plain flooring and carpets with low pile. It has a good suction and is able to clean all kinds of debris, but it isn't able to handle bigger debris such as rice or sand. It also does a decent job at cleaning pet hair however it isn't immune to tangling like high-end Roomba models, such as the j7 or I6.
The Roomba 694 is simple to use. It features three buttons on the top cover. "Clean," which triggers a cleaning process, 'Dock,' which puts it in its charging station and the 'Spot' button, which triggers the targeted cleaning. It can be controlled via a smartphone app that allows you to schedule or stop/start cycles, and also adjust settings. You can also pair it with smart home devices such as Alexa or Google Assistant for voice-controlled operation.
This vacuum is a little slower than others, but it is still able to reach the majority of crevices and corners. It comes with a large dust bin which is ideal to reduce the frequency at which you must empty it. It's compatible with virtual barriers and digital mapping which let you set it to avoid specific areas or to stop completely cleaning if you want to keep it from getting stuck on something.
It's not the most effective for its price, but it's still better than most 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 a longer-lasting battery and a more efficient route. It is also more robust, has fewer parts that require regular maintenance, and costs less over its life and charges faster than 694.
You should also consider other models from the iRobot range, such as the v7 and the 981. The 981 and v7 are both more expensive but offer significant improvements in cleaning performance both on bare and low pile floors. They also have a larger dirt compartment, 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 decent job on hard floors as well as carpets with low pile. Its combination brush reaches corners and edges and automatically boosts suction once it spots carpet. It also does a good job of cleaning embedded dirt off mid-pile carpet. The IQ's tiny dock footprint and self-emptying feature are both nice features. If you want to change the floor levels or set zones that aren't allowed, you'll have to manually reset the map.
The IQ's app has some advanced mapping and automation features however, it's not able to access no-go zones that are available on iRobot models. The smart-pathing system of the app allows for greater maneuverability and the high-pile mode of its carpet cleaning mode is effective however it can be stuck on rug tassels.
During our tests, we found that the IQ handled pet hair well. It was able to eliminate the majority of hair on bare floors, and a fair amount of medium-pile rug. It was less effective with shag carpets, where it struggled to get at dirt and dust buried within the fibers. It did a decent job of maneuvering around chair legs, tight spaces, and the wooden base of an IKEA step stool. It was a little slower on floors that were not paved but it was able to recover speed and performed better than other robots we have evaluated.
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 getting over obstacles. It comes with mopping tools that are able to remove sticky mess. On the other side, the iRobot is built better, has fewer parts that require replacement or maintenance, incurs lower recurring costs and creates virtual no-go zones using its companion app. It is able to continue cleaning from the point it started, even if its battery runs out before it has finished. The iRobot can floor vacuum robot also be controlled via voice commands, which is a huge plus for many users.
Eufy 11S
The eufy RoboVac 11S isn't the most feature-rich robot vacuum around, but it does offer great cleaning power for a low price. The RoboVac 11S is designed for budget-conscious consumers who don't need a complex mapping system, or even an app to control it. The robot can run for more than an hour and comes with a remote, cleaning tool, AC power adapter, charging base, and additional filters.
The 11S is slim and sleek with an upper deck of tempered glass that is covered with plastic, which is finished to appear like brushed aluminum. It's a nice change from the industrial and utilitarian designs of Roomba, Samsung and Neato.
In our tests, the eufy11S was extremely effective at removing larger debris and fine dust on hard flooring. It was unable to thoroughly clean high-pile and medium-pile carpets. The device is capable to hit furniture and people along its route. However, it is able to detect these obstacles using sensors. It ceases and emits a loud sound when it encounters an obstacle. Then, you can manually guide the device around it and return it to working.
The BoostIQ mode is another great feature of the Eufy11S. It lets you configure the robot to automatically adjust suction force based on the type of floor and the amount of the mess. The remote control makes it simple to direct the 11S to your desired area.
If you don't have much furniture in the area you're looking to vacuum, Single Room Mode is an excellent alternative. The eufy will spend up to 30 minutes cleaning the space it is assigned.
You can also select Edge Cleaning that reduces the amount of time in each location to 20 minutes for maximum battery life. This option allows the eufy to move in a spiraling fashion by cleaning edges and corners.
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 on floors that are not bare is also exceptional. It is able to remove small particles like rice easily, and it doesn't lose suction power even when its dirt bin gets full. Its air-sealed and allergy-friendly design capture 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 as powerful as more expensive models, but it's still excellent for dealing with stains and deep cleaning. It has two cameras on the front which provide live feeds to your smartphone. It also has one of the most advanced obstacle avoidance systems. It also has a large dustbin, long runtime and a quick and smooth clean-up.
Contrary to other robots the Complete C1 can switch between a standard powerhead and a turbo head to suit different types of floors. The turbo head works best on low-pile or high-pile carpeting, while the standard powerhead is suitable for floors with no flooring and light rugs. It also features an automatic height adjustment system which allows it to easily adjust to different kinds of flooring, without manual adjustments.
This model comes bundled with an SBD 285-3 Classic Combination Floorhead that can handle both hard floors as well as medium-pile carpeting. The powerhead can be easily maneuvered and can reach hard-to-reach areas. It comes with five different adjustments to the surface and an off-brush switch to avoid hairs getting caught in knots.
The Classic C1 also has a self-cleaning brush roll as well as an UtraClean mode that goes back and forth over the same area three times to give the most thorough cleaning and a self-emptying bin which can be filled with the press of a button. The volume of noise produced by this model is more pronounced than other models. However, its powerful motor of 1,200 watts and durable construction justify the additional cost.
If you're willing to pay an extra amount then the Miele Complete C3 canister robot vacuum is a fantastic all-purpose robot vacuum. It is more effective on carpets than the Classic C1. It is more efficient on all floors and feels more sturdy and comes with an HEPA filter.