Update: December 14, 2024, 4:30 am EST I recently updated my list of the top three Shark robot vacuums with a new, flagship model from Shark, the PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro. This model is yet to be added to this list, which will be updated accordingly in the coming weeks.
Almost any robot vacuum can adequately clean tile or hardwood floors with hair and debris that blows through them like weeds. But for a robot vacuum to work on carpet, more suction power and concentrated air flow are needed to uproot the debris embedded in those fibers.
Do robot vacuums work on carpet?
Yes, several robotic vacuum cleaners do a great job on carpets and rugs. In fact, the best robot vacuum brands such as iRobot, Roborock, Eufy, and Shark have been masters of this art for years, especially picking up pet hair and brush hair clumps.
For homes with different floor types and a significant amount of foot traffic, purchasing a less expensive robotic shutter will create More suffering. Every time that bot gets stuck in the corner of the rug or you welcome home pet hair still clinging to the living room carpet, you’ll be tempted to do the job yourself — but rest assured that’s not inevitable with every robovac.
As a Dyson stan, I wouldn’t tell anyone to buy the Dyson 360 Vis Nav robot vacuum
The best carpet cleaner robots have powerful suction, of course, aided by brush systems designed to dig into low- and high-pile carpet to pick up hair and larger pieces while at the same time sniffing out soft debris that a weak robot might miss. The most common way to measure suction power is in Pascals (although top competitors like iRobot and Shark just be differ by not following that path). If the suction power in Pa is advertised, look for at least 5,000 Pa, and never entertain anything less than 4,000 Pa. For reference, a robot vacuum at the premium end of the spectrum clocks in between 10,000 and 12,000 Pa.
Our top picks use automatic suction adjustment to customize cleaning based on floor type, resulting in strong cyclonic power for soft floors. Everything we choose also comes with a self-emptying booth (or at least we offer the option) to reduce the frequency of trips to the trash can, which can be a lot if the robovac deeply cleans the amount of gunk on the carpet it should be.
What about robot vacuums for different types of floors?
If the robot vacuum is capable of carpeting – the most difficult type of floor to deal with – these models will not struggle to sweep the dirt from hard floors like hardwood, tiles, and laminate. Speaking of hard floors, if you’re already looking for a robot vacuum with the best suction power on the market, chances are that model is one of the most advanced in mopping. Typically, high-powered premium robot vacuums are also equipped with pressurized mop pads that wash and dry, as well as sensors that alert them to stop mopping the carpet. Unless it’s a moving artifact from 2018, most robot vacuums switch between floor types without a blip (though even the best still struggle to keep from tripping over the shower mat).
Not sure which robot vacuum would work best for your carpets or rugs? I test and compare a ton of top robots as they come out of my home, narrowing down the best options and updating my recommendations as needed. For this list, I looked closely at the performance of various pile lengths for carpets, rugs, and bath mats, pet hair and debris pickup, switching between floor types, automatic suction settings, and more. Here are my three favorites for 2024:
We checked how
As a senior retail reporter, I’ve been checking out Mashable’s popular robot closets in the various homes I’ve lived in since 2019. My hands-on analysis ranges from sub-$200 budget models that just cover the basics to $1,500 (or more) premium ones. the most advanced models on the market in the way they clean, navigate my home, and take care of their recurring maintenance.
So far in 2024, I have extensive experience with Roborock Qrevo Master, Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, Eufy X10 Pro Omni, Shark Matrix RV2300, Shark Detect Pro, Shark Matrix Plus 2-in-1, Roomba Combo j9+, Roomba Combo j5+, Narwal Freo X Ultra, Dyson 360 Vis Nav and Yeedi M12 Pro+. I am currently working with a Roomba Combo 10 Max + AutoWash Dock and a Shark PowerDetect 2-in-1 with neverTouch Pro Base.
My own three-room apartment – not a lab – makes the case for exploring all the robot spaces, where a combination of hardwood floors, tile floors, and rugs of various sizes are prepared. Over a period of at least four weeks, each robot vacuum is put through a series of routine tests that flow through a scoring rubric I created to exemplify all aspects of owning and trusting a robot vacuum every day. That rubric is made up of four pillars:
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Thorough cleaning: I’m picky about what it takes to make a floor feel “clean,” and I trust these robot vacuums in my home — and pit them against my trusty Dyson. To cover the range of debris that a robot vacuum may encounter, each robot vacuum and its suction power settings complete an obstacle course for standard testing of multiple types of debris on both hard floors and rugs, efficiency scores are awarded for each. Robot vacuum and mop combos also complete three additional scrubbing tests on hardwood and tile. As for the actual “dirty” nature of those floors being renovated, each robot vac is sent over both fresh dirt (like crumbs, drinks, and sauces I accidentally spilled) and other things that have settled in over time (like dried or sticky splatters, shoe prints near the door, rabbits in the dust in the corners, and cat fur on the carpet).
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Navigation: I consider a robot vacuum’s ability to go to the right place in the first place as a litmus test before getting into any of the nitty gritty cleaning skills. In my tests, the navigational capabilities of each vac were evaluated by its smart map accuracy and ability to locate specific rooms and cleaning areas, as well as its ability to navigate safely around walls or between chair or table legs. Robot vacuums that can successfully pick up phone chargers, pet waste, and furniture with small obstacle avoidance technology are awarded an extra star.
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User friendliness and courtesy as a house guest: The right robot vacuum will be a seamless addition to your home, and blend in as easily as any other everyday appliance. If a robot vacuum is noisy, clunky, or generally painful to use, you won’t want it in your house at all – so things like noise level, battery life, size, aesthetic design, and intuitiveness of using the app can make or break the experience.
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Maintenance: Some robot vacuums are more automatic than others when it comes to how they take care of themselves beyond the actual cleaning. If someone is already considering the route of closing the robot because of the experience of cleaning hands, they can want that convenience that extends to emptying the dustbin or cleaning the mopping pad, too, which can take them out of the repair for days or weeks in the area. the time.
In the end, I can’t imagine the total bang for your buck for each robot vacuum. Are its features on paper and actual cleaning ability worth the price, and how effective is that cost for the average family?
