What to Look For in a Robot Carpet Cleaner

Many robots are capable of getting rid of hair and other debris on carpeted floors. Make sure you choose one with spots and zones cleaning modes, which permit you to set the area they are to clean.

The best robots use sensors to help navigate your space and even return to their charging base to charge themselves. They can be a lot more efficient than pushing a vacuum cleaner around your home.

Self-charging

robot vacuum for carpets carpet cleaners require less care than traditional vacuum cleaners. As long as you follow the basic maintenance, including checking the rotating brushes to determine whether they're tangled, emptying the dust bin (and rinsing it when the manufacturer permits) and wiping the cameras or sensors so that they can view the home clearly for the next cleaning, you'll be able to use your robotic for years.

Some robots also come with automatic recognition of carpets which increases suction to remove embedded dirt. This is particularly important for carpets. Some models lift the mop pad to prevent flooding carpets and rugs.

There are affordable robots with this feature, such as our budget-friendly choice for the iLife V3S Pro. The model was less expensive than the other smart robots we evaluated, but it was able to eat Cheerios and oatmeal piles easily. It also managed navigate through an animal poop, numerous cords and a fake dog's poop without getting stuck.

Keep in mind that many robots are only covered by warranties of one or two years. When CHOICE asked owners of robots in 2020 about their robots reliability, a lot of them reported problems with their machines, and others complained about the high prices for replacing parts. If you plan to buy robot vacuums, take into consideration how often you'll have to replace the battery and other parts before committing to a specific model.

Self-emptying

When you're looking for a robotic carpet cleaner, choose one that can both clean and vacuum your floors. This will give you truly hands-free experience. These bots will do the dirty work for you while you are away. Certain models come with capability to schedule cleaning that allow you to choose the frequency and time at which your home should be cleaned.

Choose a robot with powerful batteries that can clean thoroughly without having to recharge. It should be able to continue cleaning exactly where it stopped. This will help you save time. It's also beneficial if the robot is equipped with smart features that boost its performance on difficult spots. The Roborock X5S, for example comes with a mapping feature that allows it to create more accurate maps than any other smart bot. It also allows users to view their map in three-dimensional and modify it, like zones that are not allowed to be in. It also has a spot cleaning mode that allows you to eliminate spills that are isolated faster, and a turbo booster for fur-covered carpets.

Robot makers are working to improve their ability to recognize carpets, so that they can alter their cleaning modes to suit the flooring type. Certain robots, such as our top pick, the iRobot Roomba S9+ can detect carpet and automatically increase suction to help better remove dirt. Certain models, like the iLife V3s Pro can lift their mops above carpets and use a rubber bristle that's less likely to become tangled than Eufy.

Other features you should look for in a robot vacuum/mop are dustbins that can be easily removed and washed (if the manufacturer recommends it) and a nozzle that can be replaced if it becomes blocked. Look for a robot vacuum/mop that is able of drying and washing its own filter after each cleaning session.

Self-cleaning

If you have a lot of carpet in your home, then you should consider a robot that can handle it with ease. Several brands have developed models that are excellent at cleaning carpeted surfaces, including iRobot and Eufy.

Some robots such as the iRobot Roomba S9+ can detect when they are in carpeted areas, and increase their suction so that they can take in dirt more effectively. It's not a make or break feature, but it's a nice benefit when you have the combination of soft and hard flooring in your home.

Other robots, such as the Roborock Q Revo can vacuum and mop floors simultaneously. They employ circular pads that spin at 200 rpm and can take on up to 7 millimeters of carpeting. This model can also tell when it's in carpeted areas and raises the pads to prevent wetting your floors. The large water tank can be used to clean multiple times. It won't be necessary to empty it often.

Many robots, in addition to the features mentioned above, can be programmed through an app or integrated into a virtual assistant for scheduled tasks. The iRobot Roomba S9+, for instance, can be set to return automatically to its dock and resume cleaning once a set time has been completed. You can also manually return the robot back to its base by pressing the dock button on the device.

If you're looking for a budget-friendly robot vacuum that is effective on carpeted floors, you should consider the Shark ION Robot AV753 Series. It does not have the Roomba from iRobot's LIDAR sensors for mapping and does not divide rooms into zones. However it is great at picking up debris on hardwood flooring and carpets with a low pile. It also has a self-emptying dust bin and can be controlled using the iRobot app or Amazon Alexa.

Sensors

Sensors are essential for robots to navigate around your home and clean it up without supervision. They utilize these to avoid running into objects and create maps of the area they're cleaning and can even detect areas that are filthy. They're typically built inside the robot's body or integrated into an individual module. They can include things like ultrasonic sensors, gyroscopes or cliff sensors.

Some models come with bump sensors that function as human bumper cars to stop the robot from hitting things. They could be ineffective which can result in paint scuffs or scratches on furniture. You're better off using a robot that has advanced laser navigation which is more precise and accurate. It's costly, but it's worth it if you are worried about your furniture or walls being scuffed.

Most robot vacuums are good at picking up dirt from hard floors as well as carpets with a low pile. They are often unable to handle small particles of dirt that are embedded in the fibers of rugs, however. They also do not pick up dust near baseboards or doorways and aren't as effective as an upright or canister vacuum. Many people use a regular vacuum in addition to their robot model due to these reasons.

Certain robots, like the iRoborock j7+ come with a unique feature called Dirt Detect that assists them in identifying dirt events and then focus on the areas. If the robot detects a large cat litter spill it will then return to the start of the mess until the complete litter is gone. You can also purchase mopping machines that can vacuum and wet-mop at the same time. They use a circular pad which spins at 200 revolutions per minute. They can be used on soft and hard flooring, such as low-pile carpets for floors.

Navigation

Navigation is an important aspect to consider when shopping for the best robotic vacuum cleaner for carpet carpet cleaner robot. It determines how thoroughly your home is cleaned and whether the robot can bump into objects, like furniture, or stick to walls. Some robots use camera mapping, while others have gyroscopes or lasers to navigate through the space. This technology is expensive, but worth it if you wish to keep your home as clean as possible.

A robot with a great navigation system will clear your entire house quickly and efficiently. It won't be trapped or hit obstacles. It will also avoid areas that it has already cleaned. This is especially crucial if you work with multiple rooms or have a large floorplan. Many top robot vacuum recommendations for different surfaces-quality robot vacuums come with maps that save your location and allow you to view the cleaning route and set no-go zones in an app.

Robots that don't use mapping capabilities can ping-pong around the house or have difficulty finding corners and edges. They might miss certain spots or entire rooms. A robot equipped with SLAM navigation will avoid these problems by creating an accurate map of the room. The best robot vacuums with SLAM can save this map and keep track of where they've been, making them faster and more efficient than robots without this feature.

The cheapest model we tested the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max, did better than any other model we looked at during our tests, except for the more expensive Roborock Q5. Its long run time and large dust bin as well as mobility make it perfect for homes with large spaces. It also has a number of smart features, such as flooring type detection as well as an automatic recharge and resume function, as well as a powerful brush bar.