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Nov 01, 2024

Best robot vacuums for carpet 2024: Our top 4, tested | Mashable

Nearly any robot vacuum can sufficiently clear tile or hardwood floors of the hair and crumbs blowing across them like tumbleweeds. But for a robot vacuum to work on carpet, more suction power and

Nearly any robot vacuum can sufficiently clear tile or hardwood floors of the hair and crumbs blowing across them like tumbleweeds. But for a robot vacuum to work on carpet, more suction power and concentrated airflow are required to uproot the debris embedded in those fibers.

Yes, several robot vacuum cleaners do a pretty phenomenal job on carpets and rugs. In fact, the best robot vacuum brands such as iRobot, Roborock, Eufy, and Shark have been mastering the art for several years, particularly honing in on pet hair pickup and hair tangling in the roller brush.

For homes with varying floor types and a notable amount of foot traffic, buying the cheapest robot vacuum will likely create more hassle. Every time that bot gets stuck on a rug corner or welcomes you home to pet hair still visibly clinging to the living room carpet, you'll be tempted to do the job yourself — but rest assured that that's not an inevitable experience with every robovac.

The best robot vacuums for carpet have powerful suction, of course, aided by brush roll systems designed to dig into low- and high-pile carpet to pinch hair and large chunks while simultaneously inhaling fine debris that a weaker robot vac would pass right over. The most common way to measure suction power is in Pascals (though top contenders like iRobot and Shark just have to be different by not adhering to that method). When suction power in Pa is advertised, look for at least 5,000 Pa, and under no circumstances entertain anything lower than 4,000 Pa. For reference, robot vacuums at the premium end of the spectrum clock between 10,000 and 12,000 Pa.

Our top picks use automatic suction adjustment to customize cleaning based on floor type, leading to stronger cyclonic force on soft floors. All our picks also come with a self-emptying dock (or at least offer the option) to mitigate the frequency of trips to the trash bin, which would be a lot if the robovac is deep cleaning the amount of gunk from your carpets that it should be.

If a robot vacuum has mastered carpet — the hardest floor type to tackle — these models definitely won't struggle to sweep up debris from hard floors like hardwood, tile, and laminate. Speaking of hard floors, if you're already eyeing a robot vacuum with market-leading suction power, chances are that that model is also one of the most advanced at mopping. Typically, the super powerful premium robot vacuums are also outfitted with pressurized mopping pads that wash and dry themselves, plus sensors that alert them to stop mopping on carpet. Unless it's a bumbling artifact from 2018, most robot vacuums transition between floor types without a blip (though even the best ones often still struggle to not trip on a bath mat).

Not sure which robot vacuum will best suit your home's setup? I'm on a continuous mission to test the most noteworthy robot vacuums that come out each year and narrow that list down for you. For this guide, I reviewed dozens of botvacs and kept a close eye on how they tackled a variety of pile lengths, rugs, and bath mats. Here are my four favorites of 2024: