The Best Self-Empting Robot Vacuum For Pet Hair
The amount of pet hair your pets shed and the types of floors you’ll need to clean will determine which vacuum is the best one for you. Some models have advanced features such as obstacle detection and self emptying capabilities.
When selecting a model, ensure it has a big dust bin and quiet mode. Smart maps and features in apps such as scheduling, zoning and areas that aren’t accessible are also helpful.
1. iRobot Roomba 900
The iRobot Roomba 900 model is a great mid-range model. It is equipped with some of the most sophisticated intelligent features. For example, you can see the location of the digital map on which Roomba was during each cleaning session. It also has Spot Mode, which lets you focus the robot on a specific area of your home.
The 900 series also comes with iAdapt 2.0 Navigation that ensures a seamless, efficient path through your home. Sensors for obstacles help it avoid furniture, while avoiding clutter like charging cables and other items. It also has virtual wall barriers that you can use to block straight passages or a circular space (like pet food stations).
It pairs with the free iRobot Home App to let you schedule cleanings on demand, and is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. It can run for a period of 75 minutes and returns to its charger once the battery’s power goes out.
2. IRobot Roomba 980
This is the top model of Roomba. It has all the bells, whistles and features. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art AeroForce cleaning system that provides twice the suction power of other models. It can easily pick up pet fur, lint, and dirt, as well mold spores and large chunks of debris.
It’s smarter and more intelligent than older Roomba model thanks to better mapping technology. It also has a more advanced memory. It can even be started remotely with the iRobot HOME app.
The app also lets you to create digital ‘Keep-Out Zones’ that prevent robots from entering certain areas of your home. It’s a great choice for people who have pets or children and want to keep the mess away. It didn’t perform as well as the Samsung Powerbot R7070 or Neato Botvac connected in our pet hair test.
iRobot Roomba 960P
The Roomba 980P is the top-of-the-line model, and it improves over its predecessor in a number of ways. It’s more efficient, stronger and more adept at removing pet hair. It also comes with a remote control.
The bin is located at the back of the robot. It can be opened by pressing a button to release dirt or other debris. The iRobot mobile app lets you choose your cleaning preferences and view a map showing the area that has been cleaned. You can also set up your robot’s cleaning schedule.
The 980 doesn’t have a display, nor a manual control. This is a major drawback for a vacuum which relies heavily on its intelligent features. Its competitions such as Neato’s Botvac Connected and LG’s RoboKing line provide more control options.
4. Roomba 980 from iRobot
This is one of the most powerful robot vacuums that we tested in our tests and a popular choice. It removes pet hair, dirt and crumbs effortlessly on hardwood floors, and is a pro at cleaning carpets. Its Power Boost mode increases suction automatically, helping to get those rug stains out of hiding.
You can control this Roomba remotely through the iRobot app set up cleaning schedules and even create virtual barriers that prevent it from entering areas you don’t want it access. It is able to identify and navigate stairs, and is able to return to the docking station to recharge itself if it runs out of juice. This model, unlike the previous Roomba models, can recall the location it left and restart a clean that was previously completed. It can also run in straight lines, increasing the effectiveness of its coverage.
Roomba 960S from iRobot
iRobot’s latest robot vacuum is a beast, able to quickly and effortlessly remove dirt from carpeted areas as well as hard floors. It’s one of the smarter robots we tested, because of its mapping capabilities and ability to pick up the same place it left off after an entire charge (which reduces the irritation caused by the traditional Roomba’s pseudorandom navigation).
This vacuum cleaner is among the most flexible that we’ve seen. It comes with several sensors and cameras. It can set up a consistent path around your home be aware of it to stay clear of obstacles and detect the presence of ledges.
The iRobot App makes it simple to schedule cleanings, and adjust the robot’s behavior. The top controls include the Home button as well as Spot Mode which allows you to clean a particular area. The model has a low-maintenance filter which can capture up to 99% pollutants and allergens.
6. iRobot Roomba 980SP
The iRobot robot is a reliable cleaner of hard and carpeted surfaces, however, it’s quite expensive. It is smarter than the previous models and will detect when the full charge has been reached and return to its charging station to recharge.
It utilizes the latest mapping technology to help you navigate and locate rooms much more easily. It is able to fit under the majority of sofas but not all and avoid getting caught in power cords or other obstacles.
The bundled app can be used to start and schedule the Roomba remotely. You can also use virtual walls to block off areas you don’t want it go. For instance, you can place a virtual barrier near the dog’s water and food bowls. It also has a spot-clean button that vacuums an area of around 4 feet.
7. iRobot Roomba 990
The Roomba 980, a squat, brownish-black model looks pretty much like every other robot vacuum on the market (that’s not good thing!). It comes with the usual features, including the rotating brush that can help to clean corners and edges. It also has two virtual wall barriers, which aid in navigating a space.
This robot has updated capabilities for mapping and navigation that allow it build maps while it cleans. This allows the robot to know when a room is finished and move to the next.
The app allows you to set up a cleaning schedule and control the vacuum from a distance while away from home. It performed well in our tests for pet hair, picking up just 0.2 pounds of hair on low-pile and mid-pile carpets as well as hardwood. It fit under our sofas where space was smaller than any other model we’ve tried.
iRobot Roomba 960XP
The powerful suction of this OKP WiFi/Alexa Robot Vacuum Cleaner – Self-Charging Technology, its HEPA filter and its battery life of two hours makes it an excellent choice for those who have significant cleaning requirements. It ditched the nickel metal hydride batteries of previous models in favor of the lithium ion version that will last longer in cleaning sessions and between charges.
iRobot CarpetBoost automatically boosts the power of its brush to tackle difficult spots. It can also perform two cleaning passes instead of just one. Its virtual walls can be used to block off areas you want to keep clean.
WiFi and apps are supported, and you can schedule a scheduled clean or set up other options like the cycle of cleaning your spot. However, the minimal display could be difficult for family members with no smartphones to use. It’s also more expensive than other robots with similar features.
Roomba 960XL by iRobot
The top-of-the-range robot from iRobot is available for PS900. It comes with CarpetBoost which provides it with amazing cleaning power. It is the most intelligent and most powerful Roomba ever created and it does a fantastic job on hard floors and carpets.
It makes use of vision sensors to perform VSLAM (Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping). This allows it to locate landmarks such as chairs, shelves and beds and it builds a map of the area so it can remember the location.
It also uses cameras to identify dirt spots and boost suction power in these areas. You can launch it by opening the app while at work and it will vacuum, clean up and dock itself automatically once done. It also does a great job picking up pet hair. Our test results showed it picked up to 0.2 ounces of pet hair on midpiles, low-pile and hardwood.
10. iRobot Roomba 980XL
The 980XL is an excellent Fockety Robot Vacuum: Powerful Suction Intelligent Control, and its extra features are worth the price. It has a more sophisticated mapping system than the 900-series and it is more efficient in cleaning both on carpet and hard floors. You can also start it from a distance.
It also features a powerful cleaning system that has ten times the power-lifting suction capacity of older Roombas and uses a dual-swiveling brush that can reach corners and get under furniture. It will even automatically clean your floors after it has vacuumed.
It’s not the most quiet however, especially when you use the carpet boost feature. We measured it at around 80 dB, which is about the same as a prop plane flying overhead. You can build a virtual fence to keep it out of sensitive areas, like the dog’s water and food bowls.