Compbrella Guide for The Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair
If you’re like most pet owners, you love your pets for their furry, shaggy, cuteness. For me, sitting on the couch with my dog and petting at the end of the day is just part of relaxing. I just wish he wouldn’t leave fur everywhere! That’s where a robot vacuum cleaner comes in. These will take care of the cleaning for you while you’re away during the day. More and more people are putting aside their big vacuum cleaners and letting the robots do the work for them.
Why using Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair is the best solution?
Pets are the gifts that keep on giving. Giving you something to clean I mean. No matter how often you sweep your home, your pets will just keep on shedding. It’s what they do. You can clean up after your children or teach them to clean up after themselves, but the pets don’t care. Rather than constantly grabbing a broom to sweep up or letting the hair accumulate and cleaning once a week, let the robot handle it. Robot vacuums can be programmed to perform daily scheduled cleanings to pick up all that hair, reducing the amount of time you clean and letting you focus on the bigger jobs.
What kinds of features are important when looking for Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair?
Every robot vacuum has its own unique features and advantages, but if you’re a pet owner you need to look for a few specific features.
- Brush roll: Does your pet have long or short hair? Depending on your answer you may have different needs. Short hair usually sticks to surfaces while long hair will get tangled in your vacuum. Bristle brush rolls are the most basic of this feature. It’s a single bristle style that works with a small plastic roller to sweep up short hair. If your pet has long hair, it’s better to go with a robot vacuum that uses a dual-brush roll system. This system uses two brush rolls spinning in opposite directions, pulling the hair in the vacuum while minimizing hairs tangling around the axle.
- Filtration: In addition to hair and fur, pets also produce allergens and bring dust into your home that can cause havoc on your body if you are allergic or sensitive. Roomba currently offers three types of filtration in their vacuums. AeroVac is good if you’re not very sensitive, while if you’re more prone to allergy attacks look for models with Roomba’s AeroForce 1.0 and 2.0 filters. The more advanced these filters the better job they do while also shrinking down in size and increasing room in the dust bin, so you can clean more while being more efficient.
- Virtual Barrier: You’re going to want to keep your vacuum working in specific areas and not wander all over your home barely cleaning. Roomba uses virtual barriers that fence in your vacuum while it works. There are two versions of this system: Original uses infrared light to block straight paths of up to 10 inches. This is enough for most hallways, doors, and entryways. Dual-mode can work in two ways, either standard like the original, or halo mode. Halo mode creates a radius of up to 4 inches that will divert the vacuum. This is good for placing around delicate furniture or electric sources and appliances.
Which Roomba is best for pet hair cleaning?
Roomba is the most popular brand of robot vacuum today. They’ve reached this status by providing high-quality products that suit everyone’s needs. Although there are other excellent brands out there, including some we recommend below, if you’re set on a Roomba these are the three you should look at.
- Roomba S9+ : Roomba’s latest model maybe its best yet. Its redesign with a D shaped body improves maneuvering around edges and corners. Featuring a self-emptying dustbin, advanced navigation skills that let it learn your home and adapt to it, and improved filtration with an anti-allergen system, this model will become man’s best friend in no time.
- Roomba i7+ : Almost as good as the S9+, this robot vacuum is slightly less powerful. Like that model it too has smart navigation skills, keep-out zones, and smart-charge that returns the Roomba to its charging station before resuming its work. The biggest difference is the lack of anti-allergen filter systems. If you’re not prone to allergies you’ll be fine though.
- Roomba e5: If you’re looking to save a bit, look for the Roomba e5. Like the other models, it has the new filtration system, but it lacks the anti-allergen system and the smart navigation that gives you keep out zones and smart charge & resume functions.
What are the pros of using Robot Vacuums?
- Schedule: With the robot vacuums scheduling capabilities, you’ll never have to worry about getting around to cleaning again. Set whatever schedule you want and let it work when you’re not home.
- Tough to reach spots: Most people don’t lift up the couch or go sweep under the bed while vacuuming. There’s just so much to do, and no one’s going to notice, right? Well, doubt no more. Robot vacuums are designed to be short enough to zip right underneath the couch and reach all that dust and dirt that you never see but piles up and can cause health problems later. Two important features of a robot vacuum are whether they are wet or dry, and how they handle corners. Some robots have side brushes that allow it to reach corners and other hard to reach angles so this is a very important thing to check when purchasing a robot vacuum.
- Smart cleaning: In addition to its regularly scheduled routes, many robot vacuums come with spot cleaning capabilities. Direct the robot towards a specific spill and it will clean up quickly and return home to its charging station.
- Versatility: Many robot vacuums have dual or even triple functions. There are three basic functions of robots: dry vacuums that only vacuum dust or debris; wet “vacuums” that clean with detergent but won’t vacuum up dirt; hybrids that combine both dry and wet functions. This allows the vacuum to handle nearly any household cleanup you throw at it.
How do Robot Vacuums work on different terrains?
Pet hair may present a unique problem for some robot vacuums. Cleaning them up depends on the brushing and vacuuming mechanism so be sure to check that you’re buying the right vacuum for you. Shaggy rugs are impenetrable for them, though, so if you have one, best to fold it up before turning on the robot. Lastly, robot vacuums are an excellent addition to any home, but they can’t replace a mop. Wet vacuums are very good at general cleanliness but don’t get rid of your old fashioned mop and broom just yet.
Compbrella Pick for Top 3 Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair cleaning
Best Overall: iRobot Roomba 980, This robot vacuum is the best for pet hair and for anyone too busy to do housework. Whether you have carpets or hardwood floors, the Roomba 980 is powerful enough to get the job and keep your home clean and allergen-free.
Runner Up: Neato Botvac D7 Connected, Now you can control when, where, and how your robot cleans right from your smartphone! Neato features keep-out zones, smart navigation and a high-quality filter that will take care of anything your furry friend left behind.
Most Versatile: Eufy RoboVac 11, The RoboVac11 is a great addition to any household. Its slender design lets it reach all those hard to clean spots and its extra quiet operation means your pet (or pets) will not be bothered by it moving around.
