- Deep cleaning test with sand on a medium pile carpet
- Test results: sand on a medium pile carpet
- Pet hair pick up test on a medium pile carpet
- Pet hair pick up test results
- Debris pick up test on a medium pile carpet
- Test results: debris pick up test on a medium pile carpet
- Cat litter on a low pile carpet
- Test results
- To conclude
Most robot vacuum cleaners are good at cleaning hard floors. Even budget models can clean hard floors well enough, especially if you run the robot at least a few times per week. But when it comes to cleaning carpets, the final result may vary depending on the model and the type of carpet. The most powerful robot vacuums deliver up to ~5000 Pa suction power which is still far from a modern cordless stick vacuum cleaner that has up to ~20000 Pa of suction power. Robot vacuum cleaners can pick up dust and dirt from the carpet surface, but not a lot of robots can remove the dirt hidden deep inside the carpet.
We decided to test 6 high-end robot vacuums on carpets to compare their performance. We choose the Eufy Robovac L70 Hybrid, 360 S10, Roborock S7, Yeedi Vac Station, iRobot Roomba i3, and Dreame Z10 and tested them in our testing area on a medium and low pile carpets with different types of debris, sand, pet hair, and cat litter.
Deep cleaning test with sand on a medium pile carpet
20 grams of sand scattered in a narrow strip on a medium pile carpet. Each robot made only one pass directly over the sand.
We measured the dustbin before and after the test.
Test results: sand on a medium pile carpet
| Robot Vacuum | Result |
|---|---|
| Dreame Z10 Pro | 12.4 g |
| Roomba i3+ | 12 g |
| Roborock S7 | 11.8 g |
| Yeedi Vac Station | 11.8 g |
| Eufy Robovac L70 | 11.4 g |
| 360 S10 | 10.5 g |
The Dreame Z10 Pro showed the best result in this test, probably because of the strong 4000 Pa suction. The Roomba i3 despite having much lower suction, has two roller brushes that help in carpet cleaning. All modern Roomba models are well known as good carpet cleaners because of these patented rubber roller brushes. The 360 S10 showed the worst result even though it has a pretty strong 3300 Pa suction. But as we can see suction power is not the only factor that matters.
To conclude: all the robots picked up slightly more than 50% of sand on a medium pile carpet meaning another 40-50% of sand was still left deeply in the carpet fibers. Robot vacuums are great helpers, but if you want a perfect cleaning, you would need to clean your carpets from time to time with a regular vacuum cleaner which has much more suction.
Pet hair pick up test on a medium pile carpet
Pet hair on a carpet is another challenge for robot vacuums as it can sit deeply between the carpet fibers. We put 4 grams of cat hair on a medium pile carpet and let our robots do one pass in the testing area.
The Yeedi Vac Station showed the best result picking up 3.7 grams of pet hair. The Roborock S7 was the last one. Unfortunately, the new rubber roller brush of the S7 performs much worse with pets and human hair compared to older Roborock models with a bristle brush.
Pet hair pick up test results
| Robot Vacuum | Result |
|---|---|
| Yeedi Vac Station | 3.8 g |
| Dreame Z10 Pro | 3.5 g |
| Roomba i3+ | 3.3 g |
| 360 S10 | 3.1 g |
| Eufy Robovac L70 | 3.1 g |
| Roborock S7 | 2.2 g |
Debris pick up test on a medium pile carpet
In the next test, we scattered 100 grams of buckwheat and oats on a medium pile carpet and let the robots make one pass. As usual, dustbins were measured before and after the test.
All the robot vacuums pickup up from 93% to 96% of debris. Dreame Z10 shows the worst result. It was one of the best performers, but because of some odd navigation algorithm, it doesn't reach the wall close enough and left a line of debris at the bottom of the cleaning area untouched. So in terms of pure debris cleaning performance, we would say that the Eufy Robovac L70 was the worst.
Test results: debris pick up test on a medium pile carpet
| Robot Vacuum | Result |
|---|---|
| Yeedi Vac Staion | 96.5 g |
| 360 S10 | 96.4 g |
| Roborock S7 | 94.8 g |
| Roomba i3+ | 94.7 g |
| Eufy Robovac L70 | 94.4 g |
| Dreame Z10 Pro | 93 g |
Cat litter on a low pile carpet
100 grams of kitty litter scattered on a thin low pile carpet. Let's see how much these robot vacuums can pick up in one pass.
The Roborock S7 and Yeedi Vac Station performed great in this test and picked up more than 98% of kitty litter. The 360 S10 and Eufy Robovac L70 were the worst in this test.
Test results
| Robot Vacuum | Result |
|---|---|
| Yeedi Vac Station | 98.2 g |
| Roborock S7 | 98.1 g |
| iRobot Roomba i3+ | 95.8 g |
| Dreame Z10 Pro | 95.5 g |
| 360 S10 | 93 g |
| Eufy Robovac L70 | 92.1 g |
To conclude
First, let's talk about the Yeedi Vac Station ($499.98 on Amazon) as it was one of the best in all tests. The Yeedi is a great robot vacuum in terms of cleaning performance, but does it mean it's the best choice? I don't think so. The Yeedi Vac Station has much worse navigation compared to robot vacuums with Lidar. Its navigation algorithms need improvements, the app is buggy and not as feature-rich as the Roborock, Dreame, or 360 apps. It has a self-emptying base, so maybe it's a good buy if you have a lot of carpets and you found a good deal on it. The Yeedi is also cheaper than other robot vacuums with a self-emptying base.
The Dreame Z10 Pro ($599.99 on Amazon) was great in most tests too. Overall, it's a very decent robot vacuum for the price. Unlike other robot vacuums in this test (except the 360 S10), it has a front 3D sensor so it can recognize and avoid small and low-profile objects like socks, cords, toys, etc. It's a very nice feature to have nowadays. I can definitely recommend the Dreame Z10 Pro to buy.
The Roborock S7+ ($949.98 on Amazon with the self-emptying base) was good in most tests but was the worst with pet hair. If you don't have pets or have only a few carpets, maybe it's not a big issue since the Roborock S7 has a lot of advantages: it has the best mopping performance I have seen (because of the vibrating mopping pad), automatically lifts the mopping pad on carpets, has the best navigation efficiency, and probably the most stable and user-friendly app.
The Roomba i3+ ($399.0 on Amazon) is one of the best carpet cleaners thanks to its dual roller brush, but it has some cons compared to other models. Its gyroscope-based navigation is worse compared to other robots in this test, the app has far fewer features, and battery life is bad. However, iRobot has probably the best customer service, its products are well-made, last long, and are easy to repair when needed. It also comes with a self-cleaning base. Unlike other robots in this test, the i3 doesn't have the mopping function. I can recommend the Roomba i3+ for small homes because of the short battery life.
The 360 S10 ($599.99 on Amazon) performed not as well as its competitors, but it's still a nice robot as it has a powerful app with a lot of nice features. It also has a front 3D sensor to recognize small objects on the floor (similar to the Dreame Z10 Pro).
The Eufy Robovac L70 Hybrid ($319.99 on Amazon) is similar to the 360 S10 in terms of carpet cleaning performance. It has a stable and polished app but unfortunately lacks such an important feature as selective room cleaning. The water tank is also small, so keep this in mind if the mopping function is important for you. All the other robots in this test can clean a specific room.