Can a Roomba Clean Carpets? It depends which one…

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Robot vacuum cleaners have to meet high requirements. They have to clean every surface equally well, but often have special difficulties with carpets. Roombas from iRobot enjoy an excellent reputation. This article presents the most powerful models in more detail and explains what to look out for when vacuuming carpets.

If you don’t like vacuuming, you’ve probably looked into robot vacuums. They are perfect not only for lazy people but also for people with little time. This nimble, smart helper will clean your home for you!

Sensors detect stairs and prevent the little one from falling. He also maps your apartment, so he will know where to go in the future. Of course, he also knows where he’s been and where his charging station is.

Plus, you can program it to do whatever you want: when it cleans, how often, which region, and more.

But maybe this has put you off: many robot vacuums have a hard time with carpets. First of all, here’s a tip: don’t settle for mid-range. For a really good end result, you need a really good robot vacuum!

Find out why the S9 Plus* is the best Roomba for carpets in this article.

These are the most common problems of robot vacuum cleaners with carpets

• Overcoming carpet edge does not work. Often this is due to fringes or the height of the maximum obstacle crossing.
• Lack of suction power, then hair or dirt remains in the carpet. This applies especially to animal hair. However, the length of the carpet fibers is also important: A high pile is often more difficult to clean than a carpet with short fibers.
• “Black hole”: Carpets in black color are misidentified. Because the robot thinks it is an abyss, it curves around it.

Why Roombas have a good chance of overcoming these problems

The company iRobot stands for first-class vacuuming and mopping robots. Each Roomba comes with many features that could help with some of the problems mentioned.

Not only can you easily integrate newer models into your smart home. You can also assume that they don’t have any serious problems with carpets. After all, what good is a great robot vacuum if you have to clean each carpet separately?

Because iRobot is one of the pioneers in robot vacuums, the manufacturer has a lot of experience. Moreover, many different models come from this house.

That’s why you have a particularly large selection here. Unfortunately, it also takes a little time for customers to find their way around. Because the individual Roomba models can only be distinguished by their number.

So you know what we’re talking about later, here’s a quick rundown of the major current series.

Current Roomba Series at a glance:

• s9* = top model – powerful, with very long runtime. New in this model is the D-shape, which makes the robot optimal for corners.
• j7* = New: with frontcam, which also detects flat objects.
• i7* = First model with suction station. The dust container cleans itself without you having to empty it manually.
• 900-series* = First time with mobile app, so Alexa-enabled.
• 800-series* = New were two rubber rollers instead of one brush. In addition, HEPA filters and other innovative technologies that are part of the patented “Aeroforce” technology.

There are also many other Roomba models. However, unlike the ones presented here, they do not feature any innovative improvements.

In addition, some of the innovations mentioned soon became standard for subsequent models. Example suction station: Due to the great success, iRobot immediately brought out top models with suction station. This keeps the air in the apartment nice and clean, even if you have to vacuum a lot.

What does the “plus” behind the Roomba number mean?

If the suction station is included, there is a “+” after the number: i7+ / j7+ / s9+. If there is nothing there, the robot can also be operated with the suction station (from i7). However, you must purchase the station separately.

The advantage of an extraction station for carpets

Depending on what kind of carpet you have, there will be more dirt. Because a lot of stuff collects here and disappears into the depths of the high pile. Maybe you won’t see it anymore. But it is there and must be removed regularly.

The same applies to carpets that are heavily contaminated with pet hair. If you have a dog or a cat, you know the problem for sure! Then even an easy-care short-hair carpet can become very dirty in a short time.

Therefore, the amount of dirt alone requires two things. One of these is a dust bag that is capable of holding the dirt. The larger, the better, because then the robot does not have to constantly interrupt.

Almost as important is the Roomba’s suction station: it, too, keeps things running smoothly. Similar to the electricity, the robot automatically activates it when it’s time. It then returns to the spot where it left off.

Why two rubber rollers are so important for carpets

Important for our topic are also the rubber rollers because with them a carpet can be cleaned quite differently than with conventional brushes. Where normal brushes like to get tangled in the fringes, this does not happen with rubber rollers.

And if your longhaired cat has rolled around on the carpet again, it doesn’t matter: its hair won’t put the vacuum cleaner out of action so easily!

This is because these rollers are smoother despite their nubs. They therefore nestle closer to the surface and can clean it more thoroughly. If two counter-rotating rubber brushes are also installed, your carpet will be really clean.

Thus, all Roombas with two rubber brushes are shortlisted for good carpet cleaning. But this would still be too many models for our overview. Let’s take a different approach: Let’s ask ourselves what else is important for carpets.

Checklist Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Carpets

• Suction power – how powerful is the model to pull even the last dirt out of the carpet?
• Overcoming obstacles: Carpets often have an edge that wants to be overcome.
• Size of the dust container?
• Battery power? When cleaning carpets, many vacuums automatically switch up, which uses more power. See carpet mode!
• Exclusion zones possible? If a carpet is to be excluded from cleaning at some point.
• Additional features specifically for carpets? For example, carpet mode, robot vacuum automatically increases the suction power as soon as it detects a carpet.

With many of them, the more the merrier! To find out which Roomba is the best for carpets, take a closer look at the most powerful models.

Roombas by suction power

Experience shows that the suction power for animal hair as well as for long pile should be at least 2,000 Pascal (Pa). Only then will the carpet be cleaned satisfactorily.

The Roomba s9* has the strongest suction power of all the models presented here. At 2200 Pa, it is the clear candidate for the best Roomba on carpet.

According to the company, this is forty times what a good mid-range (600 series) Roomba model does!

Obstacle Bridging

If you want a robot vacuum to clean high-pile carpets, it first has to climb them. Roomba i7 models and up have an edge-clearing feature.

The i7 already has just under 20 mm. That is also enough for high pile. However, if you are looking for the best in this field, you have to go for the s9: It achieves an impressive 23 mm!

Size of the dust container

The Roomba i7, j7 and s9 models have different sized dust bags. The s9 model has the largest capacity at 550ml. The i7’s bag is considerably smaller at 450 ml. The j7 brings up the rear with 400 ml.

Battery performance, runtime

Once again, the Roomba s9 outperforms all other models: With a battery of 3300 mAh, it is the undisputed leader. According to the company, this is enough for a runtime of about 1.5 hours.

The Roomba j7 comes in second with 2210 mAh. The i7 comes in third with 1800 mAh, which results in a runtime of 75 minutes.

Additional feature carpet mode?

This Roomba robot vacuum automatically increases suction power when it detects carpet. This mode is available on the i7 and s9 models.

Interim summary

This already puts the Roomba s9 in first place in terms of cleaning function, special suitability for carpets and runtime. The suction power is also the strongest of all three models presented.

It also has a carpet function to automatically adjust its suction power. It is available with suction station, either included (s9+) or purchased separately (s9).

You may be wondering now why we’ve listed more series above, but only talk about three models in more detail.

These are really the best Roomba models for carpets. All the others perform worse in one or more of the important points.

Now let’s take a closer look at the top model. What can the Roomba s9 do – and is it really worth the money?

Price-Performance Ratio Roomba s9

A fundamental criticism of the s9* is that it is really expensive. But it won’t stop there: it is already a full third cheaper than at the time of its market launch. This makes it almost as cheap as the same model without suction station, i.e. the s9.

That’s not too far off from the other Roomba i7 and Roomba j7 models! But as we’ve shown, you get a lot more in terms of runtime, power and suction. So exactly the points that are important for carpets!

Other features of the s9 / s9+

Extra wide rubber rollers

It catches more dirt at once and cleans deeper. The reason: At 24.13 cm, its rubber rollers are larger than those of other models.

Long vacuuming without annoying bag changes

The Roomba s9 empties into a disposable bag 30 times. Depending on the size of your home, this can mean weeks of rest before the disposable bag is once full.

3-stage cleaning

Depending on the surface and soiling, the suction power is adjusted. As already described above, this includes intensive carpet cleaning!

establish exclusion zones

Why not save your carpet by setting up no-go zones? Then you won’t have to constantly keep an eye on the robot vacuum because you’ve declared certain areas as no-go areas.

Navigation and smart maps

Because the Roomba s9 captures an extremely large number of data points per second, it can create a complete and highly accurate map in just a few minutes. The powerful quad-core processor is responsible for this. It uses 1.3 GHz and helps to create more than 230,400 data points per second.

That’s how Roomba knows where to clean. It also knows where potential traps are and makes smart maps: They change the more it vacuums your home, because that’s how it learns more about your home.

Easy integration into the Smart Home

With the help of the iRobot Home app, integration into the smart home is very easy. The app recognizes the vacuum and guides you through the installation.

Works with Alexa and Google Home

You can also control Roomba s9 directly. Use Alexa to ask the robot to clean a certain area, for example. Of course, it can also be used with Google Home.

Special D-shape and PerfectEdge technology

Until now, all vacuum robots were simply round. The Roomba s9 has a new D-shape. It also features the company’s patented PerfectEdge technology, which includes special sensors and special brushes for corners.

The robot can now move closer to walls, among other things. It can therefore also clean corners much better.

What the Roomba s9 Robot Vacuum Cleaner Can’t Do

No front cam

Unfortunately, this model lacks the front camera that the Roomba j7 has. But because it has all the necessary sensors, it still recognizes where your carpet begins.

You should seriously consider whether you really need a front cam and rather choose the j7. After all, you’d be giving up a lot of advantages!

Reduce volume

The Roomba s9 is often criticized for its loudness. Especially when emptying the dust bag it develops an unpleasant background noise. Unfortunately, this cannot be prevented. In view of the countless advantages of this model, however, this shortcoming can be neglected.

Tip: Because the charging station is narrower due to its special shape, it is easier to store. For example, it fits well in a corner under a table. This alone can help to minimise noise.

Roomba S9 Advantages & Disadvantages

Related questions

How do I set up the Roomba Robot Vacuum?

The first important thing is to make the home robot-proof. To do this, remove all unimportant items. Only then is the charging station connected, after which the robot vacuum will map your home the first time it is used. The prerequisites for this function are Wi-Fi, a smartphone and the iRobot Home app.

What to do if you have problems with black carpet?

In the case of such problems, it has proven useful to tape off the fall sensors at the bottom of the robot. This is only recommended if the apartment is on ground level. Attention, risk of accident: If the apartment has stairs, this could lead to falls.

Does the Roomba s9 work on smooth surfaces?

With the help of a differentiated cleaning system (3-stage system), even smooth surfaces can be cleaned satisfactorily. The Dirt Detect sensors, on the other hand, detect where it is particularly dirty on any surface. They then initiate an even more thorough cleaning of the area.

Conclusion Roomba vacuum robots and carpets: a good team!

The Roomba s9* robot vacuum is considered extremely expensive, but this is only partly true. It is really worth the money, because it is best suited for carpets. It easily meets special requirements such as maximum suction power, thorough cleaning, good battery performance and runtime.

Although not entirely new, the Roomba s9 / s9+ is still up to date. This is where iRobot’s years of experience with vacuum robots come together. Easy to install, its performance could convince the majority of previous buyers.

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