5 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair, Tested by Cleaning Experts

iRobot has been pioneering the robot vacuum category for over 20 years. In our Lab tests, the Roomba s9+ excelled in our hard floor cleaning tests, picking up 99% of the dry debris we spread across our test floors. We were so impressed with its performance, we chose it as our best overall robot vacuum pick and the best robot vacuum for hardwood floors. When faced with our faux pet hair test, it cleaned up almost all of the fibers we applied to test carpets. The rubber brush rolls made clean-up after a session easy, as no hair became tangled in the brush roll during our testing. Take note that this was one of the noisiest robot vacuums we tested, so it may not be the best option for homes with jumpy pets.

Through the app, you can edit maps the s9+ creates of your home, set cleaning schedules and send the robot out to spot-clean a small mess as soon as it happens. To complete your automated cleaning toolkit, you can purchase a Braava robot mop from the brand which can be linked and set to mop your floors right after a vacuuming session is completed. The S9+ is not able to identify and avoid pet messes, but another model from the brand, the j7+, can.

Don't let the price of this robot vacuum fool you. Eufy's 15C MAX has many of the same features as much more expensive models. It's not "smart," meaning it does not follow a cleaning pattern as it makes its way through your home, but it still covered our test areas well enough to earn high scores in our dry debris pickup tests and it earned one of the highest scores for removing pet hair from carpets. It also earned the highest maneuverability score out of 15 models in its test group, and its slim design helped it reach under low furniture where other robots were unable to go. Our sound evaluations found that it did not have the most quiet operation, but we don't think it is loud enough to disturb a family watching a movie or spook an unsuspecting pet, like some other models.

There's no self-emptying base, but removing and emptying the onboard dustbin was very easy. The 15C MAX can be controlled with an included battery-powered or the brand's app. Connection to Amazon Alexa or a Google Home Assistant also allows for voice control.

When we tested self-emptying robot vacuums, the Airrobo T10+ was the only model to leave our test carpets completely free of faux pet hair. Best of all, it suctioned all the pet hair into the robot's dust bin, leaving no pet hair stuck in the brush roll. It completed our two-room obstacle course in just over 10 minutes, the quickest completion time we saw in our testing. It not only finished quickly but cleaned effectively, leaving behind just a few bits of debris around sofa legs and in hard-to-reach corners. One other feature that stood out to us during testing was the T10+'s warning after mopping about removing mopping pads to prevent damage to wood floors. No other model we have tested issues this warning to users.

Its self-emptying base has one of the smallest footprints of the many we have tested in the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab. Keep in mind that with this model, it is best to clean up any items on the floor before sending it out on a cleaning task as we found it struggled to avoid most small objects in our Lab testing. This model is a fantastic option for users who prefer not to download an app on their phone to control their robot vac. The T10+ comes with a battery-powered remote control that can be used to spot clean, control the robot vacuum's movement and send it back to its charging base.

The sleek-looking Dreametech L10S Ultra is just one of the models in the brand’s lineup with a long list of helpful features and an equally action-packed charging base. In our obstacle avoidance tests, it earned the second-highest overall score, avoiding both large and small obstacles during all of our test runs. It performed equally well on carpet as it did on hard flooring and had the quickest mop-raising reaction time when it sensed that it would be moving onto a carpet. Because the charging base washes and dries the mopping pads after each cleaning task, they are less likely to remain dirty the next time you want to run the robot. All of the robots we tested in our obstacle course struggled to remove stains from hard flooring, but the L10S Ultra was one of the only to noticeably lighten the edges of stains after just one pass.

The brand’s app is easy to use to schedule cleaning tasks, adjust water and suction levels and view the onboard camera while the robot is in motion. This is the most expensive robot vacuum on our list, but we think that for its stellar cleaning performance and features that make maintenance a breeze, it is worth the higher price tag.

Ecovacs' X1 Omni is a two-in-one vacuum and mop combo that earned top scores across corner cleaning, removing pet hair from carpet and even our mopping tests. After testing this model for several months at home, we found that it maneuvers well around large and small obstacles, never getting close enough to the items to touch them. This did lead to some debris being left behind, but we found this to be a small price to pay for superior obstacle avoidance. From the Ecovacs app, you can watch the robot's cleaning path through your home, adjust suction and water levels and program any area on the map as no-go zones (like around the dog bed).

Ever wonder what your pets do when you aren't home? Deebot's X1 Omni has a camera built into the robot that you can view in real-time from the brand's app, even while the robot is docked in its base. The charging base is significantly larger than other self-emptying robot vacuums, but with 4-liter clean and dirty water tanks, you won't have to worry about refilling or emptying these tanks very often. The charging base acts as a self-empty station and wash and dry station for the robot vacuum's mopping pads too.