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Pets provide plenty of fun and companionship, but cleaning up after them is a chore. If you have trouble keeping up with all of the hair from your dog or cat, a robot vacuum can take some of that work off your plate so you have more time to do the things you enjoy.
To find the best robot vacuum for pet hair, the BestReviews Testing Lab considered 33 models and enlisted several shaggy dogs and cats to provide the fur to test many robots. We examined how well the vacuums did with pet hair, testing their performance on both hard flooring and carpeting. We also evaluated features such as the dustbin capacity to see how much pet hair a model could capture before it needed emptying and whether the brush roll became tangled with hair.
Additionally, we observed how well the robot vacuums could handle other debris you might have with pets, such as kitty litter or dry pet food, to understand how they perform in a home with pets overall.
After researching and testing more than three dozen robot vacuums, our top pick is the DREAME L50 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop. It offers high-powered suction that lifts embedded pet hair from carpeting and captures large debris like pet kibble, plus pet-friendly features designed to give pet owners peace of mind.
Editors’ Favorite
Dimensions: 13.7” L x 13.86” W x 3.82” H | Weight: 9.79 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
From powerful suction to an anti-tangle brushroll to expert obstacle avoidance, the DREAME L50 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop delivers everything a pet owner could want. Its high-speed motor delivers 19,500 Pa of suction power, allowing it to remove embedded pet hair from carpeting, pick up heavier debris like kibble and cat litter, and effectively clean all types of flooring. However, despite this power, it is designed to minimize noise, so it’s less likely to upset anxious pets.
The robot features a dual-brush system consisting of a bristle rubber brush and a TPU rubber brush. These brushes are highly effective at capturing pet hair from both hard floors and carpeting and also prevent tangles, ensuring the vacuum’s suction power is maintained throughout cleaning. The L50 Ultra also has an extendable side brush and mop, which allows it to clean in tight spaces, including corners and beneath low-profile furniture.
You don’t need to worry about picking up pet toys, food bowls, litter boxes and other items before sending the robot out, either. It uses AI technology and 3D structured light to detect and navigate around more than 180 obstacles, including cables, furniture legs and clothing. The L50 Ultra also offers features designed specifically for pet owners, including a pet-finding mode that lets you monitor your pets through the DREAME app when away from home.
Great Value
Dimensions: 12.99" L x 11.38 W x 3.35" H | Weight: 19.8 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
The eufy Omni C20 Robot Vacuum and Mop is an affordable model that can still handle pet messes. Its roller brush is designed for low maintenance, featuring a special detangling comb that flips down to remove tangles while the brush rotates in reverse, so you don’t have to do it manually. It also provides 7,000 Pa of suction power, which lets it easily capture pet hair, kibble, crumbs and other debris.
The Omni C20 can also handle wet, sticky messes on hard floors, thanks to its mopping function. Its mop head delivers 6 newtons of pressure and rotates 180 times per minute to scrub away even the most stubborn stains and residue. It can sweep and mop hard floors simultaneously, too, boosting efficiency and reducing cleaning time.
The vacuum’s slim, compact design allows it to get at hard-to-reach areas, so all your floors are free of pet hair, dust and crumbs. Just 3.35 inches high, it can get under beds, sofas, desks and other furniture where hair and dirt can collect.
Best Carpet Cleaning Performance
Dimensions: 13.78” L x 13.9” W x 3.8” H | Weight: 25.57 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
With a brushless motor that delivers 12,000 Pa of suction, the roborock Qrevo S5V Robot Vacuum and Mop effectively pulls embedded hair, crumbs, dirt and other debris from carpeting for the deepest clean, even in homes with pets. It also optimizes airflow in corners and under furniture to thoroughly clean these hard-to-reach areas. Its rubberized main brush and arc-shaped side brush for edge cleaning are designed to prevent tangles, too, so you won’t waste time cutting pet hair free after cleaning.
When mapping your home, the Qrevo S5V uses PreciSense LiDAR navigation to perform a 360-degree scan of the rooms and create complete floor plans. It can store maps for up to four levels, so it can transition between floors without missing a beat. It also has structured light sensors that allow it to react to obstacles in real time and easily navigate around items like cables, clothing and toys.
You’ll have full control over the robot’s cleaning through the roborock app, too. You can schedule when the vacuum cleans, send it to clean specific rooms and create No-Clean areas for spots that you want it to avoid. The app also lets you adjust the suction and mopping settings based on the surface and how dirty it is.
Best Mopping Performance
Dimensions: 13.9” L x 13.9” W x 3.86” H | Weight: 11.7 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
For pet owners seeking a robot that can effectively vacuum and mop hard floors, the ECOVACS DEEBOT X9 PRO Omni Robot Vacuum and Mop is the ideal choice. Its mop roller continuously self-washes as it mops, so dirty water isn’t spread across your floors. The all-in-one docking station also automatically washes the roller with hot water, dries it, refills the water tank and empties the onboard dustbin for up to 150 days.
You don’t have to worry about your carpets getting wet, though. The robot’s triple-lift system automatically raises the mop roller when on carpet, keeping the surface dry. When it’s in mopping mode, its side and main roller brushes are also lifted to keep them from spreading wet messes across hard floors.
The DEEBOT X9 PRO OMNI is a powerful vacuum. It provides 16,600 Pa of suction and even features technology that boosts airflow by up to 38%, so it can pull dust, fine debris and pet hair from within carpet fibers. This allows it to clean more efficiently, requiring fewer passes to deep clean carpets and hard floors.
Best Bagless VacuumDimensions: 13.08” L x 8.43” W x 3.9” H | Weight: 15.25 lb | Mapping: Yes | Self-emptying: Yes | Voice commands: Yes | Scheduling: Yes
If you don’t want to worry about buying replacement dust bags for your robot vacuum, the Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum with XL HEPA Self-Empty Base offers a bagless design that makes maintenance a breeze. Its self-emptying base holds up to 60 days’ worth of dirt, pet hair and other debris in its dust container, so you don’t need to manually empty it after each use. The robot also features a HEPA filter that captures up to 99.97% of dust, dander and other allergens, which pet owners are sure to appreciate.
The AV2501AE AI uses 360-degree LiDAR vision to create accurate maps of your home’s layout, which allows it to clean more efficiently and thoroughly. It avoids objects it encounters, detecting them even in low-light conditions. Cleaning in a precise grid, it takes multiple passes over areas of heavy dirt to ensure all your floors receive a deep cleaning.
With its rechargeable battery, it can clean for up to 120 minutes, so it can cover the entire house on a single charge. It also boasts a Recharge and Resume feature, which allows it to return to the charging base to recharge and then pick up right where it left off once fully charged.
Our testing began with setting up the robot vacuums to see how long the process took and how easy it was. If the robot had an app, we also set it up and connected the vacuum to evaluate how user-friendly the app was and how effectively it provided access to the vacuum’s features.
Next, we ran the robots to see how long their batteries lasted before recharging. We then timed how long they took to recharge and how long they could run before their dustbins were full. Our testing also considered how long it took for the robots to clean an entire room, as well as the square footage of the space. We explored the mapping process, too, evaluating how long it took, how accurate it was and how it affected navigation.
To get a more concrete idea of the vacuums’ performance, we tested the vacuums with specific types of debris. Pet hair was our major concern, but we also observed how well they performed when picking up kitty litter, cereal and small-to-medium-sized particles like kosher salt on both hard flooring and carpeting.
Finally, we cleaned the robots after they vacuumed. We noted how much pet hair was around the brush roll, whether any was stuck or tangled on the brushes and how easy it was to remove the brushes, wheels and other components for cleaning.
The types of flooring you have in your home should be a major factor when choosing a robot vacuum to clean up after your pets.
Robot vacuums typically have an easier time on hard flooring, such as hardwood or laminate, because it's flat and smooth. These surfaces usually don’t have cracks or gaps for dirt, pet hair and other debris to settle into, so even a robot vacuum with moderate suction can effectively remove pet hair from them.
Carpeting and rugs, on the other hand, present a challenge for many robot vacuums. Dirt and other debris often become embedded in carpet fibers, so it’s more difficult for battery-powered robot vacuums to pull it out.
Removing pet hair from high-pile carpeting is especially tough for robot vacuums because it’s easy for the hair to get trapped between the higher fibers. If your home is heavily carpeted, you want a robot vacuum with superior suction like the DREAME L50 Ultra. It offers 19,500 Pa of suction, which is similar to many premium upright vacuums.
The roborock Qrevo S5V also performs well on carpeting, providing 12,000 Pa of suction power. It also ensures optimal airflow when cleaning tight spots like corners and under furniture, so no hair is left behind.
The noise associated with standard vacuums can make many pets anxious, so you’ll want to consider how loud a robot vacuum is if you’ll use it to pick up after your pets.
Most robot models produce between 45 and 70 decibels of noise. Regular conversation typically registers at about 60 to 70 decibels, so a robot vacuum is about that noisy.
During our research and testing, we found that the robot vacuums were quieter than standard vacuums. However, it’s important to note that the noise level varies from model to model. The DREAME L50 Ultra’s motor is designed to reduce noise, so it’s an excellent option for nervous pets. The eufy Omni C20 is another super-quiet model, operating at under 55 decibels.
Keep in mind that noisier vacuums tend to offer the strongest suction power. To deal with pet hair, you may need a slightly louder model to ensure it’s powerful enough to pull all the hair out of your carpeting and off your hard flooring.
Pet hair often collects beneath the couch and other furniture, so you want a robot vacuum to fit under your furniture and capture any debris. The size of a robot vacuum can also affect how easy it is to store in your home, which can be even more challenging if you live in a smaller space.
If you want to ensure that a robot will fit under most of your furniture, a model with a low profile is your best bet. The eufy Omni C20, for instance, is just 3.35 inches high, so it can easily pass under most furniture.
It’s important to note that larger robots generally have bigger dustbins. That means they can hold more pet hair than smaller models, so you aren’t constantly having to empty the bin during vacuuming.
You should choose a robot vacuum with tangle-free brushes for a home with lots of pet hair. Traditional vacuum brushes usually have rigid bristles that make it easy for hair and fibers to wrap around them. Tangle-free brushes, on the other hand, are made of rubber.
These rubber brushes, which you'll find on models such as the DREAME L50 Ultra and the roborock Qrevo S5V, have some flexibility to them, which prevents pet hair from wrapping around the brushes easily. And just like traditional brushes, they still effectively lift pet hair from your flooring, so your home is clean and allergen-free. This feature can be essential when cleaning pet hair from carpeting because the robot vacuum may pull large amounts of hair from the carpet fibers that can get tangled on lower-quality brushes.
Tangle-free brushes can make a big difference in how much hair you have to clean from the brushes after vacuuming. The DREAME L50 Ultra, eufy Omni C20 and roborock Qrevo S5V all feature anti-tangle brush systems to reduce after-cleaning maintenance.
A robot vacuum with tangle-free rubber brushes is also a good choice for cleaning pet hair from hardwood. Not only does it prevent pet hair from getting tangled, but the rubber bristles are also less likely to scratch the wood.
A robotic vacuum can pull a lot of hair from the carpet fibers or the surface of hard floors, which can quickly fill up its internal dustbin. If the bin is full, the robot will stop cleaning until you empty the debris.
However, some models have a self-emptying base, so the robot automatically returns to the base when the bin is full and empties the hair and dirt for you into a larger bag in the top of the base. That prevents the robot from stopping in the middle of cleaning if you’re unaware that the bin is full.
While the self-emptying process can be pretty loud, it makes vacuuming much more efficient. Models with a self-emptying base like the DREAME L50 Ultra, eufy Omni C20, roborock Qrevo S5V, EVOVACS DEEBOT x9 PRO Omni and Shark AV2501AE AI Robot Vacuum can also hold between 45 and 100 days’ worth of dirt and hair in the base’s dust bag, so you can go an entire month without having to empty your robot of pet hair.
Many robot vacuums have mapping technology that allows them to learn the layout of your home to clean more efficiently. However, some models like the DREAME L50 Ultra and robrorock Qrevo S5V offer more sophisticated mapping than others because they have advanced sensors or cameras to aid in their navigation. You can then send your robot out to clean specific rooms where your pets spend time and hair may accumulate. But you can also set up no-clean zones, so the robot will avoid certain areas, such as where your pet’s food and water bowls are located.
In addition to learning your home’s rooms and zones, some models, like the DREAME L50 Ultra and roborock Qrevo S5V, are smart enough to detect and avoid obstacles in their path. This can include items like shoes, pet toys and even pet poop. Many pet owners are frustrated when a robot vacuum runs over a pet's accident and spreads it all over the floors. With an advanced obstacle-avoidance feature, you never have to worry about coming home to find your pet’s mistake smeared everywhere.
In addition to vacuuming, some robot vacuums like the DREAME L50 Ultra, eufy Omni C20, roborock Qrevo S5V and EVOVACS DEEBOT x9 PRO Omni offer mopping capabilities. They vacuum and mop simultaneously based on the flooring type, so every surface in your home is as clean as can be. These vacuums map your home’s layout to identify carpeted areas and rooms with hard flooring to ensure that it cleans every space properly. The mopping pad can then conveniently swing out of the way when the robot approaches carpeting or rugs to avoid wetting the fibers.
With pets in the house, a mopping feature can be very helpful. It can clean up food and water spills, residue from pet accidents and even help remove hair trapped in the corners or along the baseboards on hard flooring.
Robot vacuums can be pretty expensive, so knowing your budget is essential before you start shopping. Generally, you’ll spend between $300 and $1,000 for a robot vacuum for pet hair.
Budget-friendly models: Entry-level models like the eufy Omni C20 and Shark AV2501AE AI usually provide enough suction to help with pet hair removal when paired with a traditional vacuum, but they offer features like tangle-free rollers and basic mapping capabilities. They typically cost $250 to $400.
Mid-range models: For a robot vacuum with enough suction power to handle most of the pet hair removal in your home and more advanced navigation capabilities for no-clean zones, a mid-tier model, like the roborock Qrevo S5V, is your best bets. These models usually cost $575 to $800.
High-end models: If you want a robot vacuum with sophisticated mapping, obstacle avoidance and enough suction to handle all pet hair removal in your home, you’ll need a higher-end model, such as the DREAME L50 Ultra and the ECOVACS DEEBOT X9 PRO Omni.. Expect to pay $800 to $1,200.
Ideally, a robot vacuum will suck up most of your home’s pet hair into the dustbin for easy disposal in the trash. However, hair sometimes finds its way around the brushes before it’s sucked inside.
Tangle-free brushes help: The best robot vacuums for pet hair have tangle-free brushes that prevent the hair from getting wrapped around the roll in the first place. These models may sometimes have the occasional hair on the brushes, but you usually don’t need to remove the brushes to clean them.
Use any included cleaning tools: If hair does become stuck around your robot vacuum’s brush roll, it can affect the vacuum’s airflow and suction, so it’s important to remove it as soon as you see it. Fortunately, some models come with a cleaning tool that easily removes any hair stuck around the brushes. You’ll need to remove the brushes first, usually by pressing down on a tab on the bottom of the robot that releases them. The tool then allows you to remove the wrapped hair without damaging the brushes.
Cut the hair out: For models that don’t include a cleaning tool, you can use scissors or a kitchen knife to cut the hair and gently pull it loose. If the hair is tightly wound around the roll, take your time to avoid accidentally injuring yourself.
Jennifer Blair has covered home and kitchen products for BestReviews since 2017. She has personally tested more than a dozen vacuums for BestReviews and has written articles about every style of vacuum you can imagine, from uprights and canisters to vacuum-and-mop robots.
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