Can Robot Vacuums Go Over Rugs And Carpets?
2024-11-27
Robotic vacuum cleaners have transformed the way we clean our houses into an efficient and hands-free experience. However, people raised concerns about their ability of cleaning different types of floor surfaces, especially delicate rugs. Carpet and rugs tend to trap dirt and dust, but some materials are so fine and vulnerable to damage from vacuuming. The following will discuss how robot vacuums handle various carpet materials, and how to properly set up your smart vacuum cleaners when cleaning rugs.
Do Robot Vacuums Work on Carpets
Yes, robot vacuums work well on carpets and rugs, especially those equipped with powerful suction and carpet cleaning modes. These vacuums work well on different types of carpets and efficiently tackle dust and debris embedded between carpet fibres. Furthermore, robot vacuums with mopping capabilities offer thorough deep cleaning to guarantee spotless floors.
Yet, a common concern is their ability to identify dark rugs. Models with optical cameras can mistake dark rugs for cliffs and not go over them. Another concern is that the brushes may tangle with fringes or get stuck on high-pile rugs. While these issues usually occur with older models, thanks to improved sensors and algorithms, modern robotic vacuum cleaners can better recognise and adapt to various rug types.
Among the many robot vacuums designed specifically for carpets on the market, the cleaning performance Iargely depends on the type of carpet being cleaned.
Wool Rug
Wool rugs, such as kilim, Persian, and Oriental rugs, are known for their durability and intricate designs, making them suitable for self-cleaning vacuums. Choose a model with strong suction power and rotating brushes, ideally equipped with advanced sensors and the ability to climb high piles.
Silk Rug
Silk rugs require careful cleaning due to their delicate fibres. Use soft bristle brushes and adjust the vacuum to lower suction when cleaning silk rugs. Set virtual barriers to provide an extra layer of protection against any accidental damage from strong suction.
Cotton Rug
Commonly found in kitchens and entryways, cotton rugs can be easily cleaned by smart vacuums with strong suction and rotating brushes. As low-pile rugs, they are ideal for robot floor cleaners.
Hair-On-Hide Rug
Hair-on-hide rugs, including cowhide and sheepskin, require special care due to their unique texture. To avoid damage, adjust the settings to gentle suction and no-brush modes, or set virtual barriers and clean them separately.
Natural Fibre Rug
Sisal, jute, and seagrass are common examples of natural fibre rugs. They are eco-friendly and durable, and even though their surfaces may be slightly uneven, most automatic vacuums can handle them without issue.
Synthetic Fibre
Synthetic fibre rugs, often found in wall-to-wall carpeting, require powerful suction and rotating brushes to effectively remove dirt and debris. Robot vacuums with these features can efficiently clean synthetic fibre rugs.
Can Robot Vacuums Go Over Rugs?
Yes, robot vacuums can go over rugs, as long as the carpet height falls within their climbing capabilities. That being said, their performance may vary based on factors like rug material, pile height, and suction power – for optimal results, find a robot vacuum that is suited to your rug's specific needs.Carpet Type
Robot vacuums perform differently on various carpet types. Low-pile carpets like cotton rugs are usually easier for vacuums to navigate, while high-pile or shag carpets may pose challenges. Check the suction power and mobility, especially a robot vacuum's ability to handle high threshold, of a robot vacuum to make sure it can handle the specific carpet type in your home. With the ECOVACS HOME app, you can choose between multiple cleaning methods dedicated to carpets, depending on the carpet type:
- Auto-Lifting: suitable for short-haired carpet
- Bypass Carpets: suitable for ultra long haired carpet
- No Lifting: suitable for mat that can be mopped
This allows you to customize ideal cleaning settings and protect your delicate rugs.
Rug Colour
Surprisingly, the colour of your rug can affect a robot vacuum's performance. Some models use infrared sensors that may misinterpret darker colours as edges or obstacles and stay away from it instead of cleaning. If you have dark rugs, look for vacuums with advanced navigation and object recognition technology to avoid such issues. With TrueDetect 3D 3.0, DEEBOT X5 PRO OMNI integrate ultrasonic sensors with structured light to optimize carpet avoidance, ensuring more accurate identification and navigation around carpets.
Rug Pile
The height of the rug pile can decide if a robot vacuum can clean over it, as high-pile rugs may catch vacuum brushes or reduce suction effectiveness. To ensure thorough cleaning, select a vacuum with the ability to go over high threshold. DEEBOT T30 Family features Carpet Prioritized Cleaning to minimize potential cross-contamination: Previously, the robot would simply lift the mop when passing over carpets, risking dirt pickup and carpet contamination; now, the new models detect and clean carpets first before moving to other areas, ensuring the mop remains as clean as possible on the carpet and significantly reducing the chance of carrying dirt onto the carpet.
Among other models, DEEBOT X5 Pro Omni can elevate its mop heads by up to 15mm1 when going over rugs; this feature works best on rugs with a pile height of less than 10mm.
Suction Power
One of the cleaning challenges for a carpet is that dirt and debris are embedded deep within the fibres, especially on thicker rugs. In this case, you need a robot vacuum with higher suction power to pull them out efficiently. Robot vacuum cleaners usually have 3,500-5,000Pa suction, and you may need a higher suction range if you have many carpets and thick rugs at home. DEEBOT T30 Family boasts 11,000Pa suction2 and a straight-through duct design to prevent vacuum loss. As a result, it achieves 99.4% Large Particle Carpet Cleaning Efficiency on maximum settings3, meaning its cleaning performance on carpet is even better than on hard floors (91.9%).
Thresholds
Thresholds between rooms or areas can be a hurdle for some robot vacuums. Most can handle heights up to 20 mm, and DEEBOT X5 Family can further climb up to 22mm4, but performance varies. If your home has higher thresholds, look for models with sophisticated climbing capabilities for seamless movement throughout your home.
How To Choose a Robot Vacuum for Carpets
When choosing an automatic vacuum cleaner for rugs and carpets, consider a strong suction for deep cleaning, rotating brushes to lift dirt from fibres, the virtual barrier function to avoid accidental damage, low-light performance for detecting dark rugs and auto lift-mopping feature to keep carpets dry during cleaning.
Strong Suction
Strong suction power allows robot floor cleaners to effectively pick up dust and debris stuck between carpet piles for a thorough clean. For reference, suction power is typically expressed in Pa (pascals), and our DEEBOT X5 Family boasts up to 12,800 Pa5, leaving no dirt or debris behind, even deep within carpets.
Rotating Brushes
Rotating brushes can agitate and lift dirt from rug fibres for a deep clean. Main brushes are usually made of rubber-like material, while those with bristles or nylon fibres may easily get tangled with pet hair or carpet fibres. DEEBOT X5 Family is equipped with a 200mm extended main brush that covers more area in a single pass, improving cleaning efficiency by 19%6.
Set Virtual Barriers
Cleaning carpets and rugs daily isn't necessary; typically, once a week is sufficient. On days when rug cleaning isn't needed, it's wise to use virtual barriers and no-go zone feature on your smart vacuum cleaners to prevent any accidental damage. You can do this on our ECOVACS HOME App, where you can also select between four cleaning preferences: Vacuum only, Mopping, Vacuum and Mop, or Mop after vacuuming, to suit any scenario.
Low-Light Performances
Most automatic vacuum cleaners with laser sensors do not require full light when cleaning, however, those with advanced sensors can accurately detect dark surfaces, including dark-coloured rugs, even in low-light conditions. Keep the sensors clean for optimal performance. DEEBOT T30 Family's TrueDetect 3D 3.0 technology uses structured light technology and 3D imaging algorithms to scan 3D objects in real-time, providing high-precision resolution and depth information up to the millimeter level, for enhanced strategic obstacle avoidance.
Auto Lift-Mopping
Most carpets are prone to water damage, therefore it is not recommended to mop over rugs. Premier DEEBOT models like the DEEBOT X5 Family offer auto lift-mopping, which automatically lifts the mop up to 15mm from the ground while vacuuming carpets and rugs to keep them dry and prevent contamination, and then returns to mopping hard floors.
FAQ
Do robot vacuums get stuck on rugs?
Robot vacuums are designed to clean different surfaces including rugs. However, sometimes they get stuck on rugs with thick pile or loose threads.
Can robot vacuums clean thick carpets?
Yes, robot vacuums can clean thick carpets if equipped with strong suction and the capability to navigate over high thresholds for high-pile carpets. Models featuring rotating brushes are more effective at lifting and removing embedded dirt.
Can robot vacuums go from hardwood to carpet?
Yes, self-cleaning vacuums can clean seamlessly from hardwood to carpet, thanks to their advanced sensors that allow them to identify different floor surfaces and adjust their cleaning accordingly.
Disclaimer(s):
- 15mm Auto Mop Lifting: The data comes from ECOVACS laboratory. DEEBOT X5 PRO OMNI features an advanced mop lifting system capable of automatically raising the mop up to 15mm off the ground. This functionality is suitable for carpets with a pile height of 10mm or less. Based on the actual usage of the household.
- 11,000Pa: The data comes from ECOVACS laboratory. The suction power of DEEBOT T30 PRO OMNI can reach 11,000Pa.
- 99.4% Large Particle Carpet Cleaning Efficiency: Based on the test of Ecovacs laboratory, the brand-new high-speed motor of DEEBOT T30 PRO OMNI increasing the vacuum suction to 11000 Pa, boasting Large Particle Carpet Cleaning Efficiency: 99.4% (Max+) and Hard Floor Cleaning Efficiency: 91.9% (Max+).
- 22mmThreshold Crossing: The data comes from ECOVACS laboratory. DEEBOT X5 PRO OMNI can cross over thresholds up to 22mm in height, provided that the mop is dry. Based on the actual usage of the household.
- 12,800Pa: This data comes from ECOVACS laboratory. The suction power of DEEBOT X5 PRO OMNI can reach 12,800Pa.
- The optimization of the DEEBOT X5 PRO OMNI structure has increased the length of the brush from 168mm to 200mm. The longer brush ensures more coverage in a single pass during the cleaning process, so the number of passes can be relatively reduced during bow cleaning, thus improving cleaning efficiency by 19% when compared to DEEBOT X1 Family.