Topic
Pet hair & carpet
Pet hair wraps around bristle brushes and fills bins quickly. Look at the brush design, suction, bin or bag size and obstacle avoidance for bowls, toys and accidents.
- Brush
- Rubber or tangle-free
- Suction
- Stated in Pa
Rubber or tangle-free brushes shed long hair more easily than bristle brushes. Suction is quoted in Pa (pascals); the figure is measured differently by each maker, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a fair comparison across brands.
A self-emptying dock helps a lot with shedding pets. Camera-based obstacle avoidance can steer around bowls, cables and pet mess, which a lidar-only robot may not recognise.
Common mistakes
- Comparing suction figures across brands as if they were measured the same way.
- Skipping obstacle avoidance in a home with pets.
Guides on this topic
Buying guides on this topic
- Best robot vacuums for carpetSix robot vacuums for carpeted and mixed-floor homes compared on suction, how far the mop lifts off carpet, main brush design, dock and runtime.Buying guide
- Best robot vacuums for pet hairSeven robot vacuums for dog and cat hair, compared on suction in Pa, anti-tangle brushes, auto-empty capacity, mopping and runtime.Buying guide
- Best robot vacuums that avoid cables, socks and pet messSeven robot vacuums compared on how they spot obstacles: AI cameras, 3D sensors and pet waste recognition, plus navigation, suction and dock features.Buying guide