The 3 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair in 2024

Pet hair can be tough for any robot vacuum. For homes with fluffy pets, you need a vacuum strong enough to pick up fur without clogging. Pet hair often clumps on hard floors and tangles in carpets, challenging smaller robot vacuums.

We test each vacuum's ability to remove fur, ensuring it doesn't blow away or jam. Each vacuum collects fur from hard floors and carpets during testing.

Before buying the best robot vacuums, let's see whether they are necessary for pet owners and what to consider before buying them.

Are Robot Vacuums Worth It for Pet Owners?

Yes,  they will make cleaning so much easier for you when you do manual deep cleaning. If you struggle to keep your floors and furniture free from pet hair, a pet robot vacuum is something you should seriously consider. 

It will be one less thing you need to spend a lot of time on, and you can clean your home much faster if you have a robot vacuum working around the clock to clean your most frequented areas.

Robot vacuums are a worthwhile investment for pet owners, although they won’t pick up everything and certainly not every pet hair on your floor.

However, it's important to choose a model that is specifically designed for handling pet hair and has the necessary features to effectively clean up after pets.

What to Consider When You Choose A Robot Vacuum for Pets?

Knowing what to consider before buying is very important. It can help you know what functions a good robot vacuum should have and what factors will affect the cleaning performance.

Below are some necessary points you need to consider.

Electric Battery

A robot vacuum with a longer battery life can clean larger areas. Pets always mess up the house, so you need a housekeeper with longer battery life to clean at all times without frequent recharging. You'll should consider how long the battery lasts and how long it takes to charge before buying. 

Cleaning Efficiency

Pet hair can be tough for any robot vacuum. For homes with fluffy pets, you need a vacuum strong enough to pick up fur without clogging.

A robot vacuum with a suction power ranging from 3000 Pa to 6000 Pa is generally considered suitable for daily cleaning needs. 

With this range, the vacuum can efficiently collect pet hair, dirt, dust, and debris from different floor surfaces such as hardwood, tile, and carpet.

However, higher suction power, such as 8000 Pa or more, can provide even better cleaning performance, especially on carpets and rugs where pet hair tends to embed deeply.

Smart Features

Smart vacuums get smarter: app control, voice commands, and scheduling.

The app acts as a central hub for monitoring and controlling the robot vacuum. Advancements make cleaning easier, offering flexibility and convenience. Enhances efficiency of household cleaning tasks, ensuring a cleaner home.

Filter System

Robot vacuum filter systems capture dust, dirt, and allergens to improve air quality. They include HEPA filters for small particles, primary filters for larger debris, washable mesh filters, and activated carbon filters for odors. 

Standard vacuum filters, like EPA E10, E11, or E12, can remove 80-85% of particles down to 0.3 microns.

Noise

For most pets, a noise level of approximately 60 decibels (dB) or lower is generally considered acceptable.

Automatic Dustbin Emptying

Automatic dustbin emptying offers several benefits, including convenience, especially for users with busy schedules or mobility limitations, and the ability to maintain uninterrupted cleaning cycles. 

Mop

There are many features to consider when choosing a mop:

• Mop Attachment Type
• Water Tank Capacity
• Adjustable Water Flow
• Mop Material
• Navigation and Mapping
• Compatibility with Floor Types
• Cleaning Modes
• Maintenance
• Smart Features

Suction power

The cleaning strength and efficiency of a robot vacuum are determined by its suction power. Generally, a range of 1000 to 2000 Pascal (Pa) is suitable for most household needs. It should effectively remove dirt without harming delicate surfaces.

The 3 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair You Can Buy Today

We selected the top vacuums to meet different demands and help you find the best robot vacuum.

The Best Robot Vacuum On Multiple Flooring Surfaces

What is the best Robot vacuum for pet hair on multiple flooring surfaces?

It should be Nawal Freo X Ultra Robot Vacuum & Mop. The robot auto-detects floor type, changing from mopping to not (and raising the mops) when moving to a carpet. Setting room areas and types is very simple. It has settings for tile, hardwood, and carpet, as well as general (it figures it out). 

Besides multiple flooring surfaces, here are three other features.

No-Go Zone

You can set no-go zones very easily. You can even define a room as a pass-thru to get from one room to another that you are mopping, but the room in the middle you don't want to deal with.

Obstacle Detection

It detects obstacles so well. One time, my son was on its way as it was on it's way to a room to clean, and he wasn't going to move. It stopped about 9-12 inches away from him, then took a path around him. 

The Roomba would always be bumping into walls and furniture (softly but still) to determine the extent of a room, but the Narwal robot has built-in optics and can detect obstacles before they hit them because of the obstacle avoidance technology: Smarter LiDAR SLAM 4.0 technology and Tri-Laser Obstacle.

So it doesn't bump the walls and furniture but gets right up close to vacuum or mop the edges with accuracy. 

And even here, when it mops at the edges of a wall, it has a mode to move, swivel, move so that the mop brushes get right up the edge and clean very, very well.

Quiet Operation

When complete, it cleans its mops and dries them. Sound can be set to quiet (takes longer) or strong (quicker, but louder) -- and at any level, is not all that loud (compared to the Roomba emptying its dirt bin every 10 minutes with a 99 db vacuum).

Once in a while, a piece of hair will get stuck in the back wheel and come off when it is traveling back and forth. This is the only one I want to complain about, but other brands are not performing well on girls’ long hair. For pet hair, it can be cleaned perfectly. 

Below are some specs you may need.

This is a $1,000 - $2,000 unit, but it is worth every penny. With a do-it-all robot vacuum and mop, cleaning is no longer a chore! 

The Best Robot Vacuum for Heavy Dirty

It is not easy to clean heavy, dirty floors, even for humans, but NARWAL Freo X Plus Robot Vacuum and Mop can be your best choice. It cleans most excellently.

It can detect if an area is extra dirty, and it will mop that area/room 2x, 3x, or even 4x if this is the first time for a really dirty area, like a bathroom or laundry. After cleaning certain areas, our product will automatically return to the base station and clean itself, regardless of which room the robot cleaned.

I have a cat, a dog, and two girls with long hair, so it works hard. 

Here are some other pros you can take.

• Easy and fast to set up. The Narwal was so easy to set up.  I simply mapped my whole house, which took less than 15 minutes. I renamed the rooms and then ran a vacuuming task so that it recognized which rooms had carpet. 

• Go into carpet settings, tell it to power up on the carpet, and it’s ready to vacuum. Then I created a daily task, and now, my Narwal is all set. Every morning, it vacuums the house, and I don’t have to worry about it. It very rarely gets stuck and always vacuums what it’s supposed to. 

• If I rearrange any furniture (I have a large ottoman in the living room that gets moved around), it knows to vacuum around it, and the same if any large toys are left in its way. Once, it even went around my daughter, who was standing in its path!

• It’s quiet. Quiet Dust Emptying Solution is the hero. By far, it is the quietest and most powerful one. You know many pets are weak and noisy like cats can be startled by sudden or loud noises, which can cause stress or hiding behavior.

• The best mopping power. The Freo Plus has the best mopping power on the market. I always send my i7 out first, though. Narwal has made great strides to improve the vacuum capability of the Freo, including an anti-tangle roller you can use to replace the brush roll and selectable suction.

Below are the specs.

Narwal Freo X Plus robot vacuum and mop should first catch your eyes with vacuum and mopping, self-mop cleaning, and using a solution to mop the floors. And it is the most cost-effective robot vacuum now. 

The Cheapest Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair

If you don’t have too much budget but don’t want to clean the pet hairs manually, Airrobo Robot Vacuum Cleaner  P20 is a good assistant. It is only $98.99. 

But it's important to manage your expectations according to the very low-priced robot vacuum. Since it was produced in 2022, the technology is not very advanced. But it can handle some household cleaning.

It's easy to use. You can move it from floor to floor and just turn it on. Use the buttons on the robot, use the included remote, or use the downloadable app. It does its thing, and I think it does it well. And It's not very loud at all, even at its highest suction level (of 3 levels).

What it doesn't do the best at is running its full cleaning routine. By that, I mean that about 60 - 70% of the time, something happens that stops it from completing its full cleaning cycle. 

It gets stuck on something, loses its Wi-Fi signal, and just stops and goes into standby mode. Most of the issues with getting stuck are situational, meaning that for the most part, it does well. 

But by happenstance of furniture or rug placement, it can run into a situation that it can't maneuver out of. 

But, even so, I would still recommend this robot. Why? Because it is cheap to afford. It can help me to clean some pet hair, and on the weekends, I can have a deep clean by myself. It is enough for me.

Below are more information about it.

Comparison of the 3 Best Robot Vacuums

To make it easier to compare the three recommended robot vacuums for pets, I compare them in the sheet below. You can see the specs very clearly.

My suggestion is that if your budget is enough, choose the Narwal robot; it is deserved. You will have a lot of time to enjoy what you like. 

Conclusion

Robot vacuums are great for pet hair cleaning. If you're sensitive to pet hair, we recommend using a bagged vacuum instead of a bagless model. This is because when you empty a bagless bin, the fur can scatter. 

Narwal robot vacuum can meet your demands very well. It employs the zero-tangling brush design, powerful suction, and advanced obstacle detection, all of which can help clean a house with pets. Go ahead for it and enjoy your time with happy no-hair days!

FAQs

Do robot vacuums work on pet hair?

Yes, robot vacuums can effectively work on pet hair. Many models are designed with strong suction power, specialized brush rolls, and filtration systems to tackle pet hair and dander. Effectiveness varies by model and home characteristics. Higher-end models perform better, while cheaper ones may struggle with pet hair.

What to do if my pets are scared of robot vacuums?

Help your pet feel more comfortable around the vacuum by introducing it gradually. Start by letting your pet explore the vacuum when it's turned off. Place treats around and on the vacuum to create positive associations. Then, gradually turn on the vacuum for short periods and reward your pet with treats each time you use it.

Is a robot vacuum safe for cats?

Yes, robot vacuums are generally safe for cats. They are equipped with sensors for obstacle detection, floor detection, and 3D sensing, preventing them from bumping into furniture, people, or animals. This also protects the vacuum from damage. However, it's important to supervise your pet when introducing a new vacuum to ensure they are comfortable and safe.