Having pets is a satisfying and rewarding experience, but cleaning up their hair and fur can be the exact opposite. While we love Fluffy, we sometimes wish that she wasn’t so, you know, fluffy. If pet hair is a constant issue in your house, then you’re probably tired of having to sweep and vacuum all the time to keep it from taking over. Fortunately, now you can outsource the job to a robot.
Today we’re going to be looking at the best Roomba for pet hair in 2019. Since the first model came out in 2002, the brand has become synonymous with automated household cleaning. While those early models were a bit glitchy, the latest generation is ready to tackle anything that Fluffy has to offer. Let’s see what features and benefits you can expect.
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Recommended Best Roomba for Pet Hair Reviews
1. iRobot Roomba 980 - roomba for pets
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When comparing different Roomba models, the first thing that you should pay attention to is the model number. The original Roomba is similar to the 650 (which we’ll see later), and this model, the 980, is the top of the line.Whether you have multiple pets or you just want the best that iRobot has to offer, the 980 Roomba is both exceptional and reliable.
It comes with all of the standard features that you would expect from the brand, but it’s more powerful and lasts longer. The 980 comes with an AeroForce motor that ensures that pet hair and other debris doesn’t stand a chance. It also comes with a Power Boost mode that allows you to pick up “tumbleweeds” that collect in every corner of your house. Coupled with the patented tangle free brushes, this roomba for pet hair won’t have any problems no matter how much your pet sheds.
This Is What You Said...
The technology on this Roomba 980 is impressive and worth the money it cost. It cleaned around all my furniture, under the beds, on my hardwood floors around pet food dishes and didn't leave any specs behind. I thought I would be disappointed, but was really surprised how good it was! I have a spacious single story apartment with partial carpet and hardwood floors with 3 indoor cats and 1 dog so that is why I decided to get the larger Roomba For Pets. I had already vacuumed and clean my floors before running the Roomba. So I didn't expect the trash bin to be full half way thru the first cleaning cycle. I couldn't believe all the pet hair, dirt and debris it picked up after I "thought" I had already cleaned my floors. Again super pleased with the 980 roomba for pets.
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2. iRobot Roomba 690
Roomba Pet Series
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If you have a home without much carpeting and you don’t want to spend a ton of money on your irobot roomba pet series model, then the 690 is an excellent choice. Although it doesn’t have as much technical prowess as the 980, it offers sufficient cleaning for most homes with pet hair. What we like most about the 690 is that it comes with a three-stage cleaning system.
The motor ensures that with this roomba pet vacuum the pet hair doesn’t stay on the floor, and the dual multi-surface brushes trap the hair effectively so that it won’t spit back out as it cleans. Even without the advanced iAdapt 2.0 system, the navigation on the 690 is still incredible. It will map out rooms efficiently so that it won’t waste too much of its time bumping into obstacles.
Not only that, but it will return to its home docking station to recharge when the battery gets low. Although these roomba pet series models is not built for high pile carpets, it works well with area rugs and all hard surfaces. The patented edge brush ensures that every room is cleaned thoroughly, and the filter traps all allergens and pet dander for good.
This Is What You Said...
Overall, I clearly prefer my Roomba. It frees my time, guarantees that my floor surfaces are clean and works exactly as it supposed too. Having it automatically clean daily is ideal for folk with pets as it assures that pet hair and dander don't increase in your carpet. I've seen the upstairs smells much fresher since the 690 has been on the job. If you've been considering purchasing and been sitting on the fence about a iRobot pet series vacuum because you have a lot of carpet and pets, I can say that this roomba pet vacuum can handle it.
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3. iRobot Roomba 960
roomba for pets
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Although the 980 is the cream of the Roomba crop, this 960 model isn’t too far behind. You can save some money by downgrading to this Roomba For Pets instead while still getting all of the advanced features and programming. When comparing navigation, the iAdapt 2.0 is better than most other robot vacuums out there. What makes it so ideal is that it maps the room first and then manoeuvres around obstacles without having to bump into them.
Not only will the system ensure that you get multiple rooms clean, it makes the vacuum so much more efficient. We also should talk about the integrated HOME app that comes with most Roomba's. This remote control system allows you to program your vacuum to clean whenever and wherever you like. You can also schedule it ahead of time so that it can clean while you’re out of the house. Finally, it enables you to sync it to smart home devices, making the 960 Roomba For Pets voice-activated as well.
This Is What You Said...
I have 2 cats and 1 large dog that sheds all the time. After a lot of research and reading reviews, I purchased the Roomba For Pets it is marvelous. I cleaned my floor area with my usual vacuum beforehand. Then using the app I set up the Roomba without a problem. I was worried about the edges on my rugs, It managed this without a problem. My tile floor to hardwood transition is quite a high one but again the Roomba breezed this task without question. I was shocked at how much pet hair and debris was in the trash bin after it's first clean. After it had finished vacuuming, the tray still had collected a lot more dirt than I thought it would. Great buy very impressed.
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Roomba pet hair
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As we mentioned, the 650 is the base unit that iRobot has to offer. If you’re not impressed by all of the extra bells and whistles that come with the upgraded versions, then you can still rely on the 650 to keep your home clean and free of pet hair. One feature that we haven’t talked about yet is the virtual wall. Using separate devices that sit on the door frame, you can keep the Roomba out of various parts of your home.
Whether you want to keep your bathroom or bedroom off limits, or you want to be sure that it doesn’t try to go down to the basement, these virtual walls can come in handy, and you can buy as many as you like. Another thing that we like about the 650 is that it adapts to all floor types. Some of the higher end models are a bit finicky when it comes to high pile carpets, so it’s nice that the base unit doesn’t have any problems. However, if you have black or extra-dark carpeting, it may think that it’s a drop-off and stay away. Keep that in mind. As for the roomba and pet hair they deal with all types from dog hair, and cat hair without any problems
This Is What You Said...
This is the Great robot vacuum! This is a Roomba that runs all over the house, in apparently no regulation, banging into doors, walls, and fixtures. (It doesn't harm anything, just makes a lot of noise) The Roomba pet vacuum, however, suck up pet hair from carpet and hard floors, just to give you a sense of the power of the irobot pet . In the end, it parks itself every time it's done and starts up in the morning. Do I suggest the iRobot? Yes, I do...can I whine about little things, yes there is forever something. If you want a Roomba to clean your home with little to no maintenance, this is the 1! Hopefully, this helped!
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Roomba pet hair
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This next Roomba model is a step above the 600 series, although it’s not quite at the level of the 900. You get more cleaning power, but it’s not quite as sophisticated with navigation and control.With the 890, you get the AeroForce system coupled with the standard multi-surface brushes that come with the 600 series. Both of these trap pet hair well and will not get tangled.
The 890 also has the upgraded filter so that dirt, dust and pet dander won’t escape back into the air. Navigation uses the original iAdapt program, although you can also augment it with the HOME app and voice activation. Overall, we would recommend the 890 if you want something better than the 650 but don’t want to pay for a 900 series.
This Is What You Said...
Does the job all the time and goes back and docks 95% of the time. So other cleaning robots have more features, but this one gets the job done. It's my 3rd robot vacuum, so I know what to expect. It is not there to replace your regular vacuum. However, it does do a few important things for us. Firstly gets us into a habit of keeping the floors free of cables, toys, and other stuff. And secondly, it vacuums every single day which none of us do. And yes, it doesn't collect up every bit of dirt and does miss some spots some of the time; also it still gets stuck, or doesn't make to back to the charging dock, but the Roomba does things that make my life easier, and i wouldn't be without it.
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best roomba for pets
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This 801 Roomba is an upgrade of the 600 & 700 series of iRobots and has 5 x suction with Aero Force 3 stage cleaning. It can be scheduled to run up to 7x per week ensuring that the floors are kept spotlessly clean. The 2nd generator motor on this model will improve floor cleaning and with debris extractors work to dig deep grabbing dust and dirt from any floor surface.
Another great feature on this roomba pet vacuum is the dual counter-rotating extractor which will reduce pet hair tangling around the brushes. It's simple to use, just press clean and you are good to go! This iRobot pet 801 will return to the docking station to recharge when the battery is running low, and will then be ready for the next time you need to clean.
The filter is 99% efficiency against allergens and micro dust particles ideal for pet owners and allergens such as pollen and ideal for allergy sufferers. This model has cliff detection so no worries with this Roomba falling down stairs. Comes with a lithium battery which runs for an hour and 15 minutes, plus charging docking.
This Is What You Said...
I dodged buying this for a long time thinking it was stupid to spend hundreds of dollars on a vacuum when I could sweep. I was mistaken! We have a cleaning business, but even still it seemed our floors were always sandy. This Roomba has made my life so much better. I can’t even believe I’m writing this about a vacuum, but seriously this is the Best Roomba For Pets and has been excellent. We have small dogs with lots of hair that drag in so much sand (we live in FL). This has helped so much. We have all tile floor so I can’t speak for any other type of flooring, but this has served wonders for us. If you're undecided go for it!
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irobot roomba pet series
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Next is the Roomba 675 WiFi connected robot vacuum. With edge cleaning brushes which are specially designed to tackle small dust items to larger particles pieces if you have pets that shed like cats or dog hair it works great. Works well on both solid floors and carpetings. The 675 uses intelligent sensors to navigate around your home making up to 60 decisions per seconds ensuring it's cleaning your floors to it's maximum learning ability.
The control of this robot vacuum can be done through WiFi and with iRobot HOME App. Allowing you to program the 675 Roomba from anywhere you have a Wifi connection by using the App or with voice command control on devices like Alexa and google assistant.
With iRobot dirt detect technology, this model will target areas of high traffic and focus on these areas and spots until they are completely clean. This model will run and clean for up to 90 mins, and then return to the dock and recharge. It's a high performance vacuum, good for pet hair, and has Wi-Fi Connectivity.
This Is What You Said...
This roomba pet series 675 is marvelous. We have 3 pets inside our home and it was an everyday fight to keep up with all the pet hair. This has spared me a lot of time, and our floors look fabulous, no more left over dog hair. I would extremely advise this iRobot pet series model to anyone who have pets indoors.
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best roomba for Dog Hair
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This next model the iRobot Roomba 671 is a great model for pets shedding hair like dogs and very similar to the 675 Roomba with a few main exceptions. The first difference where these two models are different is with the dirt detect technology, the Roomba 675 has sensors as mentioned in the previous review to identify areas of increased dirt or high traffic areas and will concentrate on these areas until they are deemed clean.
This 671 model Roomba will still do a job on the floor cleaning but does not have this dirt detect technology. Other features such as the WiFi, voice control, run times and docking are the same as the iRobot 675 model. The upside is the price difference between the two models. Overall this Roomba 671 is cheaper than the 675, so if you don't need the dirt detection option, then this could be a better-priced option with lots of useful features.
This Is What You Said...
Worth every cent - we live in a home with a puppy that the landlord didn’t allow dogs because of the dog hair making a mess everywhere, but let us keep him anyway, and I have my roomba pet series 671 scheduled to run every day, and it does a great job. There’s never dog hair on the floor. And our dog sheds. I empty it every day though, and it's always rather full.
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roomba pet vacuum
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The 614 Roomba Pet Vacuum is packed with features for a model from the 600 series. It used iAdapt Navigation and sensors for guiding the robot around the floor area. It uses dual surface brushes for edge cleaning and sweeping and with a 3-Stage Cleaning System it can pick up debris large and small. The Lithium-Ion battery is a powerful 3x cycle lifetime, allowing it to clean for longer.
So why buy an early Roomba like this 614 model, well it got the same features as the more expensive iRobot Roomba 690 but without Wifi connectivity, and a scheduling option. However, this model remain popular due to its features and it's price compared to updated wifi models. And also it still does a great job of cleaning floors, Therefore if the price is a big part of your buying decision then this could be a wise choice to meet your house needs.
This Is What You Said...
I have 3 cats, 1 dog, and 3 children at home meaning this 614 Roomba pet vacuum has seen glitter, dirt, and pet hair, and seldom leaving anything behind. It does not catch the edges of carpets or fibers, and it finds its way to the charging dock most of the time. It is terrific on rugs, carpet, and hardwood floors. In my circumstance, the waste bin has to be emptied every time it is used, and specific directions say on the box. This 614 model doesn’t have “scheduled” cleaning or WiFi, but for the savings, I’m more than pleased to push the start clean button and walk away and let the irobot pet get on with it!
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The final Roomba is the iRobot Roomba 860, and at just 3.6" high this model is great for getting under furniture, sofas, and beds. The scheduling option which can be up to seven times a week, and with its virtual wall barrier to control where the robot goes in the home which is an excellent if you have pets at home so you can protect pet bowls by stopping the Roomba 860 from bumping into them.
This model has self-charging and will return to the docking station automatically. Which then will always be ready for the next planned clean. The cleaning system is 3 stage and by using a combination of suction agitation and brushes will deliver 50% more cleaning performance to ensure a clean floor finish.
This Is What You Said...
Game Changer for house cleanliness. A bit noisier than I anticipated, so don't program it to go off when you're still in bed or have a baby sleeping because it's definitely able to be detected in a different room but limited the volume of dog hair overall in my home. Doesn't clean in a particular pattern and appears to be unable to be scheduled for more than once a day. It's dust bin to hold dirt and debris is reasonable size considering the overall size of the roomba pet vacuum it can hold a good mass of dog hair and dirt.
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How to Choose a Roomba for Pet Hair
Motor
As we’ve seen in this Roomba pet review that they come with one of two different motors. The base models have a three-stage cleaning system that agitates, lifts, and suctions dirt and debris from your floors. While this motor type is ideal for most kinds of dust, it can struggle with pet hair, particularly if it’s extra long. Short hair dogs and cats shouldn’t be a problem for the three-stage motor though.
If you really want to upgrade your unit, then you have to look for the AeroForce motor instead. To make it even better, you can get a Power Boost model that helps collect any piles of pet hair that may be lurking in the corners of your home. If you have multiple pets or a single animal that sheds like crazy, we highly recommend going with an AeroForce Roomba pet vacuum with Power Boost.
Battery Life
When you clean your home, how long does it take to get all of your rooms with the vacuum? Chances are that it’s not much more than an hour. However, for a Roomba, it can take a while to clean multiple rooms because most of its time is spent navigating around obstacles.
Although upgrading to the 2.0 version will make your vacuum more efficient, you also want to consider overall battery life. On the low end, Roombas will last just under an hour (including the time it takes to return to base). On the high end, you can get a 980 model that has 120 minutes of battery life. If you want to be sure that your Roomba cleans your whole house effectively, we recommend going with a more extended battery. However, if you want it to focus on a couple of rooms and nothing else, a standard Roomba pet series will be just fine.
Navigation Sensors
For the most part, iRobot’s vacuums are much better at navigating around obstacles than other brands out there. Part of the reason the Roomba is so effective is that they were first, meaning that they’ve had more time to develop advanced technology.
So, with that in mind, the standard iAdapt navigation is sufficient for most households. As long as you don’t have too much furniture getting in the way, your Roomba should be able to maneuver without any problems. With iAdapt 2.0, however, you can ensure that your vacuum cleans much better.
The reason that this system is more advanced is that it maps the room before it starts moving around. The additional data helps the device avoid obstacles before bumping into them, making it more efficient and extending its cleaning power as a result.
Ease of Use - Programming
Finally, many of the higher end iRobot pet series models come with the integrated HOME app. We like this feature because you can sync it to your smart home system (like Alexa), which allows you to control your Roomba pet series with your voice. This kind of convenience and control makes you feel like you’re living in the future.
However, while the HOME app is nice, it’s not necessary. If you don’t want to pay for what amounts to a standard remote control, then you can get away with a base model instead. Programming a 600 series is super easy, and you can schedule it ahead of time without any problems.Ultimately, it depends on how integrated you want your Roomba to be.
Cost
So depending on the type of Roomba vacuum cleaner you are looking at purchasing your budget is an important factor to consider. With the average price of these devices around $300. It's still a big buying decision for most of us so shopping around for the best deal is necessary. We have covered many different Roomba for pets vacuums here today and the more modern update model you choose, the more expensive it will be.
You can pay well over $500 for the latest models with all the bells and whistles. So if you don't need some of these features like Wifi and App to control the Roomba remotely, then you can save money by looking at older Roomba pet series models like the 600 model and some of the 800 series. Choose wisely, and you can certainly save money on your purchase.
Advantages of a Roomba for Pets
Some of the advantages Of A roomba pet vacuum
- Works on Hard floor and carpets.
- Can be used every day.
- Small to clean it out of reach areas.
- Allows you more time of other things.
- Easy to set up and use.
Final Verdict
When figuring out which Roomba for pets is best suited for picking up pet hair, we have to say that either of the 900 series is going to be your best bet. While these machines are more expensive, you get more cleaning power and less hassle.
One thing that you also want to remember is that you will still have to clean your hardwood floors manually. Although a Roomba pet vacuum can take care of daily cleaning, you’ll have to bust out the upright to be sure that you get all of the pet-hair out of your home once in a while.
As such, the Roomba 980 is the best choice for pet hair because it will pick up more dirt and debris, allowing you to spend less time on deep cleaning. This level of convenience is worth the extra cost.
For other brands check the best robot vacuum guide here