So you’re ready to take the plunge and purchase a robot vacuum for your laminate floors. Before you make an impulse buy or fall victim to the “biggest sale of the season” with one particular brand, you need to do your research.
We prepare a list of our recommendations together with different factors you need to consider when buying it.
- Boborock S6
- Irobot Roomba 980
- ILIFE V3s
- Ecovacs Deebot N79S
- Neato Botvac D80
- Shark ION R75
- Eufy by Anker
For those of you If you are in a hurry, these are my top three recommendations:
Best Robot Vacuums for Laminate Floors
Let’s start with naming the top robot vacuums for laminate floors, and then we’ll go into what makes a robot vacuum good.
Roborock S6 Pure Wi-Fi Robot Vacuum and Mop
This Roborock model boasts excellent suction and an advanced navigation system, in addition to many other features. It’s among the pricier options on our list, but its many features and glowing customer reviews prove that it’s worth it.
The Roborock S6 Pure’s powerful suction is noteworthy, and we appreciate its ability to recognize if it’s on hard floors or carpet. On hard floors, it works hard to remove dirt and dust while remaining gentle enough for laminates. When it leaves hard floors and transitions to carpet, it automatically switches to full power for a deeper clean.
With an elaborate high-precision laser navigation system that spins at 300rpm, it maps your space in real-time. The Z-shaped cleaning route system means thorough cleaning and maximum floor coverage. It can even save multiple maps of different floors in your home, including no-go zones to avoid. It automatically recognizes these areas once it’s en route.
The Roborock S6 Pure has its own app for connectivity and controls, as well as Siri, Google, and Alexa voice control options. Scheduling capabilities mean you can not only start and stop your vacuum from the app, but you can also teach it which parts of your floor plan are in which rooms. You may select which rooms you’d like cleaned at the times that fit your needs.
Also, you may control everything from how strong the suction should be to what maintenance notifications arise. This model only supports wifi connection through a 2.4 GHz signal.
While it offers a mopping function, you may choose to forgo this feature on your laminates and instead reserve it only for surfaces like tile or vinyl.
Weighing in at 12.6 pounds (5.7 kg), it has a 5,200mAH battery that can run for up to three hours in one charge, cleaning a hard floor area of up to 2,152 square feet. It’s a quiet model and even features a “quiet mode” for situations that warrant it.
The Roborock S6 Pure’s smart recharging feature means it’ll return to its dock charger automatically when the battery runs low. After it’s charged, it resumes cleaning where it left off and completes its entire scheduled room.
iRobot Roomba 980
This iRobot Roomba 980 is a great pick from the many Roomba models. While it’s not the latest release in their lineup, it outshines many competing models for one primary reason: it’s powerful.
Hitting a great middle-ground between functionality for laminate floors and not costing you an arm and a leg for all the luxurious extra bells and whistles like some of Roomba’s models, we like this Roomba 980 pick with a price tag of around $700. It’s a company we can trust, with decades of robotics expertise and innovation.
With a significant amount of power under its hood, it provides strong suction and a powerful clean. While Roomba does offer many different models, this 980 uses AeroForce cleaning that provides ten times the air power of other models to loosen, lift, and suck dirt away. More substantial airpower means more potent suction, all while staying gentle enough for laminate flooring.
Pet hair, dirt, and debris? No problem for this model that offers high-efficiency filtration that traps 99% of allergens, pollen, or particles as tiny as 10 microns. Tangles or clogs? Not an issue with the iRobot Roomba 980, which has a large dirt reservoir.
It can easily navigate from room to room in your home, and it adjusts to the various types of flooring as it senses them. The iRobot Roomba 980 is one of the best robotic vacuums for all flooring types, including laminate.
Featuring a proprietary iAdapt 2.0 navigation system with visual localization, it has a fantastic grip on your home’s layout to clean efficiently without bumping into obstacles. Robust scheduling options from the iRobot HOME app coupled with these excellent navigation capabilities make a supreme dream machine. You may also control your iRobot Roomba 980 with Amazon Alexa or Google Home voice controls.
The clean map feature in the app shows you where your Roomba has cleaned, and you can receive notifications for cleaning updates.
The Roomba 980 runs at a quiet volume for about 120 minutes on one battery charge and automatically returns to the charger once drained. It will resume with its cleaning job once charged again.
ILIFE V3s Pro Robot Vacuum Cleaner
The price tag on this highly acclaimed ILIFE V3s robot vacuum model will make your jaw drop. At just $110, over 9,000 consumers on Amazon sing its praises with positive reviews.
This model runs off a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and has a remote control accessory. With a size of about 11.8 x 11.8 x 3 inches (30 x 30 x 7.6 cm), it weighs in at 4.5 pounds (2 kg) and can run up to 100 minutes on one charge.
As with many of the more expensive competitors, the ILIVE V3s Pro self-charges by finding its dock when the battery is low, has programmable scheduling options, and has smart sensors to ensure it doesn’t bump into things or fall off ledges or stairs.
To keep your laminate flooring clean and free of scratches, the ILIFE V3s has extra-large RoadRover wheels. It smoothly glides across your hard floors and can easily transition to a low-pile carpet or ride effortlessly over door trim to the next room.
It does a fantastic job picking up hair, debris, or dirt on laminate floors with a strong suction passage and tangle-free, roller brush-free pet hair technology. A slim, low-profile design will effortlessly slip under furniture for effective cleaning.
If you like simplicity with foolproof functionality, this model is for you. While the ILIFE V3s Pro doesn’t have an app or compatibility with voice controls like Amazon Alexa, it has easy operation with a remote control and one-touch auto clean button. It offers three different cleaning modes controlled by the remote: auto mode, edge mode, and space mode.
NOTE: The ILIFE customer service team is based in the United States and provides exceptional service for assistance and peace of mind.
ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum
This ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S model comes in at another responsible. It comes in an attractive espresso color that’s unique among others on our list.
Overall, it’s an entry-level robot vacuum with all the necessities and nothing you don’t need for caring for laminate floors. The design is smart, the user interface is smooth, and it does an excellent cleaning job.
This seven-pound (3.2 kg) model forges ahead to clean your floors with a cleaning path of 12.2 inches (31 kg) side. A HEPA filter means it collects and traps all those nasty allergens that could cause irritation. While the dust reservoir isn’t huge, if you empty it daily after use, you’ll be all set.
The ECOVACT DEEBOT N79SE can quickly and gently clean laminate floors, other hard floors, and carpet, and the transition between floors is no problem for this unit. A three-stage cleaning system means it works hard to sweep, lift, and vacuum debris in a single pass.
With multiple cleaning modes and a proprietary Smart Motion system, it adapts to various floor types. It can run on automatic, edge, spot, or single room mode to maximize efficiency for your needs. Since it doesn’t map your room precisely, you’ll need to close doors or set up a barrier where you want your robot vacuum to stop.
Battery run time is about 120 minutes on one charge, and this model will return to its charging dock when it’s finished cleaning or running low on battery charge.
It does have an ECOVACS app, and it can be controlled with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Within the app, you can check the life of your filter, brush, and side brushes. You also have various schedule settings available to you in the app. If your DEEBOT gets stuck in a hidden spot like under furniture or a corner, you will find the “find me” feature in your app beneficial.
Neato Botvac D80 Robot Vacuum for Pets and Allergies
This Neato Botvac D80 model works powerfully against pet hair and dust, which keeps your laminate floor looking great in the moment and for the long run but it’s near the top of our list for the price.
Weighing in at nine pounds, its sleek D-shaped design with CornerClever technology measures 12.7 x 13.2 x 3.9 inches (32.3 x 33.5 x 9.9 cm). It is renowned for avoiding furniture and walls, but it can sometimes get caught on furniture with wide rounded bases.
Overall, it does an excellent job transitioning between various flooring types and raised thresholds. It uses patented Neato technology, offering a laser smart mapping and navigation system that scans and maps the room. It also plans and methodically cleans instead of wandering around aimlessly and bumping into things to determine its path.
This model is slim enough to slip underneath couches and other furniture with ease to make sure your whole floor gets clean. It has advanced SpinFlow Power Clean technology to combine strong suction with precision brushes. This means your laminate floors (and other surfaces) are left immaculately clean and free of crumbs, dust bunnies, dirt, pet hair, and more.
You can swap out the spiral blade brush (excellent for all floor types) or combo brush (a bit quieter and picks up all kinds of hair) depending on what works best on your floor and cleans most effectively. The edge cleaning side brush adds extra dust lifting power.
This robot vacuum is powered by a lithium-ion battery that charges each time it returns to its dock. It automatically finds the charging station when it needs a boost and returns to where it left off to finish its job. It usually can tackle up to 3,000 square feet of floor with each cleaning cycle before needing to recharge automatically.
Shark ION Robot Vacuum R75
The Shark Ion Robot vacuum offers you three brush types and one super impressive clean from a name we know and trust. Its tri-brush system is its primary feature, with side brushes, channel brushes, and a multi-surface brush roll. Together, these brushes can tackle all types of debris on any floors at your home or business.
Of course, like others, this model will sense ledges or stairs to keep it from falling. It sees furniture and walls with proximity sensors to effortlessly maneuver around them and avoid damage or getting stuck.
With a SharkClean app, you can download it and start or stop cleaning with the touch of a button. You also have several schedule options at your fingertips through SharkClean.
Are you interested in voice control? The Shark ION Robot Vacuum R75 has you covered with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant capabilities.
It has a slim profile to access hard to reach areas under furniture or kick plates, making sure your space is thoroughly cleaned. While its battery life is shorter at up to 90 minutes, it can typically handle multiple rooms in this timeframe.
Online reviewers consistently say this Shark ION Robot Vacuum R75 outperforms other name brand competitors on functionality and features for a fraction of the price, all while being gentle enough on laminate floors.
Eufy by Anker BoostIQ Super-Thin Wi-Fi RoboVac30C
This Eufy by Anker BoostIQ RoboVac 30C model has an astonishingly high customer review rating. It’s not the cheapest but still budget-friendly.
Many users love this model’s triple brush cleaning system to effectively loosen, pull out, and vacuum up dirt in partnership with its strong suction. The result? A superior clean and surprisingly quiet operating noise.
It boasts 1,500 pascals (Pa) of suction to ensure the debris is sucked up vigorously and off your floors. With BoostIQ Technology, it’ll automatically sense when extra vacuuming strength is required and increase its suction power in under two seconds.
While it wouldn’t perform so great on high pile carpet, this Eufy model’s large wheels roll smoothly over laminate floors with ease. It can handle a transition to medium carpets or over door ledges to tackle whatever mess awaits it.
With about 100 minutes of cleaning time per charge, it has an average battery life that will get the job done so you can enjoy clean floors without lifting a finger.
Drop sense technology means it won’t fall off any stairs or ledges, and it uses specialized dual-hall sensors that will detect boundary strips (it comes with 13.2 ft of boundary strips). This way, the Eufy RoboVac30C will only clean the areas you want it to. Nine anti-collision sensors with infrared technology help this model avoid obstacles.
Boasting a super-thin profile at 2.85” (7.2 cm), it slips underneath all the spots you need to be swept. Use the wi-fi convenience with the EufyHome app to control your robot vacuum. You may also connect it with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control services with minimal effort.
Want to go the simple route and use the on and off button? You can do so with the basic remote that comes with the machine. It has multiple cleaning modes and auto-clean scheduling to make sure it works hard for you as you put your feet up.
NOTE: You’re covered with this robot vacuum’s worry-free 12-month warranty in case any issues should arise. Eufy’s customer support has a reputation for providing excellent service.
What factors make an excellent robot vacuum for your laminate flooring?
Let’s take a look at what factors make an excellent robot vacuum for your laminate flooring. We’ll examine some of the many helpful features as well as the best makes and models. Just think of all the free time you’ll have on your hands after you read our complete review and select the perfect robot vacuum to do all the work of keeping your laminate floors clean!
About Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring is well known for being versatile, durable, and generally economical. While it boasts an uncanny resemblance to real wood in both appearance and sometimes texture, it is far more durable and low-maintenance than its natural counterpart. For these reasons, it is a popular flooring choice in many homes and businesses.
Made of several layers compressed together, laminate flooring’s top layer is transparent and protective. Its main job is to seal in and protect the layers underneath. While it’s relatively resistant to moisture, it’s not foolproof, and therefore laminate floors are sensitive to moisture. If water gets past the top layer or seeps into the cracks between planks, it can permeate the material and peel, bubble, or warp.
Crucial Factors about Laminate Floors we need to consider
As Shaw Floors points out, a critical aspect of caring for and maintaining your laminate floors is taking care to prevent water damage. Keep your laminate as dry as possible and blot up spills immediately when they happen. You should not use steam cleaners or wet mops in your cleaning routine.
Additionally, to protect the top layer’s sheen, you should keep it free of dust and grime that could scratch or dull it. It’s also essential to avoid the use of abrasive scrubbers, buffing tools, or polishing machines that could damage the floor.
Before you purchase a robot vacuum for use on your laminate flooring, it is crucial you keep these care factors in mind. You can evaluate the many features available in robot vacuums compared to what your floor needs and cannot tolerate.
When Does a Robot Vacuum Come in Handy?
People with all different home styles, sizes, and flooring materials come to depend on the simplicity and efficiency that a robot vacuum brings.
- Convenience: The ability to simply push a button or set a timer and have your floors vacuumed clean while you sleep, work, or enjoy a leisure pastime is as easy as it gets.
- Efficiency: Many of the top robot vacuums on the market today not only get the chore done to save you time and effort, but they’re quite efficient about it. They cover your room in a systematic pattern to make sure they don’t miss a spot, and some even “map” your home to remember the layout for every cleaning.
- Health: Less dust or pet hair flying around your home and floors can mean the difference in breathing easily or not. Particularly for a person who has asthma, allergies, or sensitivities, this can be a huge benefit.
- Floor maintenance: While laminate is a durable, versatile product, it can scratch and become dull over time. Even a fine layer of dust, dirt, sand, or other gritty debris sitting on the surface can get stepped on and ground into your laminates, scratching them easily.
Due to the makeup of laminate floors, these grooves cannot be buffed or polished out. Once they’re scratched, they’re scratched, so eventually, they will have to be removed and replaced. Therefore, having a trusty robot vacuum to effortlessly and regularly remove that damaging dust or debris will maintain your floors for the long haul.
Essential Factors to Consider When Buying Robot Vacuum for Laminate Floors
The market for robot vacuums has grown through the years, so you have many choices in brands and models that are packed with features. You should look at the following factors to ensure you purchase the one that meets all your needs and wants.
Suction
Perhaps the most critical factor in your robot vacuum is just that–how it vacuums. When it comes down to it, a vacuum with weak suction just will not do the job, what you need is something with a robust motor that promises strong suction that will not wane. Models that offer various specialized cleaning modes will use suction power and brush action in different ways to most effectively tackle the mess at hand.
Battery Life
A robot vacuum needs to be able to clean at least a whole room before its battery is drained and it should be able to power through your entire home or apartment before needing a recharge.
Most units have a battery life of 60 to 100 minutes before exhausting the battery, but some may be less or more. Sometimes, the machine’s weight or size can affect this and the type of battery or charging system so reading up is a must to find something with good battery life.
Charging
You want a healthy charging system that will power your vacuum quickly and efficiently. Some models offer automated charging, such that when your vacuum is running low on battery life, it navigates to its charging station automatically, charges, and returns to finish cleaning. These types of models also return themself to the charging dock when they complete vacuuming a room or a scheduled cleaning.
Connectivity Technology
If you’re interested in it, many robot vacuums connect to a smart home system like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. Others have an app you can install on your smartphone or tablet to control it using wi-fi or Bluetooth. More basic models have a simple remote control for powering on, shutting down, and performing manual movement controls.
Setup
In addition to initial physical setup like assembling brushes, depending on the technology you select, your robot vacuum may have additional setup requirements that range from simple to more involved.
More basic models may only need to be charged up before they’re ready to be used. Others may require you to install apps, create logins, and begin mapping your home. Make sure you understand the setup requirements before you make your purchase.
Mapping Capability
Floor mapping technology is a newer feature that many models now offer. It allows the vacuum to learn the exact layout of your home, creating a digital map so it knows where to avoid walls, furniture, obstacles, and stairs. This way, it can clean your entire home without your direction and avoid getting tied up between the end table and chair legs, for example.
Scheduling
If you don’t want to have to think about turning your robotic vacuum on and off whenever you want an excellent sweeping, look for a type that offers scheduling options. These models will let you schedule a regular date and time to clean each day or week via the app or right on the unit.
Some models will even come with standard preset options to choose from, such as typical sleeping or working hours.
Design
Look for a robot vacuum with a slim profile design that can easily maneuver under and around furniture for a thorough clean. If a unique color or finish matters to you, look into those options before purchasing.
When it comes to a robot vacuum that’s an all-around great choice and one that’s an excellent match for your particular type of flooring, there are a couple of other things you should consider. To make sure your laminate flooring is treated how it needs to be, look for the following factors:
- Gentle, non-abrasive components – check the elements on the underside of the vacuum and the brushes.
- Low or no moisture – while many of today’s robot vacuums offer a wet mop feature, read carefully on if it’s the right choice for your laminates. Some use such a tiny amount of water that it’s barely a mist, and it evaporates almost instantly, which could be sufficient for your laminates. Anything more than that, however, could be damaging.
How to take proper care for Your Robot Vacuum?
No matter which model you select, there are a few things you can do to ensure long life and maximum performance for your robot vacuum on your laminate floors.
- Charge your robot vacuum overnight before first use.
- Use your robot vacuum frequently to keep it active, happy, and healthy.
- Between uses, keep your vacuum on its charging base.
- Empty your dirt reservoir after each cleaning, and tap it gently in the trash can to remove excess debris from the filter.
- Rinse your main and side brushes after each use to ensure no residue slows them down.
Conclusion
Now that you’re full of renewed knowledge about your laminate floors and critical points of care and maintenance, you’re ready to make a sound decision on your new robot vacuum.
We’d wish you farewell by saying “happy sweeping,” but since it’s your robot vacuum that’ll now be doing that, we’ll just leave you with the more appropriate closure of “happy relaxing!”
