Having difficulty deciding on the best robot vacuum for vinyl plank floors? No worries! This article serves the same purpose. The following list is curated based on automation, convenience, cleaning performance, filtration, battery life, navigation, brush type, and dirt bin capacity. A robot vacuum buying guide for vinyl plank floors follows this list.
- iRobot Roomba i7+ (Top Pick)
- iRobot Roomba s9+ (Best Smart Robot Vacuum)
- iRobot Roomba 675 (Best Budget Robot Vacuum)
- Shark RV1001AE IQ (Best Anti-Tangle Robot Vacuum)
- Neato Botvac D7 (Best Robot Vacuum With Wide Cleaning Path)
- Eufy RoboVac 11S (Best Slim Robot Vacuum)
- ILIFE V3s Pro (Best No-Scratch Robot Vacuum)
Specifications
- Weight: 7.44 pounds
- Dimensions: 13.34*13.34*3.63 inches
- Battery Runtime: 75 mins
- Bin Capacity: 0.1 gal
- Cleaning Path: 7 inches
When it comes to finding the best robot vacuum for vinyl plank floors, iRobot Roomba i7+ is the best choice.
iRobot Roomba i7+ serves the very purpose of a robot vacuum cleaner i.e. touchless and automated cleaning. Having all the smart cleaning features a robot vacuum should have, one thing that makes iRobot Roomba i7+ stand out from the rest is the self-emptying feature.
The ‘+’ indicates the self-emptying feature. This means that the dirt bin of Roomba i7+ when filled, will automatically empty itself in the Home Base which contains the auto-disposal dirt bag for 60 days.
This means two months of hassle-free cleaning.
So, you just need to schedule it through a smartphone app or command it through the voice assistant, as it has Wi-Fi connectivity and voice control compatibility, and just forget about cleaning your house. No more babysitting your robot vacuum for up to 60 days.
When it comes to mapping your house, Roomba i7+ uses the Smart Imprint Mapping technology. This makes smart maps of your house and will let you choose specific rooms to clean and/or avoid.
It navigates in neat straight lines using vSLAM technology[1]. This vSLAM camera gathers around 230,400 data points per second for this purpose.
This smart mapping feature also allows it to keep learning the layout of your house. This makes it avoid obstacles even before bumping into them.
It can store up to 10 multiple floor plans of your house. This feature is extremely helpful for those who have multiple floors in their house or have multiple surface types like vinyl plank floors and carpets and rugs.
Roomba i7+ uses two anti-tangle rubber rollers, also called extractors. These extractors and 10x the suction power as compared to the 600 series make it a super debris eater.
The unique design of the extractors makes Roomba i7+ pick up pet hair easily without getting clogged.
It has Keep-Out zones as well that you can draw on the maps on the smartphone app. The robot vac will avoid those areas while cleaning. This feature comes in handy when you want to keep the robot away from pet food pots and children’s play areas.
Although the Roomba i7+ is a quiet robot vacuum cleaner, it gets a bit louder during auto dirt disposal.
What Is Included In The Box?
- Roomba® i7+ Robot Vacuum
- Extra High-Efficiency Filter
- North American Line Cord
- Clean Base™ Automatic Dirt Disposal
- 2 x Dirt Disposal Bags
- Extra Side Brush
Pros
- Self-Emptying feature
- Multiple floor plans
- Anti-tangle rubber extractors
- Strong Suction power
- Keep-out zones
Cons
- Cannot find its way in complete darkness
- Louder during self-emptying
Specifications
- Weight: 8.2 pounds
- Dimensions: 12.25*12.25*3.5 inches
- Battery runtime: 120 mins
- Dirt bin capacity: 0.1 gal
- Cleaning path: 10.7 inches
If the budget is not a problem for you and you want the best smart robot vacuum for vinyl plank floors, then the iRobot Roomba s9+ is the best choice for you. This vacuum is probably the smartest and most advanced robot vacuum out there. It has all the features that make cleaning a walk in the park.
How would you feel when you come home from work and your home is not only vacuumed but automatically mopped as well?
One thing that makes it stand out from other robot vacuums for cleaning hard floors is the Imprint Link technology. Since, cleaning a hard floor is a two-way process – vacuuming and mopping. This Imprint Link technology comes in handy for all types of hard floors including concrete floors.
With this technology, the Roomba s9+ teams up with the Braava Jet M6 robot mop.
Once the Roomba s9+ finishes vacuuming your house, it sends a signal to the Braava Jet M6 robot mop and the robot mop will start mopping the vinyl plank floors.
With iGenius technology, it learns your cleaning habits – when you schedule cleaning which rooms and the areas you clean often, and on which areas you put the Keep-Out zones – and offers customized cleaning schedules and suggestions.
Roomba s9+ comes with all the smart features like wi-fi compatibility, smartphone Home App with iRobot OS that keeps updating periodically, voice assistant, and smart home compatibility.
With the help of the smartphone app, you can set multiple cleaning schedules, put Keep-Out zones on the smart maps, and see how much area has been cleaned by the Roomba s9+.
The iRobot Roomba s9+ comes with an impressive 40x more suction power as compared to the 600 series of Roomba. If you happen to have some carpets and rugs in your house, this suction power makes it the perfect robot vacuum for you.
It comes with auto-adjust suction power that enables it to make a smooth transition between hard floors and carpets.
It has an auto-dirt disposal feature and empties itself into the dirt disposal chamber mounted on the Home Base for 60 days.
It has a vSLAM navigation system, the same as Roomba i7+, that uses a camera to navigate around your house and make smart maps. With Careful Drive Mode, it will drive around objects and obstacles instead of bumping into them.
Its unique D shape and side brush make the edge cleaning efficient. Roomba s9+ has two rubber extractors that can pick up pet hair easily without getting clogged.
Roomba s9+ offers quiet cleaning. But it gets a bit louder when it is self-emptying its dirt bin.
What Is Included In The Box?
- Roomba® s9+ Robot Vacuum,
- Extra High-Efficiency Filter,
- Clean Base® Automatic Dirt Disposal,
- North American Line Cord,
- Extra Side Brush,
- 2 x Dirt Disposal Bags
Pros
- Teams up with Braava Jet M6 robot mop
- Efficient edge cleaning
- Strong suction power
- Self-emptying feature
- Spot cleaning
- Learns your cleaning habits and suggests cleaning schedules
Cons
- Loud while self-emptying
- A bit expensive
Specifications
- Weight: 6.77 pounds
- Dimensions: 13.4*13.4*3.54 inches
- Battery runtime: 90 mins
- Bin capacity: 0.6 L
If you are looking for the best robot vacuum cleaner for vinyl plank floors that comes under your tight budget, iRobot Roomba 675 is your best choice.
The features iRobot provides in Roomba 675 under its price tag are just exceptional.
Considering the price tag one might think that this robot vacuum cleaner’s performance would be compromised. But this is not the case.
In our cleaning test on vinyl plank floors, Roomba 675 picked up 99% of all the debris from small, medium to large including dust, dirt, pet hair, sugar and rice grains, and cereal.
It uses two multi-surface brush rolls for cleaning. One is a bristle brush that loosens up the dirt and debris and the other one, a rubber roller also called the extractor, sucks up all the loosened-up debris.
One downside of the bristle brush is that it gets clogged up with Pet hair very quickly. Once the brush is clogged it won’t run anymore until the brush is cleaned.
This robot vacuum is recommended for both surfaces – carpets and hard floors. What makes it perfect for vinyl plank floors is the auto-adjust cleaning head feature. This allows it to adjust its cleaning head as it makes the transition from carpet to hard floor and vice versa.
While cleaning on the hard floors, its cleaning head goes up so that the bristle brush doesn’t scratch the surface.
It has a dirt bin capacity of 0.6 liters. This allows it to pick up a decent amount of small to medium debris. Once the dirt bin is filled, you have to empty it before it can resume its cleaning chore.
It is equipped with smart features. It is a Wi-Fi-enabled robot vacuum. With Wi-Fi connectivity comes all the other smart features like smartphone App, smart home integration, and voice control.
The replacement parts for Roomba 675 are easily available on Amazon.
What Is Included In The Box?
- Roomba 675 Robot vacuum cleaner
- Charging Station
- Line Cord
- 1 x Extra Filter
Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Smart features
- Auto-adjust cleaning head
- Dirt detect sensors
Cons
- Loud
- Sometimes it faces problems returning to base
Specifications
- Weight: 5.8 pounds
- Dimensions: 12.6*12.6*3.5 inches
- Bin capacity: 0.16 L
- Battery runtime: 60 mins
- Cleaning path: 5.6 inches
If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to a self-emptying robot vacuum, the Shark RV1001AE IQ robot vacuum cleaner is the best choice for you. Shark IQ robot vacuum cleaner also provides the self-emptying feature as does the Roomba i7+ and s9+.
The difference is the duration these robot vacuums offer. Shark IQ robot vacuum cleaner offers a maximum of 45 days of self-emptying as compared to the 60 days time period that Roomba i7+ and s9+ offer.
On hard floors, the Shark IQ robot vacuum performed exceptionally well picking up 98% of all the debris from small, medium to large including rice and sugar grains, cereal, and pet hair.
Shark IQ has a 2-in-1 unique self-cleaning brush roll that Cleans itself from hair wraps.
So, picking up pet hair or human hair, no matter how long the strands are, from your floors is no problem for this robot vacuum. The brush roll doesn’t get clogged.
The Shark IQ robot vacuum comes with two side brushes. This makes it extremely efficient in edge and near-the-wall cleaning. Both the side brushes sweep all the debris from the sides into the cleaning path.
It uses a camera to navigate around and map the house. This smart mapping feature enables you to select specific rooms in your house for cleaning.
This robot vacuum comes with Wi-Fi compatibility and a smartphone SharkClean application. It is also compatible with smart home devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
It uses a magnetic tape barrier to restrict it from getting into unwanted places. This magnetic tape is not as efficient and eye catchy as the Keep-out zones of the Roomba i7 or s9+.
Buy replacement parts for the Shark IQ robot vacuum from Amazon.
What Is Included In The Box?
- Shark IQ robot vacuum cleaner
- HEPA filter
- Two side brushes
- Docking station
- Magnetic boundary tape
Pros
- Self-Emptying dirt bin
- Self-Cleaning brush roll
- Economical price
- Best for pet hair on vinyl plank floors
Cons
- The dirt bin might get clogged with large debris and hinder the self-emptying feature.
- Small dirt bin
Specifications
- Weight: 8 pounds
- Dimensions: 12.5*13.2*3.9 inches
- Battery runtime: 120 mins
- Cleaning path: 12 inches
- Dirt bin capacity: 0.7 L
Neato Botvac D7 is the best robot vacuum that has the widest cleaning path on the list. With a 12-inch brush roller, it cleans more area in less time.
Neato Botvac D7 robot vacuum has a unique “D” shaped design that makes edge cleaning a no one’s business. On top of that, a side brush that sweeps all the debris into its cleaning path, really adds to the edge cleaning.
When it comes to surface cleaning, it performs exceptionally well for all kinds of debris. It uses one combo brush roller for cleaning and picking up all types of debris and pet hair. The bristles of the combo brush roller, sometimes, get clogged with pet hair. But it is easier to clean the brush roller due to its unique design.
The Neato Botvac D7 contains a HEPA filter, which enables it to trap even the smallest particles of dust in the bin. This is helpful if you have allergic problems.
Instead of using a camera, which requires at least some lighting in the room for navigation, the Neato Botvac D7 uses Laser Smart technology. Using this technology, the Neato Botvac D7 maps your house and navigates in straight lines.
It has all the latest smart features including Wi-Fi, a smartphone app, voice control, and smart home integration.
It offers multiple cleaning options for your vinyl plank floors. You can set it to clean the whole house, select room-specific cleaning, spot cleaning, clean a specific area within a specific room, and set No-Go lines around the area you want it to ignore.
It offers an impressive 120 minutes of battery runtime. This much runtime and auto recharge-and-resume features allow you to clean a larger area without a break.
What Is Included In The Box?
- Neato Botvac D7 robot vacuum,
- Ultra Performance Filter,
- Spiral Combo Brush,
- Side Brush,
- Charge base,
- Power cord,
- Cleaning tool
- Boundary markers
Pros
- Wide cleaning path
- No-Go lines
- Strong suction power
- HEPA filter
Cons
- Might face issues with wi-fi connectivity
- A little loud on vinyl plank floors
Specifications
- Weight: 5.73 lbs
- Battery runtime: 100 mins
- Dirt bin capacity: 0.6 L
- Suction power: 1300 pa
One of the major problems households face while cleaning their hard floors with robot vacuums is that the robots get stuck under low-hanging furniture. When this happens, robot vacuums become more of a headache – rather a backache – instead of becoming a convenience.
It is a royal pain to go on your knees and fetch the stuck robot vacuum from under the furniture where it seems to be playing hide and seek.
RoboVac 11S is one of the slimmest robot vacuums with a height of only 2.85 inches. With this slick and ultra-thin design, RoboVac 11S can easily clean under your couch, bed, and other low-hanging furniture.
Forget about dirty edges and baseboards with Eufy RoboVac 11S as it has two side brushes while most of the other robot vacuums have only one side brush.
This enables it to perform exceptionally well when it comes to edge and near-the-wall cleaning.
RoboVac 11S BoostIQ robot vacuum cleaner has a strong Suction of 1300 Pa. This allows it to easily pick up all kinds of debris from small to large including dust, debris, pet hair, sugar and rice grains, and cereal.
With this suction power, one might think that it would be a noisy vacuum cleaner. But this is not the case. RoboVac 11S has a quiet cleaning with a noise level of not more than an operating microwave. This means you can easily use this robot vac without fearing that it would wake your toddlers up.
It also has BoostIQ technology. This enables it to automatically adjust suction power where needed. For example, vinyl plank floors require less suction power to be cleaned as compared to carpets. This preserves the battery as well.
It has infrared sensors to avoid obstacles, and fall sensors to avoid falling over edges and stairs.
One drawback that restricts it from taking the place of the best robot vacuum for vinyl plank floors is the lack of Wi-Fi compatibility. It does come with a remote control that you can use to control it. But the flexibility and ease of use that a smartphone app provides are no match for remote control.
What Is Included In The Box?
- RoboVac 11S
- Remote control (2 AAA batteries included)
- Charging base
- AC power adapter
- Cleaning tool
- Extra set of high-performance filters
- 4 x side brushes
- 5 x cable ties
Pros
- Slim and ultra-thin design
- Strong suction power
- Auto-adjust suction power
- Quiet cleaning
Cons
- No Wi-Fi connectivity
- No smart features
Specifications
- Weight: 4.5 pounds
- Dimensions: 11.8*11.8*2.98 inches
- Battery runtime: 90 mins
- Dirt bin capacity: 300 ml
- Suction power: 600 pa
Another mention in this list is the V3s Pro robot vacuum cleaner by ILIFE. It is a low-profile robot vacuum with a height of only 2.98 inches which is slightly higher than the RoboVac 11s. Still, this low height makes it perfect for under-the-furniture cleaning.
V3s Pro Robot Vacuum uses two side brushes and suction power to pick up debris from your floors. It doesn’t have a brush roll.
No brush roll means no clogging. So, picking up pet hair is easy and convenient.
The absence of a brush roll also makes it perform better on vinyl plank floors. Because the bristle brush roll sometimes leaves scratch marks on bare floors. Since the vinyl planks are delicate, these scratch marks become more prominent.
V3s Pro uses multiple infrared sensors to navigate around and avoid any obstacles in its way. This enables safe, anti-bump, and anti-fall cleaning on your vinyl plank floors.
Just like any other high-end robot vacuum cleaner, V3s Pro also has a recharge-and-resume feature. It has an impressive battery runtime of up to 90 minutes.
It can be controlled by the Clean button on the main unit or by a remote control that comes with the robot vacuum cleaner.
What Is Included In The Box?
- ILIFE V3s Pro robot vacuum
- Remote control
- 2 x extra HEPA filter
- 2 x extra sides brush
- Cleaning brush
- AC adapter
- Charging dock
Pros
- Low profile design
- No brush roll means no tangling
- Can be controlled with a remote control
Cons
- No Wi-Fi connectivity
- No smart features
- Only one cleaning schedule
Robot Vacuum Buying Guide For Vinyl Plank Floors
Selecting the best robot vacuum cleaner for vinyl plank floors requires some extra considerations. The reason is that the hard floors are delicate and can get scratched easily if you clean them with the wrong vacuum cleaner.
So, the following are some of the key factors you should consider before deciding to buy the best robot vacuum cleaner for your vinyl plank floors.
Performance
Cleaning performance should be your first consideration. Buying a cleaning machine that doesn’t clean and you have to do manual cleaning after that is a total waste of your money.
You should have a better idea of which type of debris your vinyl plank floors taste the most.
Dust, dirt, fluff, and pet and human hair are common in every household. If you get larger debris spilled on your floors more often then you should consider buying a robot vacuum that has enough suction power to lift the larger debris with ease.
Automation
The main purpose of buying a robot vacuum cleaner is automated cleaning. If it doesn’t have smart features like cleaning schedules, mapping, or even a smartphone app, it doesn’t serve the purpose of being a robot vacuum.
Features
The features and specifications of a robot vacuum cleaner must match your needs and requirements for cleaning. For example, if you have multiple carpets and rugs on your vinyl plank floors, you must look for a cleaner that has a multi-surface cleaning feature.
Such a robot vacuum will adjust its cleaning power and the cleaning head while transitioning between carpets and hard floors.
Battery Runtime
Since robot vacuums are cordless devices, they take power from batteries. If you have a larger and/or multi-floor house, you would want to buy a robot vacuum that provides better battery runtime.
The recharge – and – resume feature also helps in this regard. With this feature, even if the battery depletes, the robot vacuum will return to its base, charge itself, and will resume cleaning from where it left off.
Navigation
Robot vacuums navigate around your house autonomously. Older models navigate in random patterns while newer, more advanced robots navigate in neat, straight lines. Such navigation increases the cleaning efficiency, covering more area in less time and with less battery usage.
Smart navigation also enables robot vacuum cleaners to avoid objects, obstacles, and furniture without bumping into them.
Brush Type
As discussed above, the vinyl plank floors can easily get scratched or punctured with any pointy or abrasive things.
The bristle brush roller, that some robot vacuum cleaners come with, might harm the surface if the cleaning head is not adjustable.
The rubber extractor is perfectly suited for cleaning vinyl planks that don’t leave any scratches or abrasive marks on the surface.
Dirt Bin Capacity
Another aspect to consider while buying the best robot vacuum for vinyl plank floors is the dirt bin size.
Emptying the small dirt bin 2 or 3 times during one cleaning cycle doesn’t serve the purpose of automated cleaning.
So, either buy a robot cleaner that has a larger dirt bin or buy one that has a self-emptying feature like Roomba i7+ or s9+. This will relieve you from emptying the dirt bin for up to 60 days.
References
[1]. John, N. (2020, April 16). What Is Visual SLAM? (Hint: It’s Not Just a Tech in Roomba Vacuums). https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/what-is-visual-slam-not-just-a-tech-for-roomba-vacuums/
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