The 5 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2025, Tested by BHG

If you live with a pet, you already know the three universal laws of fur: it multiplies, it migrates, and it
always shows up five minutes after you finish cleaning. The good news is that robot vacuums have gotten
dramatically better at handling the stuff that comes with four-legged roommatesshedding, dander, tracked-in
litter, and the mysterious “why is there hair there?” moments.

Better Homes & Gardens (BHG) spent months testing robot vacuums for performance, maneuverability, and
real-world features (including obstacle avoidance tests with cordsand a chocolate-pudding stand-in for pet
accidents). The result: five standout picks for 2025 that make pet hair feel a lot less like a full-time job.

Quick Comparison: BHG’s 2025 Top Picks for Pet Hair

How BHG Tested These Robot Vacuums (And Why Pet Owners Should Care)

Pet hair is a different kind of mess: it’s lightweight, clingy, and determined to braid itself into brush rolls
like it’s training for the Hair Olympics. BHG evaluated each robot vacuum over months of at-home testing and
recorded practical details that matter in real lifesetup time, noise levels, pickup performance on both hard
floors and carpets, maneuverability around furniture, and obstacle-avoidance behavior with cords and simulated
“pet mess” scenarios. If a model also mopped, it had to prove itself on wet spills, too.

Translation: these picks aren’t just “looks good on a spec sheet” robots. They were asked to survive normal
household chaosfurniture legs, rugs, crumbs, and the kind of clutter that appears the moment you think your
living room is finally clean.

The 5 Best Robot Vacuums for Pet Hair of 2025 (BHG Picks)

1) Best Overall: Dreame D10 Plus Robot Vacuum & Mop

If you want one robot vacuum that can keep up with daily shedding without acting like it’s swallowing a wig,
BHG’s top overall pick is the Dreame D10 Plus. The standout benefit for pet owners is simple: it picked up large
clumps of fur without tangling hair in the rollers during testingexactly the kind of win that keeps you from
doing the “weekly brush-roll surgery” routine.

The self-emptying base is another big deal when pets are involved. When you’re cleaning up after a shedding dog
or a cat that believes every sunny spot is a personal grooming salon, dustbins fill fast. A self-empty system
means you’re handling hair less often, which is both convenient and (depending on your squeamishness level)
emotionally safer.

• Great for: mixed floors, daily maintenance, heavy shedding seasons
• Pet-hair strengths: clump pickup; reduced roller tangling; self-empty convenience
• Watch-outs: not ideal for heavier debris; self-empty can be loud (schedule it for when you’re out)

2) Best for Hardwood: Ecovacs Deebot T9+ Robot Vacuum & Mop

Hardwood and pet hair should be an easy pairinguntil the hair forms tumbleweeds that roll into corners and hide
under furniture like they’re avoiding taxes. The Ecovacs Deebot T9+ earned BHG’s “best for hardwood” pick because
it handled pet hair and surprisingly large debris on hard floors. In testing, it picked up items you
might not expect a robot vacuum to catcheverything from hair ties to bobby pinswhile also noticeably reducing
everyday dog hair around the home over time.

This model also stood out for quieter operation compared with louder competitors, which matters if your pets are
suspicious of anything that moves on its own (so… most pets). It also includes mopping capabilities, which can
be helpful on hard floors for paw prints and the occasional “water bowl incident.”

• Great for: wood, tile, laminate; pet homes that want quieter cleanings
• Pet-hair strengths: strong hard-floor pickup; effective long-term maintenance; helpful mapping
• Watch-outs: larger debris can clog and disrupt self-emptying until cleared

3) Best with Mop: Yeedi Vac Station Self-Emptying Robot Vacuum & Mop

For many pet owners, the dream isn’t “a cleaner floor.” It’s “a cleaner floor without thinking about it.”
The Yeedi Vac Station leans into that hands-off lifestyle with both vacuuming and mopping, plus a self-empty base.
BHG found it especially useful for tackling pet hair along with larger particles (hello, cat litter), and it can
adjust suction as it transitions between hard flooring and carpet.

The Yeedi’s mopping feature is designed to avoid carpeted areas when engaged, which helps prevent the classic
robot-mop mistake of dragging damp pads across rugs. The tradeoff is time: BHG noted it can take longer than some
others to finish hair and debris pickup, even though it offers a long runtime.

• Great for: hard floors that need both vacuuming and light mopping; pet litter zones
• Pet-hair strengths: solid daily pickup; handles litter and dirt; long runtime
• Watch-outs: can be slower; self-empty may occasionally leave hair stuck in the bin

4) Best for Carpet: Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1 Robot Vacuum + Mop

Carpet is where pet hair goes to settle down, start a family, and apply for a mortgage inside the fibers.
BHG’s best carpet pick is the Shark AI Ultra 2-in-1, thanks to an “ultra-clean” mode designed to dig deeper into
carpet to pull out embedded pet hair. It also uses laser navigation to clean in an organized, row-by-row pattern,
which tends to be more reliable than random “bump-and-pray” navigation.

Here’s the big caution: object avoidance is not a strength for this pick. If you have a puppy in potty training
or an older pet with occasional accidents, you’ll want to be extremely careful about scheduling. A robot vacuum
that can’t reliably avoid hazards can turn a small mess into a modern art installation.

• Great for: carpet-heavy homes with heavy shedding
• Pet-hair strengths: deeper carpet cleaning mode; strong everyday pickup
• Watch-outs: weak object avoidance; choose run times strategically

5) Best Object Avoidance: iRobot Roomba j7

Pet owners don’t have “clean floors.” They have floors decorated with toys, bowls, cords, and the occasional
sock that teleported from the laundry basket. BHG’s best object-avoidance pick is the iRobot Roomba j7, which
uses a front-facing camera to detect and avoid obstacles, making it easier to run cleanings without doing a
pre-vacuum pick-up routine every single time.

BHG also highlighted strong edge and corner cleaningan underrated perk, because hair loves to collect along
baseboards like it’s paying rent. The Roomba j7 is also associated with brush designs that reduce hair tangling,
helping keep maintenance manageable. Noise can be a factor, and the camera light may be noticeable in darker rooms,
but for cluttered pet homes, the navigation smarts can be worth it.

• Great for: homes with toys/clutter; pet owners who want fewer “robot got stuck” alerts
• Pet-hair strengths: obstacle avoidance; reliable edge cleaning; reduced brush tangling
• Watch-outs: can be louder; bright camera light may bother sensitive sleepers (human or pet)

What to Know Before Buying a Robot Vacuum for Pet Hair

Prioritize the brush roll (pet hair has opinions)

Not all brush rolls handle fur the same way. Testing from other major reviewers has consistently noted that
rubber-style rollers can reduce how much hair sticks compared to bristled designs, and they can be easier to
clean when tangles happen. If you dread maintenance, look for designs built to resist tanglingor docks that
reduce the amount of hair you handle day to day.

Self-emptying isn’t “lazy”it’s “strategic”

In pet homes, dustbins fill up faster, and emptying them can kick up allergens. A self-empty base is one of the
most meaningful upgrades for households with frequent shedding. Just remember: self-emptying can be loud. Many
people schedule it for when they’re out or during a time window that won’t wake the baby, the dog, or the
baby-dog (you know who you are).

Obstacle avoidance is your insurance policy

The best-case scenario is a robot that avoids cords and toys so it can actually finish the job. The worst-case
scenario involves a pet accident and a robot that doesn’t know what it’s looking at. If you’re in a training
phaseor you simply don’t trust your pet’s digestive choicesmake obstacle avoidance a top filter.

Match the robot to your floors

Carpet-heavy homes often benefit from stronger carpet performance modes (and sometimes multiple passes), while
hard-floor homes may care more about edge sweeping and gentle but consistent pickup of tumbleweeds of fur. If you
want mopping, be realistic: robot mops are typically best for maintenance cleaningpaw prints, light grime, and
everyday spillsrather than deep scrubbing like you’d do by hand.

How to Get Better Pet Hair Results (Without Becoming a Vacuum Mechanic)

• Run it more often than you think. Daily runs prevent fur from building into corner monsters.
• Use no-go zones. Keep it away from food bowls, litter scatter zones, and “cord nests.”
• Do quick weekly maintenance. Clear the roller ends and side brushfive minutes now saves thirty later.
• Pick up the “hair traps.” Rugs with deep pile and fringes can catch fur (and confuse robots).
• Schedule smart. If your bot self-empties loudly, set it to run while you’re out or during daytime hours.

of Real-Life Experience: What It’s Like Living With a Robot Vacuum in a Pet Home

Let’s talk about the part no spec sheet can capture: the daily sitcom of a robot vacuum trying to share a home
with animals. In most pet households, the robot doesn’t feel like a “vacuum.” It feels like a tiny coworker who
quietly clocks in, does a lap around the living room, and occasionally sends a notification that basically says,
“I’m stuck. Please come rescue me from this… shoelace.”

The first week is usually an adjustment period. Pets may treat the robot like a suspicious intruder. Some dogs
follow it like a hall monitor. Some cats sit on a couch and stare with the cold judgment of a creature who knows
you can be replaced. A surprising number of pets eventually ignore itespecially if you schedule runs when they’re
eating, napping, or busy doing important pet tasks (like staring at a wall).

The biggest “aha” moment for most owners is realizing that robot vacuums are best at maintenance, not
miracles. If your home currently has enough fur to knit a second pet, the robot will helpbut it works best when
it runs frequently and stops hair from piling up in the first place. Daily cleaning sessions make a noticeable
difference: fewer tumbleweeds, fewer socks collecting fur, fewer “why does my hallway look fuzzy?” moments.
Miss a week, and you’ll feel it.

Then there’s the litter situation. If you have cats, you already know the litter box is a “zone,” and the zone
has a perimeter. Robots can help by grabbing scattered litter before it becomes a crunchy surprise underfoot.
But you may need to experiment with no-go zones or virtual boundaries so the robot doesn’t treat the litter mat
like an invitation to redecorate. (Some robots are neat. Some… are enthusiastic.)

Maintenance is the tradeoff, but it’s usually manageable. In pet homes, hair wraps around side brushes, gathers
at roller ends, and sneaks into nooks like it’s practicing stealth. A quick weekly checksnipping a few strands,
clearing the brush, wiping sensorskeeps performance steady. If you choose a self-emptying model, the day-to-day
effort drops even more, which is why many pet owners consider it the most meaningful upgrade.

Finally, let’s address the awkward truth: accidents happen. If your pet is in a training phase or has occasional
messes, obstacle avoidance becomes a relationship saver. A robot that can’t avoid hazards can create a cleanup
task that belongs in a cautionary tale. The practical routine many owners adopt is simple: schedule cleaning when
you’re home (at least at first), do a quick “floor scan” before runs, and lean on no-go zones until you trust the
situation. When it all clicks, the robot stops being a gadget and starts being part of the household rhythm
like the dishwasher, but with more attitude and fewer forks.

Bottom Line

BHG’s 2025 testing shows there’s no single “perfect” robot vacuum for every pet homebecause pets aren’t
identical and neither are floors. If you want the best all-around balance of pet-hair pickup and low-maintenance
living, the Dreame D10 Plus is a strong place to start. If you’ve got lots of hardwood and want a quieter run,
the Ecovacs Deebot T9+ stands out. If mopping matters, Yeedi offers a practical combo approach. If carpet is your
fur battlefield, Shark’s deeper-clean mode is appealingjust be smart about scheduling. And if your floor is
always full of toys and cords, the Roomba j7’s object avoidance can be a sanity saver.