7 Tips to Get the Most Out of Your Robot Vacuum

Robot vacuums have come a long way, but they still seem to have trouble with lots of things around the house. Physical obstacles, pathing issues, and user error can all minimize the effectiveness of a robot vacuum, so here are some tips to combat those shortcomings.

7 Turn on Lights and Open Doors

There are many different types of robot vacuums out there. Some are more advanced than others, but nearly all of them go through a pathing phase where they first start to figure out the layout of your home. The first couple of times you use an advanced robot vacuum, you should make sure that you give the vacuum consistent access to all of the areas you want it to clean. Open up those doors.

If you change how much of the floor plan is accessible to the vacuum while it’s still trying to learn the layout of your home and how to navigate it, you might make it more difficult for the vacuum to do its job. Furthermore, some robot vacuums use cameras for navigation. If you have a model that does, make sure you turn on the lights.

6 Be Smart When Placing the Home Station

Where you decide to put your vacuum’s home station can make or break how it behaves. At the very least, picking the best spot for a home station will minimize possible inconveniences. For example, placing the home station on flat ground and against a wall will help the robot vacuum return to base without any help from you.

It will also be more helpful to ensure that the base station has at least two feet of space on either side of it, and four feet between the front and any furniture. That will allow the vacuum to dock easily without getting caught on any obstacles. You can place the base station on carpet, but that’s probably not a good idea if you have a robot vacuum that doubles as a mop.

No matter where you place the home station, the robot vacuum could take a while to make it back depending on how advanced the vacuum is. Unless it gets stuck on an obstacle, you can leave it to figure things out on its own. An advanced vacuum might even learn how to avoid getting lost or stuck in the same places if it is given the chance to learn.

5 Clear Away Cords, Tassels, and Shag Carpets

Even the most advanced robot vacuums are going to get caught up on some obstacles. Thin wires or cords, long curtains, tassels on rugs, and shag carpets can all get snagged up on the vacuum brush. Socks, small toys, and other tiny objects can pose a problem in this regard too.

There are some very advanced robot vacuums that don’t have much of an issue with this. For example, some more recent models can even lift themselves over obstacles. Still, it’s better to tidy up your floor as much as you can before setting the vacuum loose. The fewer obstacles it has to deal with, the simpler it will be for your vacuum to do its job.

4 Create Barriers to Protect Certain Areas

Even if your robot vacuum has very good pathing and manages to stick to the areas of the home you want it to clean, you’ll probably benefit from using barriers and obstacles to guide it away from areas you want it to avoid. If you have an advanced model with app control, you might be able to digitally mark areas of your floor plan for the vacuum to avoid. Some advanced models even take pictures of problem areas while operating.

Some models have other ways of creating barriers. They might come with accessories such as boundary strips you can set to create virtual walls. If you have a model that doesn’t have any of these capabilities, any kind of physical barrier will do the job. Properly blocking off areas you don’t want the vacuum to access will streamline cleaning.

3 Keep Chair Legs Out of the Way

This one is pretty simple: the less stuff there is for your robot vacuum to bump into, the easier it will be for it to clean. More modern, advanced robot vacuums are capable of maneuvering around furniture, but if you have tables with lots of chairs around them, those many chair legs can make it difficult or impossible for the vacuum to clean under them.

You don’t necessarily have to flip the chairs onto the table if that’s too much hassle. You can also just pull them out and make a bit more room for the robot vacuum to maneuver.

2 Clean the Vacuum Regularly

A lot of robot vacuums empty their own bins when they return to their home station, but they don’t always get everything out. Things like hair and string are going to get wrapped around the brushes or wheels. Dust will likely start to clog nooks and crannies over time. While these things won’t stop the vacuum from functioning entirely, it can definitely decrease effectiveness.

Ecovacs

Cleaning and maintaining your robot vacuum at least once a month is a pretty good idea. During those times, you’ll want to check the brushes, the wheels, the dustbin, and the filters. You might also want to clean the anti-drop sensors and the charging contacts on the bottom of the vacuum as well. Regular maintenance is an important part of keeping any device in peak condition.

1 Use First-Party Replacement Parts

Everyone likes to save money, and there are plenty of ways to do that. Over the lifespan of your robot vacuum, you will have to replace some of its parts and components. It can be tempting to purchase third-party replacement parts since those will undoubtedly be cheaper. I recommend sticking with replacement parts provided by the same manufacturer as your robot vacuum.

While you’ll pay a bit more, you’ll never have to worry about compatibility. Third-party components may not fit well and cause damage or extra wear and tear on your vacuum. Even in the best-case scenario, they are just not likely to be as durable or efficient as the first-party components. Despite an increased up-front cost, it’ll usually benefit you in the long run.

Ultimately, one of the biggest factors contributing to the usefulness of your robot vacuum is how advanced and modern it is. Newer, more expensive models are better, and there’s not much you can do to change that.

But even if you have an older robot vacuum that lacks the fancy bells and whistles of today’s models, following these tips should help you get the most out of it.