Although your little friend can do all the cleaning for you, unfortunately it can’t clean itself. To make sure your robot vacuum lives a long and healthy life, you will need to do some maintenance once in a while.
Clean the wheels from cluttered hair
As you might have noticed with your regular vacuum cleaner, human and pet hair tends to get stuck in the wheels’ axles. Most robovacs come with a special tool for removing hair, but if this doesn’t work, simply use a pair of scissors or a kitchen knife to cut it loose.
Keep the brushes clean and replace them when needed
The mobile application of your robot vacuum might tell you it’s time to replace the brushes again. This might not necessarily be true, as the manufacturer will try to keep selling you stuff. If you clean the brushes on a regular basis, i.e. remove the entangled hair and dust, they should be alright for a lot longer. Most brushes can be manually removed from the vacuum, some might need a screwdriver.
Clean the filter and replace it when necessary
The filter inside your robovac is not designed to be washed. To clean it, simply tap it against a harder surface to shake off the gathered dust and debris. If your robovac does a daily round, you will need to clean the filters every week. When it comes to HEPA filters, you should pay attention to the specifics. Washable HEPA filters can be cleaned under running cold water, while permanent ones need to be cleaned using your regular vacuum cleaner.
Maintain the cliff sensors
While you might only need to replace the sensors every two years or so, you will need to keep them free of dust. If not, your robovac will start bumping into furniture or plunging down the stairs because it will be temporarily blind. The best way to do so is to wipe the sensors with a damp sponge, although some manufacturers recommend the use of a Magic Eraser.
Empty the dustbin regularly
Robot vacuums are known to have much smaller dust compartments than regular vacuum cleaners, so you will have to empty it more often. Dirt compartments can be cleaned under running water once they’re empty. Don’t forget to fully dry it before replacing it.
If you are allergic to dust or pet hair and need minimal contact with the contents of the dustbin, you might want to invest in a self-emptying vacuuming robot. This way, you will only need to replace the larger dust container once in a while.
Don’t let it get wet
This might damage the filter and the internal mechanism of your robovac. To clean the surface of the machine, use a damp sponge to wipe it down. Avoid any water from dripping into any small opening. Don’t use your robot vacuum to suck up liquid spills, it is only designed to remove dry debris and dust.
Clean the docking station and its connectors
Even though this is something you might not think necessary, the connectors need to be fully clean in order to make contact with the base to recharge. Use a small amount of rubbing alcohol on the base and on the metal connectors.
Empty your floors when using the robovac
This will avoid it getting stuck and entangled and use the floor-mapping feature to avoid it bumping into furniture, which might damage your appliance.
Block the access to the stairs
Especially if you have a model without cliff sensors to avoid it tumbling down too often. If this happens one too many times, this might damage your robovac beyond repair.
Replace the battery about every 2 to 3 years
This will depend on the vacuuming frequency. Replacing a battery is not exactly the cheapest thing, but it will need to be done at some point. You wouldn’t want your robot friend to stop working all of a sudden, there’s no way you want to go back to a life without it. Batteries are only designed for a number of cycles, and when that number’s up, well, it’s up.