10 Tips to Prolong Your Robot Vacuum’s Lifespan
Reading Time: 5 minutesYour robovac is prone to bumps, knocks, and dirt. Here’s how to maintain a robot vacuum cleaner for years of automated cleaning.
If you own a robot vacuum cleaner, you’re enjoying probably the best household labor-saving device since the dishwasher. But robot vacuum cleaners don’t last forever.
You need to take care of your robovac, so it lasts as long as possible. Everything from hair to particularly aggressive rugs can cause problems for your robot cleaner. That’s why maintenance is important, and while time-consuming, keeping your robot vacuum cleaner operational is simple.
Here’s how.
1. Clean the Robovac’s Body
Keeping your robot vacuum cleaner clean on the outside will help you focus on keeping clean on the inside.
It should also help avoid it dropping its own accumulated dust around your home.
Start with a standard warm, damp cloth—no detergent should be required—and wipe over the body of the robovac, from top to bottom. Remove any accessories (such as a water tank or mop mount) and wipe those too.
If the device is particularly pitted, you may need to use a small amount of detergent. Ensure this does not get anywhere near the machine’s interior or gears, however.
2. Give the Robovac Sensors a Clean
One of the things that make robot vacuum cleaners the best automated housework devices are sensors. Robot vacs are equipped with sensors to help avoid walls, pets, feet, and to assist with mapping (where available). As such, it is important to spend time paying special attention to the sensors. For the to work effectively, the sensors must be kept clean.
You may need to use cotton buds or a toothpick (or even a toothbrush in some situations) to clean the sensors.
With the sensors cleaned, the robot vacuum cleaner can be expected not to bump into furniture and ankles.
3. Clean or Replace the Robot Vacuum Cleaner Brushes
The brushes on a robot vacuum cleaner spin rapidly. There is typically a side brush which spins to collect dirt and detritus along the side of the robovac. It’s good for edges, too, and aims to push dust into the path of the vacuum.
You’ve also got the main brush, underneath, designed to scoop up everything in its path.
Sadly, both brushes are prone to hair. Pet hair, long hair, it doesn’t matter. It might even be string, cotton, or wool. The fact is, things get wrapped around these components, and the only answer is to clean them.
It’s possible to cut hair off, but this is only worth doing a few times. For a full service, you need to remove the brushes and give them a proper clean.
Robot vacuum cleaner brushes will eventually fail. It’s a good idea to buy a bag of spares in advance for when the time comes to replace them.
4. Clean and Replace the Dust Filter
Like the brushes, the dust filter is a replaceable component that takes some punishment. The point of the filter is to collect the dust separately to the standard dirt that gets picked up. This way, when the bin is emptied, the dust doesn’t simply fall out as it is trapped in the filter.
You can get a few months from a robovac dust filter, but you’ll know when it needs replacing. When is permanently discolored is the time to fit a new dust filter.
Replacement dust filters are often available with spare robovac brushes.
5. Clean and Replace the Mop (If Included)
Some robot vacuum cleaners come with a mop attachment. This is typically attached to a removable mount, and can be detached to soak in water. The mop—essentially a flannel—must be washed, preferably after each clean.
The first thing you need to do with a robot vacuum cleaner with a mop mount is to ensure the mop cloth is regularly changed.
The second thing you need to do is ensure you have some spare mops. Doing so will save you from having to reuse a dirty cloth when the time comes to mop the floor with your robovac.
6. Clean in and Around the Base Station (And Bin)
Robot cleaners ship with a charging station. This is a base for the device to return to for recharging (usually after cleaning, but in larger properties, during).
With some top-end devices, the base station includes a bin, a depository for the dirt collected by the robovac.
Whatever the scale of the base station, you must ensure that the surrounding area is clean. All manner of dirt and dust can coagulate, whether in the zone surrounding the base or where the on-board bin is emptied.
In some cases, you might need to use a standard vacuum cleaner to give these areas a quick clean.
To keep the base station clean, unplug from the mains electric supply before wiping with a warm, slightly damp cloth.
7. Empty the Bin Regularly
How much dirt your robot vacuum cleaner can carry depends on the device and the size of your property.
It is also affected by how dirty the home is.
Whatever the case, it is important to empty the on-board bin following every clean. This is useful for increasing the longevity of the robovac, ensuring the device is kept clean inside. You can enhance this by brushing the dirt out with an old paint brush. This will help ensure that any hard-to-shift dirt is also disposed of.
You should also clean out the area where the bin sits, pictured above. This can be effectively cleaned with a brush or a handheld vacuum cleaner.
If your robot vacuum’s base unit has a disposal system, be sure to empty this regularly, too.
8. Upgrade the Firmware and App
Sometimes, robot vacuum cleaners don’t take the optimum route. On occasions, they bump into things they shouldn’t. Often, this is down to the firmware, essentially the operating system running the robovac.
Because the devices log issues, the developers know about them. Updates are issued, typically installed via the companion app, and this helps the robots operate more efficiently.
Similarly, the mobile app itself may require updating.
When update alerts for the robovac and or app are displayed on your phone (or smart speaker), follow the steps to update the firmware. This will help ensure optimum cleaning efficiency, which in turn will keep your cleaner running longer.
Make sure you’re using a recent phone, running Android or iOS. Older phones that don’t get security updates aren’t suitable for smart home integrated devices.
9. Don’t Leave Your Robot Vacuum Cleaner Unattended Upstairs
This may seem somewhat obvious, but you really shouldn’t leave your robot vacuum cleaner unattended in a situation where damage can occur.
While robovacs should have cliff (or stair) sensors to prevent falling, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the sensor will work.
A metal strip along the edge of each step can distract the sensor. Changes in environmental lighting and even a stripey carpet can cause issues with cliff sensors. The result? A robot vacuum cleaner in several unrepairable pieces.
If you have to use the robovac upstairs unattended, keep it in one room or block the staircase.
10. Tidy Up Before Vacuuming (No, Really)
If your home isn’t already very tidy, you should spend time cleaning up before launching your robot vacuum cleaner.
Certain objects are guaranteed to cause problems. Trailing fabrics (tassels, ribbons, curtains) cable ties, sweet wrappers, and other items can cause an almost instant blockage. They typically wrap around the main brush, although it is possible for the wheels to be similarly affected.
The suction system can also be blocked up.
So, just as you would tidy up before using an upright vacuum cleaner, have a tidy around before instructing your robovac to clean up.
Get the Most Out of Your Robot Cleaner
Robot vacuum cleaners are not cheap. While some more affordable models can be picked up for around $200, they miss key features such as mapping. Fall avoidance, boundary marking, and full app integration are typically found on more expensive models.
Whatever standard of robovac you own, care and maintenance will prolong its lifespan. We’ve gone through the various steps above—to recap, you should:
- Clean the body
- Carefully clean the sensors
- Replace the brushes
- Clean or replace the filter
- Clean or replace the mop
- Clean the base station/bin
- Empty the bin regularly
- Upgrade the firmware and app
- Don’t leave a robovac unattended upstairs
- Tidy up before vacuuming
Much of the above should be attended to weekly, with replacement brushes and filters ordered on Amazon.
If you regularly use your robot vacuum cleaner, these steps will give you the optimum experience with the device.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/tips-to-prolong-your-robot-vacuums-lifespan/
Ref: makeuseof
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