If you’re like me, you love the convenience of having a robot vacuum around the house. Autonomous cleaning, smart features, and remotely controlling it from anywhere you are – are just some of the features that make robot vacs such a popular home item today.
Not to mention the powerful suction and performance of most recent models on the market today – robot vacuums indeed are pretty nifty devices to own.
But as time goes by, it’s inevitable that all electronic devices will start to wear down, and robot vacuums are no different. There is one problem commonly faced by robot vac owners, and that’s battery performance.
Just like all other battery-powered devices, the batteries inside robot vacs start to get old after near-everyday use and don’t perform as well as they used to before.
Over time you’ll notice a decline in your robot vacuum’s performance. Some signs may include a shorter run cycle, reduced suction power, which will leave debris behind, and longer charging times. If you experience any of the above-mentioned issues, then it is time to change your robot vacuum battery.
The battery is the heart of your robot vacuum – which is why it only makes sense to take extra care of it during its lifetime. Additionally, robot vacuum battery replacements aren’t all that cheap either, so you’ll save money by providing property maintenance.
Oftentimes, cleaning performance is directly linked to the health of your battery – so it’s definitely worth making the effort to maintain them. Read on below for some tips on how to do so.
How to take care of your battery
They say prevention is always better than cure – so if you’re thinking of ways to boost the cleaning power of your robot vacuum without overhauling any components inside it, here are some things you can do to keep your battery running in tip-top condition.
● Keep the batteries charged
Keep the unit docked in the charging port whenever it is not in use. Every time it starts up for a cleaning job, it is recommended that it starts off on a full battery.
Use it regularly as well – don’t leave it charged in the dock for more than 3 days at a time. Regular usage keeps the battery healthy.
I run my robot vacuum twice a week, and I find it adequate enough to keep my floor clean and keep my battery healthy in check.
● Drain the batteries
Every so often, use up the entire battery until it runs out of juice. Draining the battery is a big part of a maintenance routine for most electronic devices, not just for robot vacs. It helps to optimize and maintain your battery’s capacity to keep it efficient for much longer.
● Keep it away from heat
Your robot vacuum should be stored in a cool, dry place and away from direct sunlight. Excessive heat can damage the battery, so keep it away from other heat-producing electronic devices as well.
This includes but is not limited to – windows, electric or gas wall heaters, and vents.
● Enable “vacation mode” if you’re going away
Okay, vacation mode isn’t really a thing – it’s basically a step you can do to keep your robot vac’s battery safe from overcharging for the entire duration of your time spent away from home.
Charge up the battery on your robot vac to full, then remove the batteries (if you’re unsure of how to do it on yours, check the user manual).
Keep the battery separate from the robot vac unit, and store it in a cool, dry place. When you come back home, recharge your robot vac and run it until the battery dies. Then you can go back to your regularly scheduled robot vac’s programming.
Other common causes of performance loss in robot vacuums
Apart from batteries, robot vacuums may start to lose performance for a variety of reasons. Below is a list of the more common ones to look out for.
1. Filters
When in use, robot vacuum cleaners suck in basically everything that it goes over – air included.
The air that it sucks in may contain tiny bits of dust and allergens – which is why the outlets on your robot vac contain filters that block out all the bad stuff and only allow clean air to come out of the exhaust. If you use your robot vacuum often, it’s inevitable that these filters will start to get clogged up, making your exhaust system work harder and reducing the overall performance of the entire unit.
Clean your filters regularly under running warm water, and ensure that you dry them off completely before installing them back into the exhaust system of your robot vac. For best results, replace the filters approximately every six months to get the best performance out of your robot vacuum.
2. Brush-roll issues
The brush roll on your robot vac is probably the hardest working part of the unit. It gets the job done efficiently by spinning and guiding the debris into the suction unit of your robot vac.
However, it is also very prone to tangling – especially if you live in a home with pets or lots of long hair lying around on the floor.
The accumulation of hair tangling on your brush roll results in less efficiency in picking up debris, and thus you might find that the performance on your robot vac starts to become sub-par.
Check the underside of your robot vac at least once a week if you use it regularly, and clean out any tangles that you might find on your brush roll.
Use a pair of scissors to cut the big tangles and then pick them out with your fingers or with a pair of tweezers. Then wash off the brush roll and dry it thoroughly before putting it back into the underside of your robot vac.
3. Sensors
Robot vacuums use an array of sensors to operate smoothly around your house – without these sensors, your little robot vac basically runs around blind, and it becomes more prone to knocking into walls and going around your house in a random fashion, cleaning your house inefficiently in the process. This can lead to unnecessary battery drain.
Over time sensors can accumulate dust, which is why they start malfunctioning. Take time to check the sensors onboard your robot vacuum.
If you’re not sure where they are, check the user manual or do a quick Google search, and you’ll be able to find out pretty easily.
To clean the sensors on your robot vac, turn your unit upside down, so the underside is facing up, and then use a cotton swab to remove any dust or dirt that is blocking the sensors from working properly.
To learn more about robot vacuum maintenance, check out my article How to clean and maintain a robot vacuum.
