I’ve had so many years of experience when it comes to using Roombas (especially my Roomba i7). Though some of the Roomba tips I will mention are obvious, there are some tips that you may not have heard of. Below are some of my most useful Roomba tips. Hopefully, you may find them as useful as I do.
Read my iRobot comparison guide.
Roomba i7 Tips and Tricks (Great For All Models)
Your Shoes as a Bumper
If there is a cord that cannot be hung on the wall or hidden, then you can utilize your shoes as a bumper. However, it does not necessarily have to be your shoes. I personally find them handy to prevent my roomba from going over cords. If you do decide to use your shoes, make sure that you tuck in the laces. An alternative to using shoes is placing a small rug over the cords.
Randomizing
It is very easy to fall into the same routine with your Roomba. For example, if you have it going to the same charging spot and cleaning the same rooms in the exact same order. Perhaps you should switch it up. To do this, you can try placing a shoe or a random object in any spot in the room to change up the cleaning pattern.
A great perk to owning your irobot vacuum is the fact that they clean areas that we may miss a lot of the time. This is because they map the room or they go around the room randomly. However, when you have your cleaning robot clean the same room all the time, it is not doing the best job that it can because it will not clean as thoroughly.
Be Careful!
Like anything new, it is necessary to keep a close eye on your robot vacuum when you use it for the first few times. That most likely will not be an issue because everyone loves to watch a roomba work when they first get one. By watching it, you will be able to see where it gets stuck and what things it avoids.
Although the roomba i7 will do a great job cleaning, it is possible for it to get caught in blinds, strings from the carpet, or anything out of place on the ground. Despite the fact that the roomba operates by computer, it is still not smart enough to avoid certain things.
Organize the Cords
While using any robot vacuum cleaning, it is obvious that you would want to avoid cleaner cords or cables on the ground while you are cleaning. The same is true for a robot vacuum cleaner. When the Roomba i7 passes over the cords, they will likely get tangled with the cords. The best way to avoid is by investing in cable wire clips.
Leaning Chairs?
At times, you will witness your roomba struggling to clean under a chair. In order to combat this, it is a great idea to flip the chairs on top of the table so that the roomba can clean the spots underneath them. If this is not possible, you can either move the chairs to a different room or try spreading them out.
My favorite roomba i7 tips and tricks for cleaning under chairs is leaning them to one side. This allows your roomba to be able to clean underneath chairs and tables easily as it will only have to deal with two legs instead of four.
Pet Hair
When it comes to pet hair, my suggestion is to run your roomba for dog hair often. If you have many pets, you might find yourself running your irobot more than once a day. Remember that it’s important to keep your roomba’s maintenance as a priority. There will be a lot of pet hair, so you must clean your irobot out often to keep it running efficiently.
Timers
Many of the robot vacuum cleaners of today can be set to run by timers or by an app. This is very useful for those who especially hate vacuuming.
Carpets
It’s important to check what type of carpet your roomba will clean before purchasing one. This is because roombas will not clean certain rugs or carpets. This is mostly prevalent with carpets that are placed on a high level. The roomba will not be able to handle the transfer from flat to higher carpets.
Replacement Parts
Something that you should remember is that it is imperative that you replace parts of your robot vacuum when necessary. For example, you need to replace the side brush more often than you think. With a short side brush, your roomba i7 will be unable to adequately clean corners or cracks.
Furthermore, the batteries in your roomba will not last forever. Therefore, if it has been two years with your current batteries, I would consider changing them. Don’t forget to change to filters as well.
Read: Vacuum without beater bar
Talking about Replacement Parts
While you are considering replacing parts of your roomba, you must keep in mind that the robot vacuum will not last forever.
I personally like to replace my roombas every 5 years. With my experience, I would say that 5 years is a pretty good lifespan for a robot vacuum. The technology for robot vacuums are always growing, so it’s difficult to imagine how advanced they will be in 5 years.
Remove the Clutter
Even though will no longer have to do the vacuuming yourself, you are still required to do some of the work. For example, you will still need to pick up toys, clutter, or any clothes that may be in the way of roomba’s cleaning. It is best to place your roomba in a wide open space because it will be able to clean more effectively.
Having clutter in the way will only slow it down. Do not forget to remove the clutter or dust bunnies that may be hiding underneath your bed. A roomba works very well for cleaning under the bed.
Using your vacuum to kill ants
Know the Instructions – Read First!
Some roomba 960 tips and tricks are common sense. But just to reiterate, make sure you read the instructions for your roomba i7. Every robotic vacuum cleaner is different and could operate in different ways. The instructions will give you the insight you need to know how to operate the robotic vacuum cleaner.
Some robot vacuums will even provide you with the instructions you need to know how to activate the robot cleaner.
Read: bObsweep vs irobot
Avoid Hot and Cold
Keep your roomba out of areas that are too hot or two cold. This is because the batteries in roombas do not like too extreme of temperatures.
Position Your Charging Station
The best place to put your charging station is on a hardwood floor or tile floor. It’s best to avoid carpets because the charging station will not sit solid enough because of the dip that exists where the carpet meets the wall. You should place the charger flat against the wall and have nothing around it on both sides for at least 2 feet.
Another tip is to avoid placing the charger or the virtual walls of the robot cleaner where it is sunny because this will confuse the sensors the robot cleaner has.
There is no need to worry if your roomba does not always find the charging station. Personally, my roomba does not always find its home base charging station. In fact, 9/10 times it will find the home base but on some occasions, it will run out of battery before it can make it.
Note: Comparing the 860 vs 880 irobot
No Puddles or Water!
Do not allow the roomba to run on wet carpet or floors. Be sure to avoid puddles as well.
Let it Clean
There is no need to get concerned if your roomba is not getting to one or two spots. All you need is a bit of patience. It may take awhile for your roomba to clean the entire room, but just let the roomba do its job.
Consider the Size
If you have a larger area that you need to be cleaned, make sure you set your roombas settings to reflect those needs. For example, if you expect your roomba to be running for a long period of time, then buy a roomba with larger battery and a large container to hold more dirt.
If you only need the robot cleaning to assist with cleanings in between, then purchasing a basic model will work just fine.
Watch the Charging Base – Keep Clean
You need to keep your charging base clean as well. This is because dust and dirt will collect on it if it is ignored. Avoid water and also do not clean the charging base when it is plugged in.
Do You Need Two?
If you have a home with multiple levels, you might want to consider purchasing two roombas – one for each floor. If you only have one robot vacuum and a two or more story home, then you will have to wait for it to clean the bottom floor and then recharge it in order to clean the second floor.
That sounds like quite the inconvenience.
However, if you have multiple robot vacuums, then you will be able to run them at the same time.
Adjust for the Floor
Many robot vacuums have the ability to adjust for the floors. You will be able to choose the amount of power you would like the vacuum to have for suction. For example, if your roomba mostly operates on carpet, then you may want more suction. On the other hand, if you have mostly hardwood floors, then it is more ideal to place it on ECO setting.
Check out my comparison of Roomba 650 against 860
First Charge
Before your first use, it is best to allow your roomba to fully charge entirely overnight. This also applies for when you change the battery as well.
Overall, learn about your robot vacuum inside out so you definitely make it a worthy investment! Try to apply these Roomba i7 tips and tricks and comment below to let me know which is your favorite.
Sharing all my interesting smart home finds in this small corner of the internet. If you want easy to read, honest opinions or reviews from your friendly neighbor, I'm the guy for you! Thanks for dropping by Brentmore Labs. - James 
