Schedule These Upkeep Duties to Preserve Your Robotic Vacuum Operating

For those who’re into sensible gift-giving, robotic vacuums are a slam dunk. As soon as they’re correctly arrange, they will take one of many worst time-sucking chores off your to-do checklist for good—or a minimum of till they break. Fortunately, robotic vacuum upkeep is pretty easy. Right here’s all the pieces it’s good to do to maintain yours from gathering mud in a closet.

What to do every day (or after every use)

Robotic vacuums have considerably smaller assortment capacities than bag or canister vacuums, which implies that emptying them after (or earlier than) every use is vital. To make this step too simple to skip, I put a small trash can proper subsequent to the docking station so I don’t have to hold the dusty compartment all the best way into the kitchen to empty it.

One other vital factor to do after every use is verify the facet brushes and rollers for tangles. That is particularly vital when you have pets, long-haired members of the family, or an inclination to depart your shoelaces out the place your robotic vacuum can gobble them up. (Our home has all three.)

What to do each couple of months

All robotic vacuums have filters that maintain mud from spewing out the exhaust system, and like all filters, these want altering each two months or so. The precise timeframe will range relying on which mannequin you might have and whether or not you may rinse or in any other case clear the filter in between adjustments; verify the proprietor’s handbook or the producer’s web site for particular pointers.

Learn how to repair your robotic vacuum’s facet brushes

Nearly all robotic vacuums have rotating facet brushes that sweep particles into its path. These brushes stick out previous the physique of the vacuum, in order that they’re liable to getting bent every time it head-butts partitions and furnishings. The excellent news is which you can rapidly straighten them again out with a bit warmth: Blast them with a hair dryer on excessive warmth for a minute or so, then push them again into form along with your fingers as they cool. For those who don’t have a hair dryer, you may also do it with boiling water:

There’s a restricted variety of occasions you are able to do this, nonetheless. Ultimately, the facet brushes and rollers will meet their maker, normally within the type of one thing the vacuum stubbornly tried to roll over that it shouldn’t have. When the hair dryer trick stops working or the rollers have little cracks in them—or each—it’s substitute time. You should purchase substitute components both instantly out of your vacuum’s producer or through a 3rd celebration on Amazon.

For those who’re giving a robotic vacuum as a present this 12 months, think about throwing in a substitute half package and some spare filters. This manner, your beloved can have all the pieces they should maintain their new vacuum working easily for years to return.