How to Operate a Roomba

Co-authored by Ashley Matuska

Last Updated: December 23, 2022

Roomba vacuum cleaners are super convenient, since they can take care of cleaning your floors while you’re doing other things. Making sure the room you need vacuumed is ready for your Roomba by removing any clutter, and fully charging your Roomba will ensure that the cleaning goes smoothly. Decide what kind of cleaning pattern you want to use on your floors. Make sure you take care of your Roomba after each use to extend its life.

Things You Should Know

Make sure your charged Roomba has its Home Base on a hard ground, your floor is decluttered and dry, and your Roomba steers clear of stairs.
After setting up your Virtual Walls, choose the "Clean" pattern for an entire room or the "Spot" pattern for smaller, dirtier messes.
In addition to replacing its filter every 2 months, make sure you're routinely emptying your Roomba's bin, cleaning it, and charging it.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing the Room and Your Roomba

1
Charge the Roomba overnight. To charge your Roomba, you need to dock it with the Home Base. Press the "Dock" button on the top of the Roomba or on your remote. Then plug your Home Base into a wall outlet.^{[1]
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- When your Roomba is fully charged, the status light on the top will be a solid green color.
- It's especially important to charge your Roomba overnight if you have never used it before.
2
Place the Home Base on a hard surface. The Roomba will return to the Home Base when it’s done cleaning, or if the battery begins to go flat. Make sure the Home Base is always plugged in, placed on a hard surface, and in a relatively open area. This makes it easier for the Roomba to find Home Base and dock.^{[2]
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3
Set up Virtual Walls. Virtual Walls are small electronic devices that create an invisible barrier so your Roomba stays in one room. Set one to the left of the doorway you want to block, on the opposite side of the doorway of the room you're in. Press the "on" button to turn on the Virtual Wall.^{[3]
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4
Use sturdy material in place of Virtual Walls. If you don’t have a Virtual Wall, you can use any kind of sturdy material to block hallways you don’t want the Roomba to move into. You can use rolled up yoga mats, laundry baskets, or boxes.
5
Keep an eye on your Roomba near stairs. Most Roombas will sense if they are near a ledge or set of stairs and turn back. However, you might want to keep an eye on the Roomba if you have a lot of stairs, just to make sure it doesn't take a tumble.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Using Your Roomba

1
Clear the room of any clutter. You don’t need to sweep or anything, but you should pick up anything on the floor that might be in the Roomba’s way. This includes toys, trash cans, stacks of books or movies, or anything else you might have sitting on the floor.^{[4]
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- If you have an area rug with tassels or that’s made out of shag, you might want to remove it before you use your Roomba. It can suck up the tassels, which can mess up the inner workings of the Roomba.
2
Choose the "Clean" pattern for a whole room. If you want a good, general clean for an entire room, choose the "Clean" cleaning pattern.This will instruct the Roomba to cover the whole room, getting under furniture and close to walls.^{[5]
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- There are various accessories that you can use with your vacuum cleaner.^{[6]
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  Ashley Matuska
  Professional Cleaner
  Expert Interview. 15 April 2019.}
- You can use it to clean hard floors and carpets.^{[7]
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  Expert Source
  
  Ashley Matuska
  Professional Cleaner
  Expert Interview. 15 April 2019.}
3
Choose the “Spot” pattern for stubborn spots. If there’s a particularly dirty spot on your floor, press “Spot” on the top of your Roomba or on your remote control. This will direct the Roomba to spiral 3 feet (1 m) wide, then return to its starting position, sucking up more dirt in that particular spot that the "Clean" function allows.
4
Avoid using the Roomba on wet floors. iRobot makes other models that are specifically designed to mop your floors. Because of the electronics in the Roomba, you’ll want to make sure the floor is dry when you use it.^{[8]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Maintaining Your Roomba After Use

1
Empty the Roomba’s bin. A button on the front of the Roomba will release the lock on the bin, and you can pull it straight out. You might want to do this over a trashcan so that you don’t accidentally dump everything the Roomba just sucked up onto your floor.^{[9]
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2
Use a dry cloth to clean the Roomba. When you take the bin off of the Roomba, you’ll be able to see the brushes the Roomba uses. Clean these by brushing them with a dry cloth. You should also clean the outside of the Roomba as well.^{[10]
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Research source} You can use a microfiber towel for this.^{[11]
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Expert Source

Ashley Matuska
Professional Cleaner
Expert Interview. 15 April 2019.}
3
Charge it after every use. If you wait too long to recharge the Roomba’s battery, it can damage the battery. When the Roomba is fully charged, the light on the top of it will turn solid green.
- You can either place the Roomba in the Home Base, or press “Dock,” and the Roomba will return to its home base on its own.
4
Store your Roomba on the charger. The longer you store your Roomba on the charger, the stronger the batteries will become. Simply press the "Dock" button on top of your Roomba on your remote control to return the Roomba to the Home Base charger.^{[12]
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- If you need to store your Roomba off of the charger, take the batteries out and store everything in a cool, dark place.
5
Replace the filter every two months. If the filter is too clogged or too old, the Roomba won’t pick up debris anymore. Changing it every two months ensures it always works well.^{[13]
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Expert Q&A

Question

Can I use a vacuum to clean upholstery and carpets?

Ashley Matuska
Professional Cleaner
Ashley Matuska is a Professional Cleaner at the Founder and Owner of Dashing Maids in Denver, Colorado. Ashley has over seven years of experience in the cleaning industry. She and her team specialize in offering sustainable deep cleaning and maintenance cleaning services.

Ashley Matuska

Professional Cleaner

Expert Answer

Vacuums come with a plethora of attachments. So you can use them for cleaning a variety of things, including upholstery and carpets.
Question

Why is it better to use a bagged vacuum cleaner?

Ashley Matuska
Professional Cleaner
Ashley Matuska is a Professional Cleaner at the Founder and Owner of Dashing Maids in Denver, Colorado. Ashley has over seven years of experience in the cleaning industry. She and her team specialize in offering sustainable deep cleaning and maintenance cleaning services.

Ashley Matuska

Professional Cleaner

Expert Answer

It is more convenient to use a bagged vacuum cleaner. You can trap more dust with it and efficiently dispose of the trash.
Question

What happens when Roomba bumps into an object?

Community Answer

If solid, the Roomba will go in a different direction. If it's too lightweight, it will get knocked over.