Brushes and brooms have their place in cleaning work, but nothing can beat awesome vacuum suction power for picking up hair, dust, dirt, and crumbs. Manufacturers make a wide variety of vacuums. Some will have sufficient suction to pick up a bowling ball, while others are closer to a glorified electric broom.
The primary reason why people purchase vacuum cleaners is for picking up dirt and hair. The vacuum cleaners shouldn’t only pick up the dirt that you can easily see on your floors, but also the stuff beneath your rugs and carpets that causes damage when it’s ground in by your steps. The robot cleaner should also easily clean the areas in the corners of your rooms. Moreover, the vacuum cleaner should help you do all this without being heavier or even making the vacuuming a chore.
1) How to Pick a Good Vacuum Cleaner
Whenever you’re purchasing a vacuum cleaner, you should keep in mind the type of cleaning you need to do, the size of your rooms, its portability, and the required maintenance. There are some models that will require you to move them to the storage area or charger, while others can make their way to those places on their own. Some tips to remember when picking an iRobot Roomba include:
- Look for a model that is going to work well with your dirt type and load.
- Different models are available that are optimized for a certain surface, although most Roombas can work suitably on both.
- Conventional cleaning heads are essential when vacuuming carpets. But, if you need an iRobot Roomba for picking up pet hair, you should consider the models with turbo brushes or those featuring a power head. Such a cleaner will provide a more thorough clean where you need it most.
- Leaving the performance/suction aside, you shouldn’t go past a vacuum cleaner that is light, quiet, and that can easily maneuver over your carpets and hard surfaces.
- Choose a Roomba that will fit well into your storage space, since you won’t be using it 24/7.
2) Keep your Roomba running in tip-top shape
The iRobot Roomba will clean well, but it will never clean itself. It’s your job to keep it running at peak performance. To keep your Roomba running in tip-top shape you should follow these tips:
- Clean it after a few vacuuming cycles. This will prevent debris such as dirt, dust, fur, and hair from taking a toll on the robot cleaner. In addition to performing less efficiently, too much buildup will also put harmful strain on the robot’s battery.
- Clear out the dust after each cleaning session. This involves emptying the bin and removing the filters. Filters should be changed every 2 – 3 months, depending on the amount of dirt in your home. An easy way of cleaning filters is to tap them into the trash, then use water to rinse them.
- At least once a week, you should remove the brushes and the bearings and use a comb or a provided cleaning tool to remove the fur and hair which might be slowing down the Roomba’s motor. Remember to remove the debris from bearings and the front wheels.
- Once a month, detox the Roomba with an in-depth cleaning. To do this you will need a screwdriver. Remove screws which secure spiral brushes and clean out all the debris caught underneath.
3) Tips to help it clean your home more effectively
To ensure that your Roomba is doing its best in your home, you might want to purchase some accessories. These accessories include virtue walls and batteries. Virtue walls can be used to block off certain areas of the house to prevent the Roomba from going where you don’t want it. The robot cleaner comes with a single virtue wall, but there are people who feel that several virtue walls make the cleaning easier, since they will keep up the robot in place and they won’t need to move them from one room to the other.
A powerful replacement battery will also keep the Roomba running after the stock battery has lost its strength. The batteries that iRobot supplies are ideal, but even aftermarket batteries are available for some models.
4) Tips to improve your roomba’s performance
iRobot’s recommendation is that you should change the filters of your Roomba at least once after 2 – 3 months for optimal performance. In addition to maintaining an ideal performance, changing filters will reduce dust, pollen, and any other allergens in your living space. You can purchase replacement filters as singles or in packs of three, depending on your needs.
You can also purchase them is comprehensive replenishment kits designed purposely for maintaining iRobot Roombas. The replenishment kits contain three filters and one of every type of vacuum brush. iRobot also includes a brush cleaning tool. The larger kits contain more than one of each replacement brush and six filters. The kits offer the best value for most people.
Side brushes are replaced more often than the larger brushes. As a result, the manufacturer also sells brushes in packs of three. Using the brush cleaning tool properly will help maintain the brushes in a better working condition for a longer period.
But whenever you’re purchasing an iRobot supply, you should ensure that you are purchasing an accessory that is compatible with the model you own. There are several iRobot Roomba models and their supplies aren’t universal.
5) Important Tips Before Buying
The modern vacuum cleaners come in several designs, in sleek shapes and cool colors. But what should matter most is how well it will clean your home. You should remember that you may like a vacuum cleaner due to its unique features, but you should ensure that it will fit your cleaning needs well.
Deciding on an iRobot Roomba versus a different type of vacuum is a personal choice about your cleaning habits. Even if you get a Roomba, it’s a good idea to keep a manual vacuum in your home as well, to clean up the places that the iRobot Roomba can’t get to, and to do a more thorough cleaning of your home when it needs it.
Watch for sale offers. With offers you can get up to 30 percent discounts on a vacuum cleaner – this is more likely during the holiday seasons. But for the mass market brands you shouldn’t wait until holidays or Black Friday. Check circulars on stores or even sign up on the retailer’s or manufacturer’s email lists to get coupons of the upcoming promotions.
