Automatic house cleaning and no more pushing a vacuum around the house? A robot? There must be a catch. Some users talk about the noise level of the Roomba being a weakness. But exactly how loud is a Roomba?
You may have found this article while searching for the answer to this question. We respect that you want to know all the ways allowing a robot into your home will impact your daily life. Vacuums have long been the mortal enemy of cats, dogs, babies, and an overall peaceful household. The iRobot Roombas take most of the bad blood away, search YouTube for videos of cats riding Roombas, but they still make noise.
How does the noise created by a Roomba robot vacuum compare to a regular vacuum, and how will run one of these sleek robots around the house impact your daily life? We did some research to find out.
How Loud Is a Roomba, By the Numbers
To measure the volume of sound experts use a measurement called decibels (dB). The higher the dB rating of a sound or a machine, the louder it is. You may have seen a dB reader while at a sporting event. It is the brightly colored bar that pulses up and down as the announcer pushes the crowd to cheer louder and louder. This same instrument is what detects the volume level of your Roomba.
To give you a baseline of dB levels a level 10 dB rating is the sound of leaves rustling, 60 is the range of a normal conversation, and 80 is the sound of a noisy restaurant. When you get to 90 dB and above, you are now in the range of loud. Above 90 you start to get into the sound of a lawnmower, sporting events, sirens, planes, and at the very top, with a 180dB rating, is a rocket launch.
Fortunately, your new Roomba vacuum will not have a noise rating of anywhere near a rocket launch.
The iRobot Roomba vacuums top out at an impressively low 70db. To put that number in perspective, the loudest a Roomba will get is slightly louder than an average conversation. At their very loudest, they can be as loud as your average washing machine.
The 70dB level isn’t ideal for creating a noise-free house when putting the baby down to sleep or trying to meditate while the bot cleans the floors. However, Roomba vacuums are still quieter than your average upright models. Shockingly, top models like Dyson can get as loud as 90dB. When next to that kind of noise, 70dB is terrific.
Here you can see and hear Roomba working :
Not All Roomba Models are Equal
We have discussed that the loudest a Roomba will get is about 70dB, but not every Roomba will reach that threshold. The total range of the various Roomba models with go from 60 to 70dB with some variations being louder than others.
Models like the 880 will max out at around 65 decibels, while the powerhouse model 980 will sit up at the higher 70dB mark. The difference between the sound levels is the included features of the device and suction power.
Larger models, like the 980, have more suction power, larger brushes, and slightly larger. These features all translate into the need for more powerful motors to move the bot around and provide the effective cleaning you dreamed about when you started looking at a robot vacuum.
While the difference between the models in noise doesn’t seem that great, you will notice a distinct difference between 60 and 70dB in the confined spaces of your home. You will also see a difference in the vacuum noise while operating on hard versus carpeted surfaces. The hard surfaces will be louder.
If your goal is to get the quietest Roomba you can, then I would recommend going with the slightly smaller models. These smaller models will still give you fantastic cleaning power in a compact robot that you will only have to touch to empty the dustbin and untangle the occasional hair or wire.
A Few More Features to Consider
If you are still on the fence and worried about the noise of a Roomba vacuum, there are a few other useful features that make owning an iRobot Roomba more useful.
WIFI Connectivity
Models like the Roomba 690, Roomba 890, and Roomba 960 can connect to your in-home WIFI network and sync with the iRobot HOME app. This feature allows you to precisely schedule when you want your robot to clean. You can set it to run when you are out of the house, and make sure it never runs during nap time.
The app will also give you real-time cleaning updates and help you see the trouble areas where your robot may get stuck behind furniture or encounter other cleaning issues. All-together, the WIFI connectivity and app allow you a more efficient clean.
3-Stage Cleaning and Intelligent Navigation
iRobot has designed their latest Roomba models with a 3-stage cleaning process that use dual multi-surface brushes, edge sweeping brushes, and vacuum suction to break-up and remove debris and hair from both hard floor and carpet surfaces.
An advanced array of sensors seek out area with high concentrations of dirt while simultaneously avoiding obstacles in your home. These sensors make the bot more effective at providing a whole-house clean while minimizing how often you have to free the vacuum from a furniture trap.
The Final Word in Noise
Well, in comparison with your average vacuum, it is quieter. When compared with other sounds around your house, you will likely be able to drown out the noise of a Roomba on a carpeted floor with some light music, or even an excited conversation. All machines have their quirks, but the sound is not a weakness of the iRobot Roomba.