Having a robot to assist you with your chores has its many benefits. Unfortunately, there may come a time when you will be faced with animal poop. Now, it sounds cheezy to imagine your Roomba gone head to head against poops?
Well, if it has, then this article is just for you.
While it might look lost, these step-by-step cleaning processes will get your Roomba back to prime condition. No one will even notice what is wrong except for you and the perpetrator, of course.
What do you do when your Roomba runs over poop? - Step-By-Step Guide
Before you do anything, here is a list of supplies you should get:
- Gloves
- Rubbing alcohol
- Philips head screwdriver
- Flathead screwdriver
- A Pick
- Brushes
- An old toothbrush or sandpaper
- New batteries
- An old cloth or rag you wouldn't mind disposing of.
Robots are amazing and make things easier. However, they often get confused when faced with new problems. When your Roomba comes across poop on the porch, for example, it thinks of it as dirt and will try to clean. In this case, however, poop is one mountain too big to conquer, so it may end up smearing it across the floor. Try not to be mad; it's only trying to do its job. You can't also throw your expensive robot away because it's filthy.
Instead, you clean it. With the supplies listed above, there's no need to take it anywhere and spend a bunch of money to get it fixed. You can clean it in the house and have it working in no time. You should note that some components may need to be replaced. For example, the brush takes the hardest hits and can be near impossible to clean most times. While you can choose to clean it, you can also have it replaced, especially if it's beginning to wear out.
Step 1 - Clean what you can on the outside
This is the first thing you should do. Take your robot outside and clean off as much poop as you can. To do this, you should use an old cloth or a rag you don't mind disposing of. With your rubber gloves on and the rag, gently scrub until you're sure you've got most of it.
For the outside of the robot, you can use a damp rag. Remove the back cover from your Roomba and the side brushes. This makes cleaning a lot easier. You should also remove the battery to avoid any shortage of circuits. Remove the front wheel and dust bin. In your dust bin, there is a filter; you should also remove that and clean it with running water.
Note that before reinstalling your filter, ensure it is completely dry.
Step 2 - Remove the Battery
To remove the battery, you'll need to flip your robot vacuum over and unscrew the brush. You will see four other screws that secure the bottom in place; unscrew them also. Once removed, your bottom plate should come off quite easily. If it's stuck, you can use a flathead screwdriver and lift it off.
Additional protection holds the battery in place; look for two tabs and push them together; this will disengage the frame, so you lift it and remove the battery.
Step 3 - Cleaning the Wheel
Cleaning the wheels is probably the most challenging part because they take up so much time. To clean the wheels, you will need to repeat the cleaning process repeatedly using cotton swabs. You will need to clean in between the grooves of the wheel until it is spotless.
Another challenge will be cleaning the wheel housing. It's hollow and enables the wheels to move up and down, which is important. The best way to tackle this is by using damp cotton swabs.
Step 4 - Cleaning the Suction Cup
The suction cup is the next area you should clean. Due to how tight the space can be, cleaning this area can be tricky and time-consuming. However, a damp rag should do the trick.
Step 5 - Cleaning the sensors
It would help if you cleaned the cliff sensors and the other four sensors on the robot. You can do this with a cotton swab. By removing the vacuum pumper in some models, you can create more room to clean those tight areas.
Final Note
Once you're done cleaning your robot, let it dry for about 12 hours before putting in the battery.
Does Roomba have poop detection?
When the problem of poop detection was brought to the attention of iRobot, the creators of Roomba, their spokesperson, said that they were aware of the situation. And because they don't have a poop detection system yet, they recommend that Roomba users need to avoid scheduling their vacuum to work when their pets are prone to making a mess.
So for the main time, Roomba doesn't have a poop detection system but maybe in the future. Roomba engineers are working to help its users with their problems, and hopefully, there will soon be a solution for this.
What does a Roomba do with the dog poop?
Roomba was created with the sole purpose of making our homes cleaner. So when Roomba is out and about cleaning and comes across poop, its first instinct is to clean it. Let's face it; your Roomba is innocent here; it thinks it's cleaning.
Unfortunately, when it runs over your pet's poop, bits and pieces stick to the wheels, the brushes and Roomba continue cleaning. So what you see is a trail of poop around the cleaning area. As it moves on, poop on its brush sticks to the floor, and that isn't something you want to wake up to.
Just like you, many users assumed that this would never happen to them. But animals are unpredictable, so to avoid this disaster, you should schedule your Roomba to clean when your pet is least likely to drop a payload on the floor or in the path of your robot vacuum cleaner.
Do iRobot Roomba vacuums have a dog poop warranty?
No, it does not. Runover Dog or Cat Poop aren't covered under your warranty. But you can always reach out to iRobot for support on what to do. No one can say for sure what that call would do but what matters is that your call gets registered. The more calls they get relating to that issue, the higher the chances of finding a solution.
However, most Roomba vacuums that suffered this poop fate can be cleaned, and they work just fine if cleaned right, so there isn't any need for it to get replaced.
Benefits of Roomba vacuums
Easy to use
The comfort these robot vacuum cleaners provide is one of the reasons why they have become so popular. Once it learns the space around it, all you need to do is type in a timing schedule, and the robot runs itself with little or no assistance.
By simply placing it on the floor, you can have your whole house cleaned while you sleep. As these products evolve and their technology advances, they become more reliable. Meaningless human effort is needed.Highly efficient
Roomba is highly efficient at performing several tasks. It not only cleans, but it also learns the layout of the space, disposes of refuse, and can find its way back to their charging station without human intervention.
Some models are so advanced that they automatically switch cleaning modes between carpets and bare floors. Other features include being able to control your vacuum with your smartphone app. Every aspect of the device has been designed to deliver a complete cleaning experience, from its shape to how it moves and how the brushes rotate.
Saves Time
These days, life passes by so quickly we begin to wonder if 24 hours is enough for a day. Multi-tasking has become the norm as we are expected to achieve more with limited time. Having a robot do the cleaning while you focus on other things is a welcome development for many. You can turn it on and let it handles the rest. This saves you time as you no longer have to clean the home manually.
With more time on your hands, you can rest, make more money or do whatever you please. Either way, you wouldn't have to worry about the dirt in the house.
Wrap-Up
There are a lot of benefits that come with owning a pet and Roomba. Many will agree that Roomba does a great job cleaning up animal fur and keeping the home spotless. But sometimes, animals change patterns, and that could mean pooping on the floor in the house.
If you have a Roomba and spot this, you should clean it before the Roomba gets its chance. Otherwise, you will have more cleaning to do than you initially anticipated.