Robotic vacuum cleaners are equipped with sensors that help them avoid objects, and many advanced models can also assess whether there is free space under furniture. But these features don’t always work as planned, and homes can have many different types of furniture at different heights. So sometimes slaves get stuck.
If this problem starts to happen regularly in your home, it’s time to take action and make your robot vacuum cleaner useful again. These steps should help you identify and fix the problem.
How to prevent a robotic vacuum cleaner from getting stuck under furniture
These steps should work with a variety of slave models, but some may require more advanced technology. Be prepared to check your application and review your options to figure out which steps are easiest for you.
Step 1: Keep the lights on.
This may sound like a strange first step, but many robot vacuum sensors work best in well-lit conditions. This is especially true when moving around shady furniture in the living room or dining room. Schedule your slave to clean during the lighter hours of the day, keep the lights on when they clean, and see if your situation improves.
iRobot
Step 2: Clean up larger debris.
Sometimes the vacuum cleaner gets stuck not because of the furniture, but because of lost items under the couch and sideboard. If it’s been a while, move your furniture around and look for toys, shoes, books, and any other large objects that might be preventing your robot vacuum from working underneath it.
Step 3: Use border markers.
Some robot vacuums come with boundary strips that you can place on staircases, in front of the kitchen, and other places you don’t want your slave to go. Use these boundary markers around furniture where your model gets stuck, so they know how to avoid it. Place the strips slightly inside the furniture area so they are not easily visible and you should be good to go.
Step 4: Use the features of the Robovac app to set up restricted zones.
If your slave does not use boundary markers, a solution may be available in the appropriate application. Enter your application and look for the option to set zones that your vacuum cleaner will avoid. Roombas, for example, have the option of setting up Keep Out zones in your rooms. Roomba will naturally avoid areas if its overhead sensors aren’t working. Set these zones once and your problem is solved for the future. We have a full guide that explains how to do it!
Step 5: Use furniture risers.
This solution only works in some cases. If your slave’s sensors are in the wrong place for the height of your furniture, it could get stuck under the edge. In this case, just a fraction of an inch in height could solve the problem. This means that you can use the furniture lifters on the legs of your furniture to raise it a bit. Of course, this also changes the feeling of sitting in the furniture and may not be usable for all types of furniture, so plan carefully.
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Step 6: Block your furniture.
There are many ways to block the space under furniture, but it is difficult to do it in a safe, aesthetic way. Basic wood blocks or planks can work, and you can even spray paint them black so they aren’t easily seen. Others suggest cutting pool noodles to size and placing them under the furniture. In any case, this is a more drastic option that is best saved if nothing else works.
How do I stop my Roomba from going under the couch?
Couches and sofas tend to sit lower than most furniture, so they’re a common source of trouble when Roombas and other models get stuck. In this case, furniture blockers can be a particularly effective option, as they are easy to hide under your couch and are effective at keeping robot vacuum cleaners at bay. If your couch is particularly large, check your iRobot app to see if you can set up no-go or no-go zones. Roombas tend to have some of the best app features, so it should be possible to set up this high-tech solution.
What about Shark Ion robot vacuums?
Fortunately, the SharkClean app also includes options to map zones and place walls where you want the vacuum cleaner to avoid cleaning. This may not work if you have an older Shark slave, but is a great solution for newer models.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn