Keeping your rugs and carpets in top condition while still enjoying the convenience of a robotic vacuum cleaner can be a tricky task.
But with the right approach, you can have your Roomba clean your home without causing any damage to your rugs and carpets.
In this article, we’ll show you how to effectively keep Roomba off your delicate rugs, without compromising on the cleaning power of your robotic vacuum.
How to keep Roomba off Rug
You can effectively keep your Roomba vacuum off rugs and carpets by placing virtual walls around the perimeter of your rug or carpet or using furniture or tape to create physical barriers. You can also use the spot cleaning feature or if you have a newer Roomba model, use virtual boundaries to set areas that the Roomba should avoid.
Let’s look at these methods in detail.
Method 1: Use Virtual Walls
Some Roombas come with a device called a virtual wall specifically designed. For Roombas that come without it, you can purchase one such as this Lighthouse Virtual Wall Barrier that is sold separately. Make sure it’s compatible with your Roomba model before placing your order.
The device creates an invisible barrier using infrared signals that Roomba cannot cross since it’s programmed to recognize and avoid them.
You can place the virtual wall around the perimeter of your rug or carpet, and Roomba will not be able to enter that area. You can use it to prevent your Roomba from falling down the stairs by placing the virtual wall near the stairway.
Method 2: Create Physical Barriers
Another option is to create physical barriers around your rug or carpet.
You can use furniture, such as a couch or coffee table to block Roomba from going into the area rug.
Alternatively, you can use tape or other adhesive materials to create a barrier on the floor. You can use double-sided carpet tape, blue painter’s tape, magnetic tape, or velcro strips.
Method 3: Use the Roomba’s Spot Cleaning Feature
Roomba also has a spot-cleaning feature, which allows you to direct the robot to a specific area for a more thorough cleaning.
You can use this feature to clean the area around your rug without having to worry about your Roomba cleaning the carpet.
When you activate it, the Roomba cleans only the designated area while avoiding the rug. Once done, the Roomba returns to its home base while entering the area rug.
However, not all Roomba models have this feature so make sure you check your model first to confirm if it has it. If not, consider using physical barriers or virtual wall methods.
Method 4: Use the Roomba’s Scheduling Feature
Roomba has a scheduling feature that allows you to set specific times for it to clean your home.
With this feature, you can plan the cleaning schedule around your availability and habits. This means that you can schedule it to clean at a time when you know you will not be using your rug or carpet.
Method 5: Use Virtual Boundaries
If you have a newer Roomba model like j7+, it may have the option to set virtual boundaries.
This feature is built into the Roomba and creates an invisible barrier using the robot’s mapping technology. This allows you to create a map of your home and set areas where the Roomba should not go.
It is can be a good option if you have multiple rugs or carpets to protect since you can easily control it using the Roomba app that you download on your smartphone.
Which Roomba has keep-out zones?
Roomba keep-out zones are areas that you can define in the Roomba app or through voice commands (if your Roomba is compatible with a smart home assistant) where the Roomba should not enter.
These areas can include rooms, specific sections of a room, or even individual objects like rugs, carpets, or furniture.
Once set, the Roomba will avoid these areas while cleaning, ensuring that it doesn’t accidentally knock over fragile objects or get stuck in a tight space.
If you are wondering which Roomba’s have keep-out zones, consider these models Roomba i7+, Roomba s9+, Roomba i6+, Roomba i3+, Roomba e5, Roomba 900 series, Roomba 800 series.
Some Roomba models that don’t have the keep-out zones include Roomba 600 series, and Roomba 700.
It’s worth noting that features may vary from model to model so it’s best to check the specific model you’re interested in to confirm if it has this feature.
Conclusion
To conclude, we have seen that are several ways to keep your Roomba off a rug including using the virtual barrier device, creating physical barriers, using the scheduling features, and setting the spot cleaning feature.
It’s also worth noting that some Roomba models have advanced sensors that can detect carpets and automatically adjust the cleaning settings for them, but not all models have that feature.
Newer models also have additional features like keep-out zones and virtual boundaries that help to map out your home for a better cleaning experience.
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