How to Get Roomba to Go On a Rug [Solved]

Roomba is a must-have cleaning assistant these days. The robot vacuum offers practical ways to keep your home clean with a few taps on the phone. And while this provides you with a whole new level of freedom, things can prove tough for these automated vacs if there are rugs around your home. Now we will discuss how to get roomba to go on a rug.

It’s not unusual for Roomba to avoid rugs, especially dull-colored ones and if you’re facing this challenge, here’s what you need to know about it.

Why Won’t Roomba Run on Rug?

Robot vacuum cleaners come with several sensors. And while these are meant to enhance safety and performance, they can often be overzealous and end up generating false alerts.

For instance, a dull-colored rug may pass for a huge empty hole to the cliff sensors that are usually located on the bottom side of each Roomba.

Besides that, most Roombas are designed with extremely low ground clearance. Why so? Because a low ground clearance means better contact with the surface that needs to be cleaned.

Unfortunately, this can also make it difficult for the vacuum to transition from the floor to the rug due to height issues (more on that later).

So, what can you do to minimize such issues? Or better still, how can you get Roomba to go on your rug? Here are some tips.

How to Get Roomba to Go On a Rug

Disable the Cliff Sensors

The cliff sensors are most likely the culprits if you own a dark-colored rug that your Roomba has been avoiding. It could also be that the sensors are clogged up with dirt, and they end up detecting cliffs that don’t exist.

Solution:

Wipe the sensors with a clean cotton cloth and check if the issue goes away. If not, you might want to disable the sensors and see if things get better.

For example, you can cover them neatly with white pieces of paper and sellotape. This way, you can confirm if they are the issue – and if they are, you can always get assistance on the matter from iRobot tech support.

It Might Be Due to a Dirty Wheel Cavity

If you’ve completely ruled out the possibility of overzealous sensors being the problem, you might want to shift your focus to the wheels.

As your Roomba moves around your house, it will certainly gather all kinds of debris around the wheels. We’re talking about hair, cloth fiber, and so forth – all of which can interfere with the free movement of the wheels.

Solution:

Gently turn the wheels by hand to check if they’re turning freely. Also, be sure to confirm that each wheel exhibits the same amount of resistance as you turn it. If not, chances are that there’s some dirt on the axle or the wheel’s housing.

The front caster wheel is particularly susceptible to debris. So, it’s always advisable to check it first before proceeding to the other wheels.

Consider Changing Your Rug

This might not be the sexiest tip of all, but it sure can solve the issue of Roomba not going on your rug. You see, this cleaner isn’t meant to climb high pile rugs or any rugs exceeding 5/8-inch in height.

So, if your rug is extra-thick, you might want to consider finding a replacement so Roomba can easily complete its cleaning cycles around your house.

The same rule applies if your rug is of a dull color. Replacing it with a brighter one might help address any false signals being generated by your vac’s cliff sensors.

People also like: The 5 Best Vacuums for Oriental Rugs

Time for an Upgrade?

If your Roomba has seen better days, it might be time to upgrade to a newer one. Newer robot vacuum cleaners also boast superior navigational abilities thanks to the fact that different manufacturers are constantly introducing new features and innovations.

For instance, the S9+ from iRobot comes with 3D sensors that can scan the surroundings 25 times a second, making it notably superior at navigating tricky surfaces.

Indeed, advanced scanners and enhanced mapping algorithms can help your robot vacuum cleaner differentiate your area rug from other obstacles around your house.

Final Thoughts

As much as they are well-made, Roomba vac cleaners can have their oops moments. Your good old rug might pass for some obstacle or cliff them, prompting them to avoid it altogether.

Luckily, at times, all it takes to resolve the problem are simple hacks such as the ones we’ve discussed above.