A good robot vacuum is no doubt the first step to enjoying neat, comfortable, and bacteria-free floors. Eufy 11s and Roomba 675 are some of the bestselling picks in the category you can consider. But regardless of the brand, you must be very keen when you decide how often to run robot vacuum around your house. Why so?
Robot vacuums are designed in a way you can program them to operate on their own without human supervision. But every floor has its own cleaning requirements. So, the answer on how often you should run the little helpers will also vary from one user to another.
Why How Often You Run Robot Vacuum Matters!
Indeed, the cleaning schedule you create for your robot vacuum matters a lot. You can adjust it from time to time, for sure. But as long there is one, it becomes much easier to:
- Make sure all your floors are always neat since you’ll be using a systematic cleaning approach- based on the dirtiness of your home
- Save time as you can program the robot to clean at a specific time while you do other things
- Avoid interruptions, either from the noise level or bumping into things/ people, as you can have the robot vacuum clean after leaving the house
Last but not least, a nice schedule on when to run your robot vacuum will also make sure you’re using it sparingly. The chance of stressing out the motor will be minimal, and your investment will get to serve you longer.
Factors That Determine How Often to Run Robot Vacuum
As was mentioned, how often you run robot vacuum varies from one floor to another. We have at least ten factors that will determine the frequency you should choose, including:
- Type of the Robot Vacuum Owned
True, the type of robot vacuum you have does determine how often you should run it. For instance, a brand with powerful suction can efficiently pick up dust on hard floors and carpets. And that means it will take fewer cleaning frequencies to retain a sparkle.
Also, a robot with a premium build and heavy-duty components can withstand longer cleaning times than the cheaply-made selections.
- The Size of the House
The size of your house defines the area of the floors your robot vacuum will be sweeping. A place with many rooms and long corridors will take much longer to do a single cleaning than where there’s only a small studio apartment.
And even as a machine, your robot vacuum still shouldn’t be overworked. If overworked (like by running on the large floors multiple times a day), you’re just killing its key components and intended lifetime.
- The Number of Furry Friends Present
How many pets do you have in the house? The more you have and the furrier they are, the dirtier your floors will always be. The dirt in this case includes actual “dirt” and debris carried on the paws from the outside, plus the broken hair/ dander.
If you have the right robot vacuum for hard floors and carpets, it should be able to pick up all mess from the pets well. But you’ll need to clean more often than when without pet/s.
- Number of the Family Members
The size of your family also determines how often you should run a robot vacuum. If living by yourself, you’ll make less of a mess than five people. And less mess means you can run your little helper less frequently.
- The Age of the Kids in the Family
If you have small kids, your floors will also be messier than a house with only grownups. The mess here includes the mud and dirt they drag from the outside, plus the crumbs of food that they spill all over while eating or playing. Thus, will need to run your robot vacuum more frequently to have the floors sparkling.
- Location/ Environment of your Home
The location of your home is another factor you should consider when deciding how often to run a robot vacuum. Most of the dust and dirt in your house comes from outside. Thus, cities (filled with pollution) and rural areas (filled with farm mess) will require more frequent vacuuming than in the suburbs.
- Does Your Family Drive or Walk?
Well, some may not believe this one matters. But it does and to a great extent. You’ll drag in a whole lot more dirt on your floors if you walk more often than when you drive. And that will require you to run the robot vacuum many times too.
- The Season of the Year
Indeed, the temperatures and weather outside do affect the dust levels in your home. The floors will be dustier during the summer and the fall season than in the winter. Thus, you’ll need to run your robot vacuum more often.
If you have pets, their shedding season (mostly in spring and the fall) will also cover your floors with more fur and dander. You’ll need frequent vacuuming during this period as well.
- Health Considerations
Are you or any of your family member asthmatic? If yes or have any other respiratory condition, your floors will need to be always clean for easier breathing. The same applies to dust allergies, whereby you’ll need to run your robot more frequently to avoid symptoms like sneezing or itchy eyes.
- Position of the Floors that Need Cleaning
Last but not least, the position of the floors you need to clean also does determine how often to run the robot vacuum. For instance, some people clean the main areas (downstairs) more times than the bedrooms (upstairs). After all, most of us only step foot on the bedroom floors only in the morning and evening.
A Sample Schedule on How Often to Run Robot Vacuum
Once you’ve put together the factors above, it will become quite easy to come up with a proper cleaning schedule. Here’s a quick guideline that might help you make a better decision:
- When to Run Robot Vacuum Twice/ Day
You might want to run your robot vacuum two times a day if sharing the roof with a couple of long hair pets. Yes, yes the schedule is a bit of an overkill and will be stressing out the machine. But it might be the only viable solution, especially when the little guys are shedding off their outer coats.
Once both cleaning cycles no longer fill the bin of your robot vacuum, it means your floors have gotten cleaner. Thus, you can readjust your routine to a lower frequency.
- When to Run Robot Vacuum Once/ Day
A lot of people often run their robot vacuum daily, but not in all cases it will be necessary. The frequency is perfect for a home with up to three furry pets (preferably when not shedding) and a family with children.
You’ll also need to run your vacuum daily too if your home is in a dusty area: say in a rural area or across a busy street in the city. It’s also the best routine if you or any other person in your family have respiratory conditions/ dust allergies.
- When to Run Robot Vacuum on Business Days
In this routine, the idea is to set your robot to clean only during the five office days (Monday through Friday). It’s perfect if you have a medium family (say three adults), a dog, and maybe a cat.
The schedule could also work in any location. But, in my opinion, it’s best if you live in a clean neighborhood such as the suburbs.
Furthermore, running your robot vacuum on business days is also great if you’d like to enjoy your weekend without interruptions. But come Monday, expect a scary mess on the floors and be ready to empty the bin on the same day.
- When to Run Robot Vacuum Once After a Day
Simply, this routine is where you schedule your robot vacuum to run one day, then skip the next. You’ll only get a total of four days to clean, including one weekend.
So, the schedule might not be perfect for a large family, a home with small children, and or where you have a hairy dog. It’ll work best in a house of about 1-2 people and maybe in a company of one cat or a toy dog.
- When to Run Robot Vacuum Once Every Two Days
Unfortunately, this plan will also not work in a large family or a home with small children and a hairy dog. It only gives like three days to clean per week, thereby not the most ideal in a house with a toy dog either.
Instead, you’ll find the routine effective in a family of 1-2 adults and live in the suburbs. Indoor cats usually shed hair less from the controlled temperature and artificial lighting in the house. Thus, one (indoor cat) can also fit into the schedule, albeit not all the time.
- When to Run Robot Vacuum Once/ Week
A weekly cleaning routine could also work in a suburban home since the dirt and dust from the outside will be relatively less. It might work best when you also have no pets, work from home, and hardly have any visitors during the week.
But in my opinion, at least two cleaning sessions with your robot vacuum will be better than one.
Make Sure You Prepare Ahead
While it might not be everything, this should help you come up with the right schedule to run your robot vacuum. Various brands of robots in the market right now support WiFi connectivity and the option to set programs at different times of the day. So, it’s not entirely impossible to come up with the right routine for your home.
Regardless of the preferred routine, though, do prepare your rooms for cleaning beforehand to ensure the best results. Remove any obstacles, including the shoes, cables, toys, and clothing, that may hind the movements of the robot.