Why Does My Robot Vacuum Keep Getting Stuck Under Furniture?
If you always experience this, you know how irritating it can be.
Instead of convenience, this can spell more work for you trying to fetch your small vacuum from under the couch or cabinet.
So to prevent this hassle and to maximize hands-free cleaning, keep these in mind.
Having difficulty with the flooring
There are several circumstances when your robot vacuum might find it difficult to course through different types of flooring.
Robots can still find it difficult to traverse even hardwood floors. Sometimes, slippery hardwood floors can be too much for some units. This can cause the robot to stop, stumble, and get stuck.
The wheels can spin a lot without the unit moving at all. And if this happens when your robot is midway through cleaning the area under the couch, do not expect that it will be able to get out by itself.
Sometimes, specs of dust and dirt can get trapped in the wheels and this can cause the robot to swirl around with no direction in sight. Thus, getting stuck under your furniture.
Transitioning from hardwood to carpets
The difference in the height and the texture of different types of flooring can be challenging for some robot vacuums. It can be even harder in high pile carpets or uneven ties. And once they get stuck white still under your coffee table, it will stay there.
The fabric and fringes of these thicker rugs and carpets can get tangled in the wheels and brushes of some robot vacuums.
Difficult furniture designs
Sometimes, the design of your furniture is not compatible with the dimensions of your robot vacuum.
Often, robot vacuums get stuck under furniture that has quite a low clearance, especially if the size of the robot and the gap between the floor and the edge of the furniture is a bit narrow.
The robot can get wedged between the floor and the edge of your couch. Different designs of your furniture can get in the way. For instance, the crossbars, leg supports and other structural components can knock against the robot’s movements, causing them to get stuck eventually.
Turned off all of a sudden
If your robot vacuum cannot detect obstacles well, it can get wired up trying to find a path to get past those toys and litter. And they may shut down while trying to navigate through a smoother path.
And if they’re low on battery and they die while they are cleaning the area under your furniture, then they will never return to the charging dock.
How to prevent these
One of the reasons your robot vacuums in the first place is convenience. You bought one so that you can keep a clean house without much human intervention.
So when your robot often gets stuck everywhere, it can be very disappointing. Then you feel that it can be a total waste of money.
Buying a quality robot vacuum in the first place can help you avoid these hassles. There are also instances where you have to do something on your end.
Adjusting your furniture
If the size and dimensions of your robot vacuum are almost the same as the distance between the ground and the edge of your furniture, getting stuck can happen anytime soon.
And if you have a couch or cabinets with uneven legs, your robot vacuum is bound to get stuck under there.
What you can do is create a pathway or physical barriers that can prevent your robot vacuums from getting under these areas. You can get more reliable units that have more efficient mapping and navigation systems that can help you program the areas that your robot must stay away from. You can sway them away from these forbidden areas.
For uneven legs, you can use shims or levelers to raise the shorter foot. You also can opt to get new adjustable feet.
Get rid of bigger clutter
Some robot vacuums have features that allow them to avoid obstacles. There are a handful of robot vacuums that have a lot of identified obstacles. Otherwise, you can manually remove litter, toys, and other trash from the space under the furniture.
Make sure that the sensors are clean
Robots with obstacle avoidance use sensors to identify these items, thus avoiding them. But if these sensors become too dirty, it may hamper the robot’s ability.
Thus, for the maintenance, make sure that the sensors are clean and free from dust and dirt. This will help you maximize this amazing feature. After all, it’s one of the reasons you chose a particular brand or model.
Convenient but still needs some attention.
While robot vacuums are all for convenience and almost no human intervention, this can be otherwise.
From proper maintenance and keeping in mind the limitations of the robot that you bought, there still needs to be some human intervention, at least for the first part.
And oh, buying a suitable and quality model and brand can keep these limitations at bay.
