Have you wanted a robot vacuum for a while, but you live in a split-level or in a house with a lot of stairs. No worries, we’ll answer all your questions about how likely your Roomba is to fall down the stairs.
Most of the latest Roombas are equipped with cliff detectors that prevent them from falling down the stairs or going over ledges.
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Cliff Sensors Work To Keep Roombas From Falling Down The Stairs
iRobot uses AI software called AWARE that controls their many cameras and sensors that help to guide your Roomba. Those same sensors are how your robot vacuum knows which path to take and how it avoids smashing into the cat or a chair leg.
The cliff sensors on your Roomba are located under and around the bottom of the robot vacuum. They use infrared to determine a safe route around your floor and your home.
Will A Dirty Sensor Send My Roomba Down The Stairs?
The Cliff Sensors on your Roomba are pretty reliable. But, if they do get caked with dust and dirt, there is a chance that they won’t work as effectively as they should.
In this rare case, there could be a chance that they miss a signal and could take a tumble down the stairs.
Keeping Your Roomba Sensors Clean – Prevent It From Falling Down The Steps
You should perform regular maintenance on your Roomba. I recommend taking a wet cloth or papertowel and wiping away and dust or dirt that you can see on the machine.
You should clean your Roomba and perform regular maintenance at least once a month.
This will help keep your sensors clean and make sure they can see where they are going. This way, you run very little risk of your robot vacuum falling down the stairs.
Use iRobot Virtual Walls To Keep Your Roomba From Falling Down The Stairs
If you are still worried that your Roomba could take a nasty plummet down the basement stairs, then you can buy the Virtual Walls that iRobot sells. The Virtual Walls set up an invisible barrier that your Roomba will sense and not go over.
Simply place the Virtual Walls a few inches in front of your stairs and that will help insure that your Roomba doesn’t fall down the stairs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYS5b-QbLmI
Use Other Obstacles To Keep Roomba Safe From The Stairs
I know that you bought a Roomba to clean up your house, so the idea of throwing random objects in front of your stairs isn’t what you had in mind, but it could help.
If you place some larger objects at the top of the stairs, your Roomba will sense them before making it to the edge of the steps. Then, if for some reason the Cliff Sensors aren’t working properly, the Roomba will still sense or even bump into the objects. That should make your robot vacuum turn and start cleaning in a new direction.
To be clear, I am not saying you need to lay a tuba or a small recliner in front of your stairs. I kid’s toy or kitchen stool will work nicely.
Will Warranty Cover My Roomba Falling Down The Stairs?
If your Roomba takes a spill down the steps it most-likely will not be covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
That will probably be considered negligence on your part for not keeping your robot vacuum clean or maintained properly per the instructions.
If you can prove that one of the sensors was broken prior to your Roomba falling off the steps, then maybe you’ll have a case. Good luck, though!
Is It Safe To Let Roomba Run When You Are Not Home?
Absolutely. One of the main benefits of having a robot vacuum is that you can set a schedule and let it does its thing. You do not need to be there to supervise your Roomba.
Having said that, there have been plenty of instances where my robot vacuum got stuck under a chair, or sucked up a sock and needed human intervention.
But, even if you aren’t home, your robot vacuum is going to be ok if one of these mishaps occur. It will just shut down and sit there and beep for a bit.
Depending on the model you have, you may even get an alert on the mobile app, letting you know there is a problem with your Roomba.
In all honestly, falling down the stairs is probably what I worry about least with my robot vacuums.
I am much more concerned that my kids left a small toy on the floor for it to eat, or that it sucks up one of the baby’s socks (not while she’s wearing it).
I really have little to no concern that my Roomba will fall down the stairs. I can’t say that any of my robot vacuums, of any brand, give me that concern.
Which Roomba Is The Safest?
Pretty much every Roomba is safe to have in your house. I really don’t think you’ll have a problem with any model falling down the steps.
For me, I’d go with the iRobot Roomba i7 with the automatic disposal. It is one of the latest models, so the software and everything inside and of the unit is state-of-the-art. Plus it docks and empty’s it bin, on its own, and then continues cleaning. Pretty cool.
Final Thoughts About Your Roomba Falling Down The Stairs – Don’t Worry
If it is going to happen, then so be it. I wouldn’t lose a lot of sleep over it, because the odds of your Roomba falling down the steps is very low. I’d be more concerned that you or your kids left something in its path that it might suck up and get jammed on.
Keep up with regular cleanings and maintenance and your Roomba or other robot vacuum should be just fine.
