Can I Use Roomba on Laminate Floors?

The Roomba vacuum cleaner makes cleaning your floors so much easier. With fully automated vacuuming, you don’t have to worry about doing the hard work yourself. However, if you have laminate floors, you might be wondering if the Roomba is safe to use. 

Since there is nothing on the bottom of the Roomba to scratch floors, it is completely safe to use on laminate floors. The Roomba is even designed to effortlessly move from laminate to carpet to keep all your floors clean. 

You might still be wondering if you need to do anything specific to keep your laminate floors safe from the Roomba. Don’t worry. We will go over some maintenance tips in this article. We will also discuss the specific functions of the Roomba that make it safe to use on laminate floors. 

Can You Use Robot Vacuums on Laminate Floors? 

Laminate floors might seem weak because they are so visually appealing and often look glossy, but they are actually much more durable than other types of common household flooring. Laminate doesn’t scratch as easily as hardwood and other kinds of flooring. So, you can be sure it’s durable enough to have the Roomba glide on it. 

Roomba can be used on the following floor surface:

• Laminate
• Hardwood
• Linoleum
• Tile
• Rugs Carpets

The Roomba is designed to be tough on dirt, dust, and pet hair, but gentle on your floors. It’s also programmed to transition from carpet to your laminate floors without getting caught or scratching. 

How Does the Roomba Work on Laminate Floors? 

While Roomba’s website says it works effortlessly and safely on laminate floors, you might be wondering about the exact technology it uses to keep your laminate flooring safe. The Roomba has three main technological advancements that allow it to balance between debris extraction and vacuum suction, so it doesn’t cause too much stress on your floors. 

It balances the two cleaning methods with the following parts:

• Suction: the vacuum gently pulls debris away from the floor surface and into the bin without spitting any of the dirt back onto the floor. 
• Agitate: the brushes inside the Roomba gently loosen embedded debris 
• Brush: the brushes counter rotates which allow them to lift debris away from the floor surface without pushing down too hard on the floor

It also has spinning side brushes that can sweep along corners and wall edges so that it doesn’t bump into the baseboards and floors which could cause damage. 

Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Laminate Floors 

While the Roomba is completely safe to use throughout your house with laminate floors, keep in mind it only works properly if you are using the Roomba as designed. This means cleaning the filter regularly and making sure there are no sharp objects it could pick up on the floor. 

If you don’t clean the Roomba often, it won’t work as well. It might also void your warranty. For example, if you don’t take proper care of the Roomba and the parts break down and then in turn scratch your floor, Roomba will not reimburse you for any damages. 

Cleaning the Filter 

All Roomba vacuums need to have their filter cleaned. The exact model you own will depend on how you remove the filter and clean it, but there are some general steps you can follow:

1. Remove the filter. It’s blue in most models. Grab and squeeze the two yellow tabs on either side of the filter and pull the filter out slowly. 
2. Clean the filter. You can either tap the filter gently on the side of the garbage can, use a paper towel to remove the debris or use a hand vac to suction the dirt off it. 
3. Place the filter back into the Roomba. Once you have the dirt and debris removed, you can gently slide it back into the Roomba and release the yellow tabs. 

If you run the Roomba every day, you should clean the filter once a week. If you have pets that shed often, you should do it twice a week. If you only use the Roomba once a week, you only need to clean the filter every few weeks. You should also replace the Roomba’s filter every two months. 

If you would like to learn more about Roomba’s filter needs, check out this article.

Picking Up Sharp Objects 

If there are sharp objects on your floor, the Roomba could pick them up in its brush and then slide them around on the floor as it continues to turn the brushes. This could scratch your floor. Before turning on the Roomba, make sure you don’t have objects such as small pebbles, push pins, or nails on the floor. 

In Summary 

The Roomba used soft brushes and advanced technology to keep your laminate floor crystal clean without scratching your flooring. It also won’t get caught on your carpet when moving to the laminate floors.