How to Prevent Roomba From Scratching Floors

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A Roomba is an excellent way to keep your floors free from debris and dirt, but they can also do a number on your floors if they aren’t inspected regularly. After possibly spending time and money on new floors, the last thing you need is to have them ruined with scratches.

So how can you prevent Roomba from scratching the floors?

There are 2 things you can do to prevent your Roomba from scratching floors. First, remove small items around your house to prevent them from being dragged by your Roomba. Second, clean underneath the Roomba’s front wheel so that it can pivot around smoothly.

One of the best things about Roomba is that there’s a vibrant online community of users who can help you get to the bottom of your floor scratching problem and give you the correct information to prevent it from happening in the future. So, read on and learn how to prevent your Roomba from scratching your floors!

How to Prevent Roomba From Scratching Floors

Hardwood floors can increase the value of your home and can be a talking point to all your friends and family. However, having the floors you care so much about end up with scratches and rough patches is unacceptable.

If your culprit is a Roomba or other automated vacuum, you can take comfort in knowing that some simple maintenance and upkeep will "Roomba-proof" your house and save the day.

A Design Flaw Causes the Front Wheels to Drag

What usually happens when your Roomba creates scratches is that one of the wheels has become stuck or could be limited in its ability to move as needed.

As the two rear wheels move, attached to the motors, the bot will swing the front wheel, and if it doesn’t move or roll, it will leave grooves on the floor. That’s where your scratches come from!

The powered rear wheels are coated with all types of electrical reading materials that allow the machine to know when they have become immovable. This is not the case for the front wheel. It is on a caster and could even be locked into the forward position.

A few things that could prevent the front wheel from freeing up are:

Dirt - The opening around the front wheel could be packed with dirt. A large amount of dirt in the housing will mean that the wheels cannot move as quickly as the rear wheels. Dirt is to be expected, and you can clean around the front wheel and the housing to make sure it doesn’t become a recurring problem.
Pet Dander - Some pets have tons of hair that shed on a regular basis. An excess of hair can be another thing that keeps the front wheel of your Roomba from functioning correctly. If you have pets make sure you keep an eye on the front wheel to keep it from skidding along your floors.
Trash - Let’s face it, even the cleanest homes have some hidden scrap lying around. Under the couches or beneath a cabinet, the Roomba could pick up significant bits of trash that will keep the machine from working correctly.
Cords - Another thing that families have lying around by the bushel is electrical cords. They can run from any electrical device, and a Roomba will eat up an electrical cord if it isn’t secured. Once trapped, the cable will keep the wheels from moving and drag excess scratches while correcting itself.

The design flaw in the front wheels isn’t a dealbreaker. There are some maintenance procedures that you can follow on a monthly basis to ensure that the wheel is going to be free moving for when it is called into service.

Maintenance for Your Roomba Front Wheels

Getting a bit of maintenance on the machine every few weeks will give you a leg up on the floor scratching and prevent it from happening any more while "Roomba-proofing" your house.

The most important thing to concentrate on is bound or stuck wheels. Once the culprit is found, there are just a few quick cleaning or repairing procedures, and it is back to work for your Roomba.

Clearing the Front Wheels is the Best Place to Start

The biggest villain behind floor scratches with your Roomba is the front wheels. They do as they were designed and have a rigid setting that could eventually become unmovable. However, by doing a bit of work on the bottom of the machine, you will better understand the problem.

The steps to cleaning the front wheel of your Roomba are:

Cut the Power - Make sure that the machine is powered off before you get into working with it. There could be a charge left in the device that could shock or cycle on while you are working and ruin everything.
Flip the Roomba - Now that everything's safe, flip the robot over and inspect the bottom. The brushes should extrude slightly from the bottom, and the front and rear wheels should all move freely.
Clean the Wheel Slot - Feel around in the front wheel area for debris or sand. If the wheel doesn’t move, you should clean the housing around the wheel until you have a set of moving wheels.
Check the Rear Wheels - Once the front wheel is freed up, you should concentrate on the powered wheels. These will be just behind the center of gravity on the machine and will be attached to the motors on the inside. The nature of these wheels makes it, so things get tangled easily. Clean them up before using the Roomba.

Maintenance on your Roomba is going to be short and sweet. There isn’t much to clean, and the casing will protect the significant parts of the machine. Nevertheless, keep the maintenance regular, and you should avoid any problem with scratches on your floor.

Conclusion

A Roomba is a time-saving machine that will give you more time with your family than spent doing chores. Unfortunately, while they effectively keep floors free from dirt and sand, they have been known to scratch hardwood floors due to obstructing the front wheels.

The best way to protect against scratches is to do monthly maintenance on the moving pieces of your Roomba. By keeping the wheels and brushes free and unencumbered, you keep the front wheels from dragging, stopping scratches on the floor.