Like any mobile electronic device, robot vacuums have batteries and their performance can be impacted by the batteries. Knowing how to care for robot vacuums and their batteries will prolong their lifespans. But the contradicting advice about leaving the robot vacuums plugged in can make us confused. Should I leave the robot vacuum plugged in?

You should always leave your robot vacuum plugged in if you plan to use it frequently. Having your robot vacuum plugged in all the time doesn't negatively impact its battery life. However, if you are not using it for a long time (more than a week or a month), you should turn off the robot vacuum completely or even remove the battery from it. In this case, you also need to charge your robot vacuum at least once a month to avoid losing the battery's properties.

Read on to know why you should leave your robot vacuum plugged in, when you should unplug it and other easy tips to maintain its battery life.

Should I Leave The Robot Vacuum Plugged In: Impact On Its Battery Life

Most robot vacuums on the market use lithium-ion battery. Lithium-ion batteries are considered to have no memory effect. This means if these batteries are recharged repeatedly when the batteries haven't run out, they will not gradually lose usable capacity (hold less charge).

The manufacturers recommend always keeping your robot vacuum plugged in so that it can be ready whenever you want to use it. Having your robot vacuum always at 100% helps to save charging time for every cleaning (as the battery doesn't run out in the middle of the cleaning cycle) and maintains the battery's properties and characteristics.

Leaving your robot vacuum plugged in even after it is fully charged doesn't damage its battery. Once it is fully charged, it automatically switches to a low charging mode to prevent overcharging.

When Should You Unplug Your Robot Vacuum?

There is no harm in keeping your robot vacuum plugged in when not in use. But if you are not using it for a long time (like for a month or more), it is better to unplug and store it safely.

If you are only away for a few days or a week, I strongly recommend keeping your robot vacuum charged and running daily on a schedule. You can avoid the hassle of charging it, turning it off or even removing the battery and finding another cool, dry place to store it. And once you are back, your house will be spot-cleaned.

6 Easy Tips To Maintain Robot Vacuum Battery

Now that leaving the robot vacuum plugged in all the time doesn't drain the battery life, there are easy-to-follow tips and notes to maintain and care for its battery.

Use the device indoors at a temperature of 0 to 40 Celsius degrees

The robot vacuum is designed for indoor use. You should never use it outdoors, in a construction or production area, on top of furniture, etc. Using the robot vacuum in an environment that is too cold or too hot will greatly impact the battery and make the robot vacuum malfunction.

Keep the dock away from heat sources

Like any electronic device that uses a battery, excessive heat can damage the robot vacuum's battery.

The dock must be kept in a cool and dry place and away from any heat source. You don't want to risk having your robot vacuum battery explode because of charging it next to a heat source.

Please make sure you also keep it away from direct sunlight as the heat from the sun can damage the battery.

Keep the robot vacuum charged on the dock when not in use

As keeping the robot vacuum plugged in doesn't impact the battery life, you shouldn't remove it from the dock if you plan to use it frequently. Also, make sure you don't just store your robot vacuum there, plenty of vacuuming will keep its battery life healthy.

Use the robot vacuum often

One thing about electronic devices is that you will need to use them often so that their batteries will not be damaged.

Make sure you run your robot vacuum often, at least 2 - 3 times per week to keep the battery at its peak performance all the time.

Turn it off completely or remove the battery if not use the vacuum for a long time

Robot vacuum batteries can cause a fire if being stored, shipped, or used wrongly. Therefore, if you are not home and you need to turn off the power source, make sure you also turn off your robot vacuum completely after it is fully charged.

Some robot vacuum models like Roomba 700 even require their battery to be removed before safely storing.

Use manufacturer's accessories only

Once something is broken, especially for pricey electronic devices, we always find replacements and hope to get a cheap one that can perform 80% to 90% of the original one.

However, with a robot vacuum, using third-party accessories can make those parts incompatible with the machine and cause more issues with it. What's more, as the robot vacuum battery is explosive, you don't want to risk trying to match the battery from a third party and your current robot vacuum.

Fully charge the battery before use

If your robot vacuum does not have a lithium-ion battery, it can develop a memory where it holds less charge each time if being charged repeatedly with less than 100% battery.

Therefore, it is even more crucial for you to fully charge the battery before use. Depending on the battery type (lithium-ion battery or nickel metal hydride), you can choose to have it vacuumed until the battery dies (for nickel metal hydride battery) or until it finishes cleaning (for lithium-ion battery) before charging it again.