Avoid Scratching Your Wooden Floor With A Robot Vacuum
Is it possible for robot vacuums to damage hardwood or laminate floors?
The wheels of a Milagrow robot vacuum cleaner are composed of rubber or soft plastic that will not scratch your wood or laminate floors easily.
The apparent answer is that a robot vacuum will not scratch your hardwood or laminate floors. But, like with any rule, there are always exceptions. If enough hair or dust becomes lodged in the front plastic wheels, for example, the robot vacuum will not recognise this and will continue to drag the wheel along, potentially harming the floor.
It is also possible that a few grains of sand will become lodged in the rubber or soft plastic, and when the robot vacuum spins, it will drag the front wheels sideways, dragging the small grains over the floor and leaving minor scratches.
Keep the wheels clean and allow them to move freely at all times to avoid damaging your wooden or laminated floor with a robot vacuum. Lubricate the small front wheels with a small amount of oil once a month or so, so that if a hair becomes lodged, the wheel can continue to revolve freely.
Robotic vacuum cleaner’s wheels and their working
All Milagrow robot vacuums include a two tractor wheel system with an electrical motor allocated to each wheel. It allows the robot to turn 360 degrees while staying in the same place. These wheels are usually placed directly on the center of mass or behind it. If the robotic cleaner is positioned just behind the center of mass, it will also have one or two front wheels, which will not have any motors attached and solely serve to stabilize the robot vacuum.
The two larger wheels will be constructed entirely of rubber or have a rubber coating to prevent them from scratching any hard surfaces. Rubber or soft plastic material is used for the front wheel/wheels. When the robot vacuum rotates, it'll drag from side to side. It is here that there is a slight probability of scratching.
Under normal conditions, the front wheel of the robot vacuum is gently pushed down to the floor by the weight of the vacuum itself and not designed to handle the weight of additional goods, pets, or children, as you may have seen in various YouTube videos. If you put too much weight on these wheels, they might not turn properly and harm the floor.
How to clean the front wheels of a robot vacuum
Long hair and pet hair are the most common things that get stuck on the wheels. They accumulate inside the wheels over time and obstruct the wheel's rotation. As a result, you should double-check the wheels by turning them around.
If they turn freely, you don't need to clean them, but if you notice any resistance when turning them, you should remove the wheels and clean them.
The company is aware that dirt and hair in the wheels can be a concern. In most models, the front wheel is removable for cleaning.
The Milagrow Robots series can also detect when something is impeding its wheels.
The Robot will inform you with its pleasant voice that it is unable to move or transmit your notification, in which case you must turn it off and upside down to clean the wheels and remove any obstacles.
The side wheels should move rather readily, but you can sense resistance with these wheels, which comes from the usual motors. The front caster wheels do not have any sensors attached to them and thus cannot detect obstructions.
We recommend that you inspect these wheels regularly and rotate them around after each emptying of the tray. If any wheels are stuck frequently, you may have a big problem with the wheels or the robot vacuum itself.
Ensure you look for the material used to make the front/caster wheels.
Do not purchase if the front wheel is composed of hard plastic material. If the plastic material is stronger than the floor, it will create scratches.
Where can I find the best robot vacuum for hardwood floors?
Make sure the wheels are soft materials like rubber or soft plastic. Check if it has good brushes and suction force. Choose the one that can truly get into the corners and edges, as most of the dirt and dust is blown there on wood or laminated floors.
