How to Clean Sensors on Xiaomi Roborock Vacuum

Roborock’s robotic vacuum cleaners are well-deservedly considered market leaders thanks to advanced navigation systems. However, even the most advanced technology requires regular maintenance, especially when it comes to sensor equipment. If your gadget starts to rush around the apartment randomly, get stuck in a flat place or ignore obstacles, the cause is often banal dust that settles on the optics.

In this article, we will discuss how to properly and safely clean different types of sensors without damaging fragile structural elements. Regular sensor hygiene is not just a way to extend the life of the device, but also ensure that the map of the room will be built correctly and cleaning is effective.

Why the sensors stop working properly

The main enemy of any optical system is dust, which accumulates over time in hard-to-reach places. In the case of robot vacuum cleaners, the situation is made worse by the fact that they themselves lift this dust into the air while working, microscopic particles settle on the lenses, creating a “fog” that distorts the signals or blocks them completely.

In addition, the surface of the sensors can be wet cleaning, if you wiped the floor with chemicals, or traces from the paws of pets. LiDAR module located on the upper turret is especially vulnerable, as it rotates and actively collects the suspension. Pollution of the lower sensors often leads to the fact that the robot does not see the stairs or dark carpet, perceiving them as a cliff.

Ignoring the cleaning can lead to an error when the device simply stands in the middle of the room and starts to give signals for help.In some cases, a contaminated accelerometer or gyroscope can cause a failure in determining position, and the robot will get lost in its own home, even if physically located on the base.

⚠️ Warning: Never use aggressive household chemicals, acetone or alcohol-containing liquids to wipe the lenses. They can destroy a special antistatic or oleophobic coating, after which the dust will stick even faster.

Timely maintenance avoids false alarms of the Anti-Drop system, which may cause the robot to refuse to enter dark carpets or move through dark rapids, considering them a failure.

Necessary Tools for Safe Cleaning

Before starting the procedure, you need to prepare the right arsenal of tools. Using inappropriate materials can lead to the appearance of micro scratches on the lenses, which will subsequently scatter the light of the laser or infrared radiation, reducing the accuracy of measurements.

You will need:

• 🧹 Dry lilaless wipes made of microfiber - ideal for polishing optics without leaving villi.
• 💧 Distilled water – ordinary tap water can contain salts that will leave a white coating after drying out.
• 🎈 Pear for air purges – allows you to remove dust from hard-to-reach depressions without physical contact.
• 🖌️ Soft antistatic brush – necessary to remove dust from moving parts of the LiDAR mechanism.

It is strongly recommended not to use cotton swabs with a wooden base or paper towels. They can leave microscopic scratches on the surface of infrared sensors, which over time will lead to an irreversible decrease in their sensitivity.

If the contamination is severe, the microfiber can be easily moistened with distilled water, but the lens must remain dry when it comes into contact with the tissue, so it is important that the fluid does not leak into the device body through the gaps around the sensors.

Cleaning of the upper laser rangefinder (LiDAR)

The most important navigation element in the Roborock S5, S6, S7, S8 and their modifications is the laser module, located in a characteristic circular ledge on the top panel, which scans the room and builds a map. If there is dust on the protective glass of this module, the robot will see "phantom" walls or objects where there are none.

To start, gently wipe the top of the tower with a dry microfiber in circular motions. Don't press hard to prevent damage to the rotation mechanism. The transparent dome can also accumulate dust, which can be seen when the device is turned on.

If you notice dust inside the transparent cap:

1. Turn off the robot and remove the upper bumper cover (if the model design allows this without disassembly) or gently blow the cracks with pears.
2. Use a soft brush to brush dust off the rotating mirror inside.
3. Wipe the outer surface of the transparent plastic with a microfiber.

⚠️ Warning: Do not attempt to disassemble the laser unit itself or twist the mirror inside with your fingers. This is a highly accurate mechanism, and a violation of the balancing will lead to noise and rapid failure of the bearing.

The cleanliness of the laser rangefinder window directly affects the speed of map construction, and if the robot spends a long time thinking before cleaning or builds a map with tears, in 90% of cases the problem is solved by wiping this element.

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Wipe the laser module with a dry wipe before each run if the house is undergoing repairs or dry weather with a lot of dust in the air.

Maintenance of lower sensors and wheels

The bottom of the robot vacuum cleaner is a high-risk area, where you have floor sensors, obstacle sensors, and cliff sensors (fall protection) that are in close proximity to the brush and wheels, so they're in constant contact with the raised dirt.

Turn the device over and look at the bottom carefully, and you'll see some darkened windows -- these are sensors -- often they're covered with a layer of gray plaque, use a dry microfiber to clean them, and if the plaque doesn't retract, moisten the fabric a little.

Also note:

• 🌀 An optical flow sensor is a small camera or lens that helps robots without LiDAR navigate.
• 🛡️ The bumper sensors are black plastic elements around the perimeter that should be free to walk, wipe them and check if the dust is stuck in the gaps.
• 🔋 Charging contacts -- although they're not sensors, their purity affects the connection to the base.

Pay special attention to the wheels, and the wool and dust that sticks on them can block the view of the lower sensors located next to you, and clean the wheels with a brush or tweezers, removing the wound hair.

Once the bottom sensors are cleaned, the robot will stop panicking on dark surfaces and be able to correctly determine the boundaries of carpeting, which is especially important for models with automatic power enhancement on carpets.

Table of sensor types and cleaning methods

For the convenience of systematizing knowledge about how to clean sensors on a vacuum cleaner Xiaomi Roborock, here is a summary table. It shows the main types of sensors found in different generations of devices and the recommended approach to their maintenance.

Cleaning frequency depends on the operating conditions: in a home with pets or young children, the frequency of procedures should be doubled, and the optical sensor is especially sensitive to greasy spots that may remain after passing through the kitchen.

If the robot continues to behave strangely after cleaning, it may not be the contamination, but the software failure or mechanical damage, in which case it is worth checking the error log in the application.

Diagnosing problems after cleaning

Once you've done maintenance, you need to make sure that everything works correctly, and you need to start a robot to build a new map or locally clean it up, and if it moves confidently, doesn't crash into the legs of the chairs, and isn't afraid of its own shadows, it's a success.

However, if the following symptoms are observed, it is possible that the cleaning was not done thoroughly or there are other problems:

• 🔄 The robot spins in one place – perhaps blocked laser module or contaminated gyroscope.
• 📉 The device often stops with the error “Bumper blocked” – check the gaps between the case and bumper for debris.
• 🗺️ The map is torn or displaced - a problem with a laser rangefinder or optical sensor.

Critical:

Sometimes software glitches can mimic sensor malfunctions.Make sure your Roborock software is updated to the latest version through the app.

Prevention and long-term care

To avoid having to often wonder how to clean the sensors on the vacuum cleaner Xiaomi Roborock, it is worth implementing simple rules of prevention. Regular care takes less time than repairing the consequences of a breakdown.

First, before each launch, it is advisable to conduct a quick visual inspection of the top panel, removing small objects, wires and socks from the floor that can wind onto the brush and close the sensors.

Secondly, keep the main dust container clean, and if it's full, the suction efficiency drops, and more dust flies around the room, settling on sensors. HEPA-The filter must also be knocked out or changed regularly to keep the air at the outlet clean.

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Cleaning the sensors regularly is the easiest way to extend the life of a robot’s navigation system and avoid costly repairs in the future.

Third, keep the robot vacuum cleaner in a dry place, and high humidity can lead to condensation on the lenses inside the case, which cannot be removed by simply wiping the outside.

Compliance with these simple guidelines will allow your Xiaomi Roborock to serve faithfully for years to come, while maintaining high navigation accuracy and cleaning efficiency.