How to Service and Repair an iRobot Roomba Vacuum Cleaner

Complete teardown and service guide — brushes, filters, sensors, wheels.

Most people throw away their robot vacuum when it stops working properly. Willem took his apart instead — and documented every step with photos. Here's the complete service guide for bringing an iRobot Roomba back to life.

After years of daily use, a Roomba's performance degrades: brushes wear out, filters clog, sensors get dirty, wheels lose grip. Replacing the entire unit is expensive and wasteful. Servicing it yourself takes an afternoon and a screwdriver.

The key areas to service: main brushes (replace if bristles are worn), side brush (straighten or replace), filter (replace — don't just clean it), cliff sensors (wipe with a cloth), extractors (remove hair tangles), and wheels (check for debris in the axle).

Most replacement parts are available cheaply online. The hardest part is removing the bottom cover — after that, everything is modular and designed to be serviced.

From Willem's collection on repair culture — fixing things instead of replacing them.