iRobot Roomba S9+ Troubleshooting

The Roomba has trouble moving.

Turn off your vacuum and place it upside down. Using a pencil or paper clip, clean out the cavity beneath the wheel. Place the vacuum right-side up and press clean to test the wheel. Your Roomba may need a filter replacement, if it does, you can follow our guide here.

Turn off your vaccuum cleaner and place it upside down. You should see a tread pattern on the rubber of the wheels. If the wheels are smooth, they are worn down. The wheels will go only part way up onto the Clean Base platform, or have trouble crossing door threshholds and other surface features that fresh wheels can drive over. The wheels will spin, but not get traction except on a perfectly horizontal and featureless floor surface. Obtain traction tape and wrap it around the surface of the wheels that make contact with the floor. This often works, but if it does not, you may need a wheel replacement.

If the vacuum still doesn’t drive properly after the wheel module is clean, check out our wheel module replacement guide. (The replacement guides are different for the left and the right wheels.)

Corners cleaned by the Roomba are not very clean and the brush may not spin.

If the corner brush spins but does not clean correctly, check out our cleaning guide.

If the side brush does not spin, this could be due to a buildup of debris and hair between the brush and the Roomba. Check out our corner brush replacement guide.

Floors cleaned by the Roomba are still dirty.

Remove the brushes from the cleaning head module and clean them. Check out our brush cleaning guide to see how. After cleaning the brushes, set the Roomba on the floor and place some small debris in front of it (e.g. cereal, dirt, rice). Hold the CLEAN button for 3 seconds to clear the previous cleaning job, then press the CLEAN button again.

If the vacuum doesn’t pick up the debris in the previous step or does not pick up debris at all, try replacing the brushes.  If this doesn’t work, check out our brush replacement guide.

After the Roomba has cleaned, your floor is still dirty or dusty.

Use the iRobot HOME App and select “Settings” then “Cleaning Preferences” then select “Detailed Clean”, “Quiet Clean”, or “Custom Clean”.

First, turn off your Roomba. Next, place a small amount of debris in front of the robot, then press and hold CLEAN for 3 seconds to test its function.

Follow our guide to fix your Roomba filter.

The Roomba does not work or stops while it is cleaning.

Before first use, an iRobot battery must be woken up at the Home Base charging station.  Plug in the Home Base, make sure the power light turns white, then turns off with the robot docked. After turning on, a white light indicates that the robot is charged and ready, while a red light indicates that the robot requires charging. If the red light is accompanied by an error message, consult your error messages chart.

Remove the battery and then put it back in. Verify that charging contacts are free of debris. Examine Home Base/Clean Base line cord for any damage. Ensure the plug is secured in the base and outlet. Make sure not to wrap the cord too tightly around the cord wrap or it may unplug.

If you’re still experiencing difficulties, check out our battery replacement guide.

The Roomba’s bag is full of dirt.

Push firmly down on the lid of the canister to seal it, then tap the home button on your robot to empty the bin manually. Next, dispose of any debris from the bottom of your Roomba and your dirt disposal. Disconnect the dirt disposal from the wall and then place it on its side. Check the debris evacuation tube for dirt or other debris and, if necessary, remove the tube and clean it as well.