My robot vacuum goes to work when I go to work, and while I’m upstairs and it’s downstairs, I can hear it.
This has caused me to keep my door closed, so it doesn’t distract me while I work. Now this has me wondering how loud my robot vacuum is, especially in comparison to a normal vacuum cleaner?
My robot vacuum doesn’t feel as loud, but it definitely does run for longer, so I must know the answer. What I find is quite interesting, and I want to share it.
Why Does Noise Level Matter?
For me, at least, a loud robot vacuum is distracting when trying to work. It’s also annoying when I’m not working and want to watch some TV.
I feel others have the same issues, so it got me wanting to test the idea myself.
Is a robot vacuum louder than my regular vacuum cleaner? Is it less annoying to get the manual vacuum cleaner out to clean, or is the noise of the Roomba worth it even though it takes longer to clean?
I want to know as I’ve gotten more concern about protecting my hearing as I’ve gotten older. Who knows, it may cause you to adjust when your robot vacuum runs?
How Loud Are Roomba & Robot Vacuums
Using my iPad and a decibel app, I found that my robot vacuum, a Roborock S5 Max produces 74db right next to the robot vacuum.
The RoboRock allows me to adjust the suction power, and this is max suction. When I set the RoboRock to its “quiet mode” it produces 69db.
The background noise or our baseline is 35db.
These number doesn’t mean anything to us until we compare them to something else. So, let’s look at the decibel levels of regular vacuum cleaners.
What Is The Regular Vacuum Cleaner Noise Level?
I have several vacuum cleaners, but the first one I wanted to test was a Dyson V12 Slim Detect, as it’s a popular vacuum cleaner.
The Dyson stick vacuum cleaner stayed around 87db, which is more noticeably louder than the robot vacuum.
The db scale is not linear, you can learn more about the scale here.
Since I have a normal larger vacuum cleaner that you plug in, I also tested its decibel level too.
Oddly enough, it’s a lower number than the Dyson, but that is more likely because the Dyson motor was closer to the meter, so both are not too far off from each other.
Other Ways Roomba Robot Vacuums Make Noise
Besides the vacuum motor turning on, the wheels running along the floor and the robot vacuum bumping into things causes more noise.
If you have something stuck in your Roomba’s wheels, it will also be louder, especially on hard floors.
The robot vacuum will even be louder on carpet areas, as they can detect carpets and crank up the suction and the brushes to clean them better. So if you have a lot of carpets, a robot vacuum will tend to be louder for you than someone with hardwood floors. The good news is that the sounds the wheels make are more muffled on carpets, so kind of even outs.
All Vacuum Cleaners Are Loud!
Robot vacuum cleaners are loud, but not as loud as a regular vacuum cleaner.
You will notice your Roomba robot vacuum running like I do, even when upstairs in a different room. You won’t hear the robot vacuum running if you’re outside, and your neighbors won’t know it’s running either.
The one big downside with robot vacuums is that even though they’re quieter, they run for much longer. A robot vacuum can take an hour to clean an area that you could do with your normal vacuum cleaner in 15 to 20 minutes. There are perks to robot vacuums, but the noise level is one that can be hard to ignore.
So far, my solution is to close the door, so I can work and let the robot vacuum do its thing downstairs. But this may not be a solution for some, so let’s talk about a few more.
The Best Time To Run A Robot Vacuum
If the noise of a robot vacuum is a problem for you, then should adjust the times it runs.
For many people, they have it run right before they get home, so the floors are clean when they walk in.
If you’re like me and work from home, this is not an option, but you still need to get up and go to work. So, my next solution is to use your robot vacuum as an alarm clock.
You Can Use A Robot Vacuum As An Alarm Clock
You can program robot vacuums to run at certain times and if you keep the robot vacuum under your bed it’s out of the way and can be used to wake you up.
Keeping no items under your bed frame will also help, as the robot vacuum bounces around and hits the legs of the bed.
It may sound funny to use a robot vacuum as an alarm clock, but it’s a less jarring sound than the alarm clocks so many people use.
Sleeping When Robot Is Running?
You can run your Roomba or any robot vacuum while you sleep, but unless you’re a heavy sleeper or have a big home, the robot vacuum may wake you up.
You can close your bedroom door, but know that most robot vacuums try to find the perimeter of your home before they clean, so this means they’ll be “scratching” at your doors for a little bit.
The robot vacuum I use has a quiet mode or a bedtime mode where it’s made to run while people are asleep, but it’s not a huge change in sound. In fact, it bumps up the sound when it finds carpet.
Will My Neighbors Hear My Roomba?
Most, if not all, robot vacuums are quiet enough that your neighbors should not hear it.
Unless you got some paper thin walls or floors, the chances are slim. You walking across the floors should make more noise than your robot vacuum gliding across to your neighbors.
If you’re not certain, then just turn on your robot vacuum and walk outside to see if you hear it. If you can hear your robot vacuum from outside, then so can your neighbors.