Roomba i7 robot vacuum cleaners have to be the best invention since sliced bread, don’t you think? Clean floors have never been so easy. Just set up a schedule and leave Roomba to do all the dirty floor work, so you don’t have to. You’ll even know when your Roomba is done and back at its home docking station so you can enjoy those clean floors.

There are four easy ways to know if your Roomba i7 is docked at its home base. You can check the iRobot app, ask Alexa for its status, listen for the sound of it off-loading its trash, or visually spot it on the base.

You may wonder how you’ll know if and when your Roomba finishes its chores and makes it back to its home base. It’s fairly simple to tell, and this article will show you how.

How to Know the Roomba i7 Made It Home

The Roomba i7 is a super-smart machine that will revolutionize the way you clean your floors. It follows the schedule you create and goes home when it needs recharging or finished doing the job.

The Roomba i7 boasts some exceptional features:

  • Maps and remembers the layout of your houseReturns to base when it needs rechargingKnows to avoid certain areas like around the pet bowlSuggests personalized schedules based on when and where you cleanSuggests extra cleanings during high-needs times like pollen season

Nobody wants to come home at night to a darkened house and stumble over the vacuum cleaner. The Roomba i7 is smart enough to keep that from happening and to let you know the coast is clear:

Check the iRobot App

Roomba i7 is easily controlled by the iRobot Home app that you can download onto your mobile device. Use the app to handle every aspect of your Roomba’s cleaning job, from start to finish. Set up a schedule or start/stop it manually.

You’ll also be able to set up notifications from the app that will alert you to when Roomba has finished and returned to home base. Whether or not that notification comes with a “ding” or just a silent banner on the screen is a matter of personal preference. Either way, you’ll know Roomba is home.

Ask Alexa

The Roomba i7 is compatible with Alexa, the awesome digital home assistant. According to the iRobot Support site, you can use Alexa to give Roomba all kinds of instructions. Your robot vac must be connected to the iRobot HOME app software so you can sync Alexa with Roomba. Both the app software and Roomba’s software must be up-to-date.

Alexa can help you use Roomba effectively, including checking its status or figuring out its location:

Listen for the Roomba i7 to Dock and Empty

When the Roomba i7 finishes its cleaning assignment, it should return to its home base. Some i7 models include a large receptacle attached to the base. When it returns home, Roomba will empty its smaller on-board dustbin into this bigger bin.

When the trash transfer takes place, you’ll hear a loud noise as the larger bin sucks the debris out of the robo-vac’s bin. The best thing about this large bin is that it holds 30-some bin dumps before you have to empty it.

Watch Roomba i7 Dock

It seems obvious, but we’ll include it anyway: you could put eyes on the Roomba base to see if the vacuum made it home. Take a look yourself or get your preschooler to check on Roomba. For dog owners, maybe you can train Fido to bark when Roomba makes it home.

How to Send a Roomba i7 Home

If your Roomba doesn’t make it back to its home docking station on its own, or you want it to stop vacuuming early, you can easily send it home yourself:

  • Use your finger: Press the HOME button on the top of the Roomba once. It looks like a little house to the left of the Clean button. Roomba will respond by heading towards the home base.Use the app: In the iRobot app, navigate to the Clean button, which will bring up an option to “Send Home.” Tapping this will return the robot to its base.Tell Alexa: If you’ve connected Roomba to your home assistant Alexa, all you have to do is tell Alexa to “Send Roomba to its home” or “Tell Roomba to recharge,” and the vacuum will return to the home base.

Conclusion

No matter how frequently or infrequently you run your Roomba i7, it’ll always be good to know when it starts and when it finishes. Whether you use technology like the iRobot app or Alexa, or the good ol’ fashioned look-see, to know when Roomba is done, you’ll be glad you’ve got this hard worker in your home.