Put it this way.
It’d probably take longer to play Candy Crush than a Roomba takes to finish charging.
How do I know?
Because it happened to me just last night.
As it turns out, a Roomba doesn’t take long to charge.
How long exactly, though?
Read on to find out:
- Charging times and runtimes of several Roomba models.
- Why draining your Roomba’s batteries completely isn’t safe.
- The exact number of hours you should charge your Roomba.
- How you can tell when your Roomba’s fully charged and ready to clean.
- And so much more…
How long to charge Roomba?
The recommended charging time for a Roomba is 2 hours. This applies to all Roomba models from the 600 series to the s9 series. Roomba’s batteries have an average lifespan of 2 to 4 years or 400 charge cycles. Over time, you might notice your Roomba takes longer than 2 hours to fully charge itself.
How long does it take to charge a Roomba for the first time?
iRobot recommends you should charge your Roomba overnight the first time.
Why?
To prolong your Roomba’s battery health and lifespan.
After using your Roomba the first time, the normal charging time should be 2 hours.
Although all the models require a 2-hour charging period, the runtime varies.
What I mean by that is…
Every Roomba model can clean your home for a specific number of hours only.
Put simply, runtime refers to the amount of time a device can last before it needs charging.
To give you a little more insight…
Here’s a table showing the charging times and runtimes of several Roomba models:
| Roomba model | Charging Time | Runtime |
| Roomba 671 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.5 hours (90 minutes) |
| Roomba 675 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.5 hours (90 minutes) |
| Roomba 690 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.5 hours (90 minutes) |
| Roomba E5 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.5 hours (90 minutes) |
| Roomba 890 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1 hour (60 minutes) |
| Roomba 960 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.25 hours (75 minutes) |
| Roomba 981 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 2 hours (120 minutes) on Eco Mode |
| Roomba 985 | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
| Roomba i7 or i7+ | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.25 hours (75 minutes) |
| Roomba j7 or j7+ | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 1.25 hours (75 minutes) |
| Roomba s9 or s9+ | 2 hours (120 minutes) | 2 hours (120 minutes) |
Now, you’re probably wondering…
“Is 60 minutes enough to clean your whole house?”
If you’re living in a large space, your Roomba might need longer than 60 minutes.
However, there are several ways to get it to clean your whole house.
But if you want a safer alternative, a runtime of 75 to 120 minutes is better.
Check out: 13 Best Roomba Alternatives (Cheaper & Better)
How do I know when my Roomba is charged?
If you see a solid white light on your Roomba, it means it’s fully charged.
However, if the light is pulsing, it means your Roomba’s still charging.
Take note, though.
For the 500, 600, 800, and 900 Roomba models, the light you’ll see is green and not white.
In some cases, you might see a text that says:
“Ready to clean. Fully charged.”
You might also like: 27 Roomba Tips And Tricks To Keep Your House Clean
Here’s a table showing the light indicators when your Roomba’s fully charged:
| Roomba model | Fully charged | No battery/needs charging | Charging |
| Roomba 500, 600, 800, and 900 series | Green | Red/Amber pulse | None |
| Roomba i Series | White | Pulsing red light | White pulsing light |
| Roomba j Series | White | Pulsing red light | White pulsing light |
| Roomba s Series | White | Pulsing red light | White pulsing light |
For some models, you’ll notice the white light will be a half-circle.
Other times it’ll look like a quarter circle.
What does this mean?
It’s to indicate the battery status for the following battery percentages:
- 15%.
- 33%.
- 50%.
- 67%.
- 85%.
Read also: Roomba Not Charging: 9 Ways To Fix It In 30 Seconds
How long does it take a dead Roomba to charge?
A dead Roomba should still take about 2 hours to reach a fully charged status.
However, it’s not wise to drain your Roomba’s battery to 0%.
See – here’s the thing.
Your Roomba runs on lithium-ion batteries.
And like every battery in the world, they’re in a state of constant decay.
Meaning, batteries have a limited lifespan (2 to 4 years) before they die.
Now, here’s the issue.
A complete drain of your Roomba’s batteries accelerates the decaying process.
Dig deeper: How Long Do Roombas Last? 5 Tips To Extend The Battery Life
In short, if you keep this up, expect your battery to die before its expected lifespan.
So what’s the best thing to do then?
At best, keep your Roomba in its charging dock whenever you’re not using it.
“But wait, isn’t it wrong to keep it plugged in all the time?”
Well, you’ll learn the answer to that in the next section.
Should I leave my Roomba plugged in all the time?
You should leave your Roomba plugged in all the time unless…
You’re planning to be away from home for 1 to 2 weeks.
If you’re using your Roomba once every week, leave it plugged in all the time.
However, a 1-week trip is a different story.
In that case, you should unplug your Roomba and remove its batteries.
Make sure to store the batteries away from sunlight as well to prevent further decay.
And finally, it’s best to use your Roomba as often as you can.
Why?
Mainly to prolong your battery’s efficiency.
If you leave it unused for too long, your batteries degrade faster too.