Your robot mower spent the summer rolling through the dirt. And now is the perfect time for a before-bed bath. It’s important to regularly clean your machine to get the full life expectancy from all of its parts. But the great news is that cleaning your robotic mower can be easy.
Here are the essential steps to take before putting your robot away for winter.
Charge it
You might not think your robot needs charging before a winter hiatus. I mean, isn’t this kind of like giving your kids sugar at 8 pm? But this is very important for the health of the battery.
The robot battery must retain some charge while in storage. Luckily, your robot friend loses his battery charge slowly while in storage mode. So he should be able to keep his charge through many months.
However, you may want to give him an energy boost at some point in winter. That way you’ll be assured his battery never fully drains. That way, he can be healthy enough to run around like a frenetic robot again next summer.
Clean the bottom
Your robotic mower gets messy running through the grass all season. So it probably won’t come as a shock that his bottom side will need a little cleaning.
Turn your robot upside down to help remove all those grass clippings that have gotten stuck over the course of the last few months. You’ll likely want to start with a rigid brush which should help you remove the majority of those pesky clippings.
However, even after a good brushing, you may still notice some clippings that are deeply embedded in your mower. That’s when you might need something a little more forceful. Try a screwdriver or another pointy tool to remove any of the remaining clippings.
Now turn your mower back over so it is now right side up. This will help release any remaining stuck debris. For good measure, give the bottom of your mower a good wipe down with a cloth to pick up any last residue.
Check under the hood
It isn’t just your car that needs some cleaning under the hood. So does your robot mower. This is an important step of your robot bath.
You will want to take off the top of the mower. Once that is removed, you will be able to clean off all the dirt, dust, and debris that might be lodged underneath. So get a cloth and wipe down the entire area.
It’s easy to forget this area since this isn’t the part of your robot that is playing in the dirt. But it’s an important step for keeping your mower healthy and strong for next season.
Change the blades
Your robot mower’s blades need to be changed from time to time. So now is the time to get your guy ready so he is ready to play ball come spring. This is especially the case if you haven’t changed them recently.
Turn your mower back upside down and use your screwdriver to loosen the screws for each blade. Then discard all of the blades along with the screws. Important: even dull robot blades are sharp! Do so with care.
Wipe down the mountings and make sure they’re free of dirt or debris. Now attach the new blades with screws. Make sure to tighten them, but not too forcefully. Your robot can’t tell you if you’re being too rough. Just turn the screw until it meets resistance and you’re done!
Now all that’s left to do is a final wipedown of your mower to make sure you didn’t miss any cracks and crevices.
Final robot winter cleaning
Kids might complain when they have to take a bath. But you can assure your robot that this is a quick and painless process. You’ll be happy to leave your robotic lawn mower so clean.
And the great news is that there are tools to help simplify the process. You can even get a kit that has everything you’ll need to get your robot mower to sparkle.
Check out this cleaning kit from the Automow online store. It has everything you need to clean surfaces. And it will help make taking apart areas you can’t easily reach easy.
Your robotic lawn mower worked hard for you all season. So now’s the time to give him the TLC he needs to remain your loyal companion next spring. You see, robots need baths too. But with the right tools, it’s easy to transform your dirty robot into a clean, strong, and vibrant machine.