Your Roomba has been working for quite some time now and it has been picking up everything in sight. It is concerning when you just cannot tell when you should empty out the trash.

Does Roomba tell you when it is full? Yes. The Roomba series 700 and higher-level models that have a full bin indicator that will notify when it is time to empty it. Check to see if your indicator is dirty and needs to be cleaned since this will hinder the sensor from working.

Roomba is a smart device that does the cleaning for you when you are away. If the full bin indicator has not blinked, it will still continue to do its job and try to pick up more dirt if it can. Locating the sensor is an easy task and once you know how to clean it properly it can continue to keep your home clean.

When Does It Tell You It’s Full?

After your Roomba has done several rounds of cleaning it will be time to empty it out. The trash compartment bin is located at the front of the Roomba and has two black sensor ports on the outside, inside and on the robot itself.

The Roomba I Series has a Clean button that will shine red on the outskirts. The light will move around to the bottom of the button to let you know it is full.

With a Roomba e Series, knowing the bin is full can be found in the iRobot Home App.

Roombas in the 700, 800, and 900 Series will tell you it is full when the red trashcan light begins to blink on the very top of it. All you have to do is:

  • Pull
  • the bin outTake
  • out the trashOpen
  • the bin’s compartment door to clean the filterClean
  • the inner and out sensors of the RoombaPut
  • the bin back into the Roomba

When you open the bin to clean the filter, knock it against the trash. Cleaning your filter should be done every time you empty your robot. Make sure you do not wash the filter with water.

Clean all of the sensors and ports. If your Roomba still has the full bin light blinking, there may be a need to reboot it.

It would be nice if you could just tell Alexa or Google to do the work for you right? Read our full post on if Roomba is compatible with Alexa or Google Assistant.

When to Fix the Full Bin Indicator?

Your full bin light may still be on after you have emptied it and cleaned the filter. It could be in part because the black sensors need to be cleaned better. Although if you have already cleaned them as thoroughly as you could they will need to be rebooted.

Roomba 700, 800, and 900 Series

Go ahead and put the bin back into the Roomba if you have not done so already.

You can now press and hold the Clean button for approx. 10 seconds until the Roomba screen reads, “rSt.” Once it has successfully rebooted your Roomba will play a tone.

At this time, you are to take out the bin and look inside your Roomba. On the inside of your robot, there is one black sensor on both side and you must wipe them down.

This will help the full bin light to turn off and you can now put the bin back inside of the Roomba.

Roomba with the Dock and Spot Buttons

You will need to press and hold the Home and Spot Clean buttons together for about 10 seconds or more. After the reboot is completed, it will play a tone. Make sure the bin is inside the Roomba for this to work.

Most Roombas have a Clean button on them and so if you should ever need to reboot it, press and hold that Clean button.

Contact iRobot Customer Care if you are continuously getting error messages. Make sure you have the following ready:

  • Roomba
  • fully chargedSerial
  • numberProof
  • of purchase

iRobot has a one-year limited warranty that is parts only should anything happen. If you are thinking about getting another Roomba or buying your first one, there are a few that will let you know when the bin is full.

Roombas That Give You a Signal

Any Roomba that is a series 700 and 800 will have the full bin light feature on the top of the robot.

The Roombas 960 and 981 are operated off of a wi-fi connection. They will tell you when their bins are full of the red trashcan light. When the bin light comes on, you can tell your Roomba by way of iRobot Home App to either continue cleaning or stop it to empty out the bin.

The others such as the Roomba i and Roomba e Series have this feature as well as being able to check the bin on the iRobot Home App.