Roomba White Light: Blinking and Spinning

roomba white light
A Roomba's light ring can blink or spin a white light. © Vacuumtester.com
In short: an iRobot Roomba has a light ring on the top of the robot vacuum cleaner. This one can shine different colors. If the Roomba has a white light (flashing or spinning), the robot vacuum is active and there are no problems.

Every Roomba robot vacuum has a CLEAN button on the top. There is a light ring around this button. This light ring can have different colors: red, blue or white light. In this article I'll tell you everything about a Roomba with a white light. Because, why does a white light blink and what does this mean?

Why does my Roomba have a white light?

There can be several reasons why a Roomba has a white light. In any case, I have good news for you: with a white light, the Roomba indicates that it is working on something and that there are no problems.

What does it mean when a white light flashes or is spinning?

The light ring can emit a white light in different ways. The white light can:

  • Blinking (flash)
  • Spinning (rotate)
  • Solid (Stays on)

With each effect, the Roomba indicates something different. Again: there is no problem with your robot vacuum cleaner. In the table below I have listed all possible white light effects.

Light effectEffect descriptionCause
roomba white light effect 1White light rotates clockwiseStarting up or updating software
roomba white light effect 2White light stays on (solid)Roomba is fully charged
roomba light effect 3Lower half of light ring flashesRoomba charged and parked at docking station
roomba light effect 4White light spins around, stays on at quarterSufficiently charged (more than 15% battery)
roomba light effect 5White light spins, stays on at a thirdBattery 33% charged
roomba light effect 6White light spins, stays on half wayBattery 50% charged
roomba light effect 7White light spins, stays on at two-thirdsBattery 67% charged
roomba light effect 8White light spins, stays on almost fullyBattery almost fully charged (over 85%)
roomba light effect 9White light waves from top left to bottom rightRoomba is busy with cleaning
© Vacuumtester.com

My Roomba lights up a different color of light

I just mentioned that the light ring of a Roomba can also shine in a different color. So it can shine not only in white, but also in blue or red. As with a white light, a Roomba with a blue light is no problem. This often indicates that Roomba is doing something special, such as cleaning a specific area.

roomba blue light
With a Roomba with a blue light, just like with a white light, there is no problem. © Vacuumtester.com

When there is a problem with the robot vacuum cleaner

Another story is a Roomba with a red light. A red light in many cases indicates that there is a problem. It could be a full dust container, an incorrectly connected part or a worn-out battery. In the worst case, a iRobot Roomba battery replacement is necessary.

Regardless of the color of the light, it is still important to properly maintain your Roomba. This includes regular cleaning and timely charging of the battery. This not only prevents problems, but you can even extend the Roomba battery life considerably.

Robbert Tigchelaar
Robbert Tigchelaar

Robbert Tigchelaar has made testing vacuum cleaners his life's work. He has dedicated himself to conducting fully independent and valuable tests of vacuum cleaners to provide consumers with honest advice. His expertise in vacuum cleaners has been highlighted in The Washington Post and the Daily Express.

2 Comments
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  1. My Roombas top white light keeps blinking and then going in circles. It will not do anything else. It will not reset. It will not clean. It will not connect. I don’t know what’s going on. It was doing weird cleaning motions are going in circles yesterday and now today is doing this.

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