Magnetic tape for robotic vacuum cleaners - The complete guide

Magnetic tape and robotic vacuum cleaners form a dynamic duo for sectioning off areas in your living room. It's particularly handy for protecting sofas and table legs. However, selecting the right type is crucial for your needs. Let us guide you through the different magnetic tape options available:

Magnetic tape for demarcation

To keep a robotic vacuum within a designated space, magnetic tape is an ideal solution. Yet, you must opt for a specific type of powerful magnetic tape: neodymium magnetic tape. This foil features strong magnetism compared to standard magnetic foil with ferrite content, and consequently, it's more expensive.

We don't carry neodymium magnetic tape in our inventory as it's less flexible, and demand isn't high enough (yet) for us to purchase it at competitive prices. However, we've noticed Miele offers some robust neodymium magnetic tape. We can't speak for the quality, not having tested it ourselves, but we've heard from customers that they're successfully using Miele's solution.

Nevertheless, we've got another trick up our sleeve:

Testing magnetic tape with a robotic vacuum 

When we tested regular magnetic tape, we went with a 1 mm thickness to give enough height to redirect the vacuum to an alternate path. We laid out a long strip of black magnetic tape on the floor and watched as the vacuum went about its arduous task. Unfortunately, we couldn't successfully demarcate an area this way with flat-lying magnetic tape: the vacuum simply went over it.

So we asked a few customers to try it in their homes - thinking it might be related to the colour, width, or some other factor. No matter the variation in color or width, the result was the same: the vacuum neatly travelled over the tape lying flat on the floor.

However, there is a solution 

If you've read other FAQ posts about magnets from us, you know we don't give up easily. So we've naturally found a solution - it's just a little different than what the robotic vacuum manufacturers suggest:

That is, standing the magnetic tape on its edge. This requires a minimum width of 40 mm for it to stand on its own.

If you don't have a magnetic surface to prop the tape against, you can put two strips of magnetic tape together, and it will stand nicely, creating a barrier for your robotic vacuum.

Use it, for example, in front of low doorsteps or areas that shouldn't be vacuumed.

Layer by layer

You can certainly take some magnetic tape and layer it to add more height, so the vacuum eventually can't cross over the tape's edge. But this is not as sleek a solution.

Protect your furniture

You can also use ordinary magnetic tape to protect your table legs and chair legs. The strong neodymium tape isn't suitable here, as it's not as flexible and works best for straight lines. So, you can settle for the regular - and very flexible - magnetic tape to wrap around the legs. This will prevent any nicks in your furniture.

Here's how you can protect your table legs or similar items: Choose a roll that's 40 mm wide (available from 1 meter), cut a piece from the roll at 1.5 times the circumference of the table leg (or whatever you're aiming to protect), and wrap it around the leg so that it magnetically holds itself in place. This way, the vacuum, whether a robotic cleaner or a standard one, won't leave any marks on the legs.

And the best part: the magnetic tape is reusable, offering an economical solution that lasts for years.

It's especially clever if you have a cleaning service because they might not be as careful as you are in avoiding contact with all the furniture.