After we got the engineered hardwood flooring installed downstairs, I read the most important care tip is to keep it vacuumed. Although I’ve so far resisted the siren call of home cleaning services, I decided to give a robot a chance.
Warning. This is not for people who are on a tight budget. While prices vary considerably, our floor guy said not to get a cheap one … they aren’t worth the money.
We got the iRobot Roomba i7+. I purchased it online from Lowe’s. With tax, total cost was $803.30. It’s kind of a shocker, but I get a rebate from online purchases on my credit card, so it’s not all bad. This model creates a smart map of your home so you can target specific areas without having the robot vacuum the whole house.
Robo, as we call him, is self-emptying. When he’s done with a job, you hear a giant whirl and the dirt, dust and cat hair go into a tower at the docking station lined with a bag you only have to change once a month or even less. The sound is loud, but it’s just for a few seconds.
I loves him. He had to do several tours of the whole house to map it out, but then I was able to go into the app and customize it. The rooms are labeled, so I can tell him to just vacuum the kitchen and breakfast area, which is where we make most of the mess.
When Robo does the whole house, he usually has to go back to the docking station to recharge. Then he’ll finish the job after he’s all juiced up. He really does a great job, and I almost want to give him a tip!
The hardwood floors are perfect for Robo. We only have two area rugs. One is a flokati, and I’m probably going to program Robo to skip him. He doesn’t get stuck or anything, but I’m not sure it makes a difference. The other rug is a tighter weave, and Riley, our cat, loves to hang out there. He is a long-haired cat and very fluffy. It has always been hard to get the cat hair off.
Robo kind of stirs up the cat hair on the rug and leaves it in clumps. It’s an improvement but not a solution. We’d be better off without any rugs, but we like it, and most importantly, Riley likes it. I just have to go back with the regular vacuum periodically to get the rest of the cat hair.
I mainly wanted Robo to help maintain the hardwood floors. Upstairs is carpeted, except for the bathrooms. Robo could map the whole upstairs, too, and he has a feature that supposedly will keep him from falling down the stairs. But at $800, I’m looking for a sure thing. I could create a keep-out zone, but only after he maps the area, so I’d have to watch and make sure he doesn’t get to the stairs.
While I may eventually go that route, for now, I put him in a room, press the “clean” button and close the door. The smaller rooms are easy because he doesn’t fill up the bin or run out of juice. Our master area is bigger, and both scenarios are possible. When I hear him quit, I take him back to the docking station and let him empty the bin and recharge.
I’m impressed. It’s amazing how much cat hair he manages to find. I even love the vacuum tracks on the carpet!
I hesitated to share my experience with the robot vac because I know not everyone has an extra $800 to burn. But if you do have some spare change, so far, I think it’s a retiree’s best friend. The house is cleaner, and it’s easier on your body … leaving you with more time to have fun!
We don’t have that model (yet) but do have one of the more expensive Roomba’s. My studio is downstairs and I vacuum that myself. It mostly collects pieces of fabric and fiber and the dog isn’t allowed in it so it’s easy to clean. Zeke, despite being short-haired, leaves hair everywhere and Roomba has made one heck of a difference. We have it programmed to run every day at 11 AM and have had it for about a year and a half. The nice thing about a Roomba is that you can buy replacement parts, which we have done when needed. My husband does the main vacuuming but has to do it far less than before Roomba came into our lives. Like you, we are amazed at how much it picks up every day. We have a combination of wood, tile, and very flat area rugs in the house. I no longer get dog hair all over my socks if I’ve taken off my shoes. My husband is eyeing your model when he decides to replace the entire unit instead of just parts. We love our Roomba. Worth every penny in our book.
I haven’t done the set schedule thing yet, but that’s next. I agree — worth every penny! Especially if you have pets.
The Roomba is one of two best inventions which I now have in my home, thanks to my husband and his foresight and lack of technology fear (which I specialize in). The other wonderful addition is my bidet, attached to my existing toilet. I swear, you might want to consider this one as well. I don’t remember the cost of either one , as we have had both for several years, but they are both every penny.
I believe the Widow Badass wrote about her bidet, and that got me thinking. It does sound like a miraculous invention. Funny how we didn’t even know what they were when we were young. Ha, ha.
Thanks for this post, Donna! It’s something I might consider if my Dyson stick vacuum (another pricey item) bites the dust (bunnies).
Deb
You are welcome. That Dyson stuff isn’t cheap, so I hope you get many more years of whatever (not enjoyment).
Ours is called Hazel! I love her because she vacuums under the beds. As Nanci said, I don’t let her in my studio because of the threads on the floor. She does take longer than I would to vacuum the entire house, but she’s good. Load the phone app and you can start her from your phone if you’re not home. Also, I tell Alexa to start Hazel and she gets her going. Lol
After the old TV show? I used to love that one.
Yes! Lol
My daughter livers her Roomba. It’d in no way that prices but she has three dogs and fosters many more so dog hair is always a problem. His name is Bob.
Bob is a great name for the robot. We weren’t as clever as we might have been, but Robo it is.
How did you determine the gender?
I like a man who cleans.
Hi, Donna –
We have two Roombas. One of the Costco orginals (who we named James). James has now retired to Garage Cleaning Duty only and seems to be happy there. He still does a great job and has not lost his pep.
We also have a newer Roomba who empties his own bin. (We named him Reginald). Reggie is a bit of a whipper snapper and can easily get his tail into a knot (and mow down things that he should not) but he is learning the ropes and cleans well. 😀
I seriously had doubts about how these robots would work, but it’s all rather amazing, isn’t it? Reggie and James sound like two loyal servants.
Don’t worry about the stairs — they never fall over one. They go to the edge, sense the lack of floor and stop and back up. I’ve got one for one half the house and one for the other half. One of the laser blocks that comes with them sits on the floor (it’s tiny) and keeps each in his own half.
Run them every day(!) automatically at a time you want. It’s the best thing because the house is always clean and you never have to think about it. On a negative side, it’s great to have two because if one goes down and needs a new part you’re not forced (horrors!) to do it yourself.
Yes, the price is high — made me really gulp to go from the $400 ones I used to buy to this new breed. But — it emptying itself makes an enormous difference. Before I was picking dog hairs out of the brushes every two or three days and sneezing as I emptied the dust bins. Now I just pat the console as I go out and thank the stars it’s there. Names, however… I’ll have to think about that. Thus far mine have just been named “thank god!”
I just tested it, and you are absolutely correct. He goes to the edge of the stairs and backs up. I love the idea of two, one for upstairs and one for downstairs, but I’ll have to give that some thought. Today I just set him down and when he ran out of juice or the bin got full, I took him back downstairs and sent him home to the docking station. Then I brought him back up later to finish the job. I might try bringing the docking station upstairs, so he can do the whole area and recharge when he needs to.
Thank god is a great name for your robot vac.
I’m so glad you shared your experience with us! We haven’t yet purchased one but have been tempted… and now I definitely want one! I’m not loving the price but I imagine, like most things, you get what you pay for. I named my electric car Gizmo, so maybe Gadget will be robot’s name.
I was really skeptical, but now I’m sold. Gizmo and Gadget sound like great pals.
I don’t pine for a gadget or gizmo. What I pine for is a “houseboy” to bring me coffee in the morning, start the fire and put freshly laundered/ironed sheets on my bed daily!!
Now, that conjures up a pleasant image.
Ouch! That is expensive (says the woman who spends that amount on camera equipment without flinching 😉 ) Also, if I added up what I’m willing to pay someone else to do my cleaning, it wouldn’t take long to catch up. My lovely cleaning lady decided to work in a pub not long ago and, because of the whole COVID thing, I’ve not found someone new. We’re currently doing it ourselves and, to give him his due, Himself does the vacuuming to spare my back. But he’s not very good at doing the awkward bits, nor I suspect would a robot.
Actually, this guy is pretty good at doing the awkward bits. He does it as well as I do it, anyway. I did this partly because I don’t want to mess with a cleaning person. Robo gives me a lot of time back, and the rest of the chores seem more manageable with the floors being taken care of for the most part.
I bought one during Amazon days a few years ago. Definitely in the cheaper category. We named him Buster and our cats didn’t like him much. He did a great job but we had to move so much stuff each time (chairs, bar stools) because he’d keep bumping into things and never get anywhere. I was amazed at what he picked up. Maybe we just have too much stuff on the floor? He’s been retired for a while but I may put him back to work.
Riley observes it but doesn’t seem freaked out. We have a lot on the floor, and we don’t move furniture. Our guy does a gentle nudge into things and then re-orients himself to get around it while still cleaning as much as possible. It’s quite amazing. I only pick up newspapers, cat toys and things like that.
We got one of these about a year ago and like it a lot. We do have two places it tends to get stuck in and I often have to rescue it. I am amazed at how well it picks up the dirt.
When I read your title, my first thought was of a commercial I saw the other day for an insurance company where a robot was trying to get past “Are your a robot?” question on the computer. The commercial is funny!
I haven’t seen that commercial, but your description alone made me laugh!
Great post! Huge congrats on the new addition to your home!
You deserve a kickback from iRobot! On your recommendation (a blogger I don’t know but like your sense of humor) my Roomba i7+ arrived today. While Rosie is learning her way around my house the dog and I are in the bedroom with the door closed. The dog is not sure what to think. Even though the dog has short hair, she sheds. I hope Rosie will find all the black fuzzies, especially under the bed.
PS…get the bidet!
Ha! I’m still loving Robo. Maybe he and Rosie could be friends. Our cat watches it carefully but doesn’t seem disturbed. I have had to clean cat hair and once a stuffed mouse out of the rollers!
I’m definitely going to pursue the bidet.