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AIBU?

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Original poster

To regret not getting a robot vacuum sooner

165 replies

JudesBiggestFan · 31/01/2026 14:37

Oh my days. What a game changer! Bought it on Wednesday and the joy of seeing him pootling about, vacuuming and mopping my floors while I get in with other things! I have three kids and I think I’ve vacuumed twice a day for the last 16 years. Hours of my life back. And it does a great job too. Am I alone in my new obsession?

OP posts:
stickydough · 31/01/2026 14:56

Didimum · 31/01/2026 14:54

What are the downsides, if any? What can’t it do? I have mainly carpet - downstairs is two reception rooms and a hallway and then unfortunately a step up to tiled dining room, kitchen, boot room and downstairs loo.

Doni help it up the step and it will just carry on? Will it end up on its back if it falls down the step?

Yeah it won’t be able to do the step. Some have boundaries though so it wouldn’t necessarily fall back down. But having to help it up defeats the purpose, you want it to pootle about in the background.

TrickorTreacle · 31/01/2026 14:55

Hey @JudesBiggestFan what make and model is your robot vacuum? I had one that was meant to sweep and mop but the water / mop function never worked. Think it was a Roborock.

stickydough · 31/01/2026 14:54

Clefable · 31/01/2026 14:51

We have Tapo, partly as we have other Tapo stuff so it’s in the same ecosystem. Had no issues.

I wouldn’t ever buy Ecovacs again, the software was atrocious, our old one constantly lost the map or had weird overlapping maps, ignored the boundaries we put on app etc.

My shit one was ecovacs!

Didimum · 31/01/2026 14:54

What are the downsides, if any? What can’t it do? I have mainly carpet - downstairs is two reception rooms and a hallway and then unfortunately a step up to tiled dining room, kitchen, boot room and downstairs loo.

Doni help it up the step and it will just carry on? Will it end up on its back if it falls down the step?

stickydough · 31/01/2026 14:54

Congratulations!! I had one that cost a lot more than that, and it did help but there were so many issues, would get stuck and the map would go offline etc. The mop was like a light sponge so only useful for floors that were already very clean. And the nail on the coffin was we sanded our floors and got rugs, and he can’t make it up them. I’ve given him away.

Clefable · 31/01/2026 14:51

We have Tapo, partly as we have other Tapo stuff so it’s in the same ecosystem. Had no issues.

I wouldn’t ever buy Ecovacs again, the software was atrocious, our old one constantly lost the map or had weird overlapping maps, ignored the boundaries we put on app etc.

SalmonOnFinnCrisp · 31/01/2026 14:51

Yanbu.

My fave bit is when my eufy beeps and boops then trundles off home congratulating himself on a job well done

I am on my 2nd the first one was very much the "dumb as a shoe" country cousin of my new eufy but I remember him fondly too

Original poster
JudesBiggestFan · 31/01/2026 14:51

I feel like people should talk about this more! The joy of seeing the kids dropping crumbs and sending the robot vacuum after them instead of knowing I’m going to have to wrestle Henry out of the cupboard…immense! We have the Riborock S10…it was only £169.99 so I wasn’t sure how good it would be, but no complaints. So so clever how it maps the rooms!

OP posts:
FuzzyWolf · 31/01/2026 14:48

Love mine as well although could do with getting a new one soon.

Onefortheroad25 · 31/01/2026 14:48

I love mine! Got him just before Christmas. Mine is a Eufy. We have a large open plan kitchen extension and he fully takes care of it.
My only regret apart from not getting one sooner is that I didn’t get the mop version.

lalaland2021 · 31/01/2026 14:47

Absolute game changer. Makes me so happy too!! Just wish I’d got one with longer battery life as it can’t do all our upstairs in one hit and someone else told me the eufy is better than our Roborock at mopping floors. Still love it loads!!

Evergreen21 · 31/01/2026 14:45

Is there a particular brand you have or one you would recommend? I have 3 kids and hoover at least twice a day too . I have thought about buying one but not take the plunge yet.

Clefable · 31/01/2026 14:42

Love ours! We have one upstairs and one downstairs and I love seeing them trundle around.

Ladybugheart · 31/01/2026 14:41

I'm so so tempted to get one. I have a pretty small space and feel like it will spend more time getting stuck around chair legs etc that actually cleaning!

Marmaladegin · 31/01/2026 14:39

No, I have had one for over a decade (well, upgraded a couple of times, not one single machine) and having one still brings me joy- especially when I’m off out to do something nice with kids and I start it off as I head out

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