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Original poster

Are robotic vacuum cleaners worth it?

58 replies

MoltoAgitato · 03/02/2020 10:09

Am dithering with the idea of a robotic vacuum (Roomba or similar). We have the usual table+chairs and sofas to navigate around - are they all they are cracked up to be? I don’t want it to wind up like the bread maker and other appliance white elephants....

OP posts:
WindyRose · 06/02/2020 05:10

Around 10 yrs ago I bought a cheaper/generic brand, it was 100% useless so got a refund, then Roomba was recommended by someone who owned one and who suggested a generic wasn't a good idea. So I bought a Roomba and it's fabulous, in fact, I have two now so one is upstairs and one down. The second one was on Gumtree and just needed to be cleaned.

Most times they are both cleaning at the same time and having back problems they are not a luxury. I have since bought a mopping one too, it does the hard floors.

BonnesVacances it depends on the rug. Roomba does two rugs here without hesitation, but another rug which is more shaggy, it will back away, so I clean that rug later with the handheld vac.

99problemsandthecatis1 · 06/02/2020 07:26

Love our eufy. So rarely have to hoover downstairs now. It's reduced overall dust in the house so less dusting needed too.

Definitely need to keep cables and shoe laces out the way.

Once a week we put the dining chairs and footstools up off the floor so it can do a really good clean.

Best thing we've bought.

AlCalavicci · 06/02/2020 08:24

@lemontreebird
My Eufy is easy to clean , it comes with a little tool for cleaning the brush ( disclaimer there are no long haired people/ pets in this house )

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cleaning
ACautionaryTale · 06/02/2020 08:40

How well do they do corners?

I'm thinking of getting one but I can't see how it would get in the kitchen corners next to the plinths.

PlausibleSuit · 06/02/2020 08:43

I have a Roomba but I don't rate it. The suction is poor so it only ever does half a job. And there's a problem with the bin sensor, it thinks the bin is full when it isn't.

WindyRose · 06/02/2020 10:24

ACautionaryTale I found that the original circular brush wasn't getting into the corners so I bought some generic ones on eBay with longer arms and now corners aren't a problem. The generics were a whole lot cheaper as well. Also, I wash the filters and brushes so they last forever.

Sometimes I just set Roomba going in the kitchen rather than doing all the rooms every time.

I wouldn't be without it because it saves so much time and you can be doing something else while it's doing the floors. Most people set it to clean as they leave for work, then when they walk in the door at the end of the day it's as though the maid has visited.

Mine are the base model without programming, which means I have to press the 'clean' button rather than have it start automatically. Reason for this was that I could then buy a second unit to do upstairs and still not cost an arm and a leg. YMMV, and that's OK too...we are all different!

EnjoyyourBrexit · 06/02/2020 10:32

I adore my Eufy. I want another for upstairs. I got the 30C when it was on sale. It keeps the floors so much cleaner than I was doing. Blush

lemontreebird · 06/02/2020 11:00

Thanks @AlCalavicci.

LER83 · 06/02/2020 11:03

I'm saving up to get one! I just want it to run around the downstairs whilst I take the kids to school and pick up all the dropped breakfast/mud off shoes etc! Just noticed the Eufy 11S is on sale on amazon...

99problemsandthecatis1 · 06/02/2020 12:18

Our Euphy does pretty well in corners. It's so rate we have to hoover downstairs.

DH bought ours in an Amazon flash sale for about £110. I was skeptical at first but it's really reduced stress in our house! We also have a cleaner but can't afford enough time for her to the whole house so she now gets to hoover the stairs and upstairs and focus on kitchen and bathroom. I rarely hoover at all now!

99problemsandthecatis1 · 06/02/2020 12:38

*rare, no rate

Aragog · 06/02/2020 12:42

I love ours. We have had ours for four years and it's going really well. We use it on carpet and laminate. It doesn't have a huge collection tub but we empty ours regularly and give it a wipe over anyway so not an issue.
Ours is a roomba

florababy84 · 06/02/2020 13:09

We have a Xiaomi and it's brilliant, you can control it with an app, so if you're out or don't want to get out of bed/up from the couch, you can start a vacuum cycle and see whether it got through the house successfully, etc.

I agree that you need to be fairly diligent in keeping the floor clear, but it's very, very worth it.

florababy84 · 06/02/2020 13:10

We do need to empty the small canister after every vacuum because we have a rug that sheds a fair bit of fluff.

99problemsandthecatis1 · 06/02/2020 13:52

We have hard floors with one rug. It manages the transition well. We have a small lip up to the kitchen it occasionally struggles with. We have 2 cats.

We empty the canister twice a week.

AlCalavicci · 06/02/2020 14:58

Ooh mine will also do under the kitchen cupboards too ( kick boards fell off ages ago. )
I empty him about 2 x a week .

GiantKitten · 06/02/2020 15:37

Eufy advice please! (The love here has convinced me!)

The 11S is £137 on amazon today (normally £200?)
The 11S Max has a £50 voucher, making it £180

Is the Max’s extra power worth the extra money?

GiantKitten · 06/02/2020 15:39

(We have 3 cats, some short-pile carpets & some laminate)

pigcon1 · 06/02/2020 15:40

We are recent converts to the roomba - delighted with it. But does need to be emptied fairly regularly. Whole house less dusty.

lucysmam · 06/02/2020 18:16

I've wanted a robot vacuum for years after reading about them on here & really very tempted to spend some of my first wage from my second job on one.

How do they manage when they come to the top of the stairs? Do they have a sensor to stop them falling & injuring themselves?

AlCalavicci · 06/02/2020 22:48

@GiantKitten I dont know how they compare but you are getting a good deal with the 11s , mine was £185 only a few weeks ago.

@lucysmam
Yes even the basic Eufys ( and I presume others ) have a anti lemming device built in . they get blood close though , i stood on my stairs the 1st time getting ready to catch him

AlCalavicci · 06/02/2020 23:35

Here is a link about robo vacs , there is also a link in it to another thread about them.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3802327-Roomba-or-any-other-robotic-vacuum-cleaners

GiantKitten · 07/02/2020 09:20

@AlCalavicci thank you! I have ordered the bargainous not-Max Smile

(Might call him Max, just to confuse him)

LimitIsUp · 07/02/2020 09:54

Mine was a total waste of money - top of the range model too so it wasn't like I had gone for a cheap and cheerful model.

I don't particularly have a cluttered house (indeed, dh complains about my minimalist style), but it regularly gets stuck under furniture. They are a gimmick in my opinion.

I much prefer my cordless vacuum cleaner - so light and manoeuvrable. Okay I have to hoover myself but it's so quick with my Dyson V11 (top rating for cordless vacuum cleaners by Which?). I used to use a corded vacuum cleaner and it's cut my hoovering time down by half

LimitIsUp · 07/02/2020 09:55

Oops too late - I see you have ordered one. I hope you become a lover rather than a hater

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