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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want a robot cleaner?

118 replies

ChinaSorrows · 29/12/2015 14:29

DH thinks I am...
Not exactly like Rosie, the Jetson's robot (see awesome pic attached) but a robot vacuum cleaner.

History...Our vax has given up after 4 years. The seals on all the extendy, reclippy, dust drum bits have spent the last 3 years "screaming" (I wish there was a better description but they scream) and now, the rolly roundy brush has pretty much fallen off.

I think a robot vacuum would clean the floors whilst I was out (it's programmable dammit) and ensure that we come home to fluff free carpets. It's rather exciting! (Also, in my home it will be called Geoffrey, I may or may not be looking for giant googly eyes for Geoffrey and I will also hope to teach him to do laundry)
DH thinks I'm delusional and it will be an expensive waste.
We live in a 2 bed flat.
No stairs for Geoffrey to worry about.

We can afford him. We can't afford to buy him and then a replacement if he turns out to be shite.

Any wise MNers have a robot vacuum?

I'm specifically looking at the iRobot Rooba 651 in John Lewis here

to want a robot cleaner?
OP posts:
KittyLovesPaintingOhYes · 30/12/2015 17:42

My dsis had one and her place was always a shit-tip, but I'm not sure of cause and effect... I think you would have to keep your floor pretty clear not like her cluttered bombsite, it's not a bloody genie you dopey cow!

I soooo want one now, but will have to struggle on with henry as too many stairs/changes of level mean the little bot would need constant supervision Sad

I just want to come home to a clean house that I haven't had to clean...

OhBigHairyBollocks · 30/12/2015 17:54

But how do they actually work?! I mean, will they go round furniture and things? or have a hissy fit if there is something in the way?

Oysterbabe · 30/12/2015 18:05

Mine gently bumps into the furniture then moves round it, generally ambles around then reverses into it's little charging dock when it gets tired.

QuizteamBleakley · 30/12/2015 18:18

Mine too Oysterbabe - has a lovely tidy then goes and has a well-deserved nap. Lovely.

makemineasnowball · 30/12/2015 18:30

Which Neato did you buy Dyslexic?

DyslexicScientist · 30/12/2015 18:33

Neato Robotics XV Signature Robot Vacuum, Black

Is that a good one? I don't care about phone apo stuff. I'll have to carry it into the lounge and bedroom anyway.

GraceK · 30/12/2015 18:34

MrsBalustradeLanyard - if you can't afford one of the fancier ones, then this Maplin one is great if you have hard floors (& is okay on short haired carpets, though you have to remove the twirling arms). It's not programmable & you have to plug it unlike the more expensive models but potters about our kitchen like a cheerful drunk & collects 90% of the dirt & does a fab job under the sofas & the chairs. It copes well with hair & is easy to empty and it has the drop sensor so it doesn't fall down steps. We have to go round the corners occasionally with the handheld Vax but our kitchen is still a whole lot cleaner than before we got it. It also has completely gratuitous, we're living in the future flashing LED's on top.
(Our cat won't ride on it either but stays in house whilst it's bimbling about, unlike when we get the old big hoover out..

Whatsinaname2011 · 30/12/2015 18:41

Sallyingforth I just measured my wooden slats between rooms (on the door frames) and also seem to be 15mm and the Roomba manages fine.

RudeElf · 30/12/2015 18:41

So glad to see this thread! I have been convincing myself for ages that i dont really need one but i am moving into a brand new house in a few weeks and DDog is shedding like mad and i'm working more so less time or hoovering so i think that all qualifies me for getting one. Will get online for price comparisons. The cat better fucking sit on it Grin

FrazzleRock · 30/12/2015 18:43

I have a question.

We live in a teeny tiny flat and the DC are always leaving lego lying around spread about in every sodding room. Will it suck that up too? Just worried they'll have none left, though might be a good incentive for them to pick it up before Robo gets it....

Whatsinaname2011 · 30/12/2015 18:43

stealtheatingtunnocks Roomba doesn't get stuck because it has sensors all over it so it only goes under chairs etc if it has the clearance room.

I've just measured it, and it's slightly under 4" tall. Our sideboard is 4" exactly off the ground and Roomba sails under it and gets all the dust easily.

I feel like i'm on commission for the damn thing but I love it and now my mum has one too after having Roomba for a sleepover! she bought her own one immediately.

PsammeadPaintedTheLion · 30/12/2015 18:46

Does anyone have one who has no carpets?

I mean, are they only for carpeted floors?

Whatsinaname2011 · 30/12/2015 18:46

FrazzleRock it would suck up some of the lego, the small pieces. We are still at the Duplo stage here so fine. But you open the bin on the back to empty it and the pieces would be in there and easy to get out. Ideally tho they'd tidy it up of course.

You can either turn it on manually and say "10 mins to clean up and then I'm putting Roomba on" or you schedule it (mine is scheduled whilst we are up doing bath/bed so my evening is spent admiring a clean carpet) and they know that if they haven't tidied by 6pm every evening or whenever then they'll lose the lego

Buttercup27 · 30/12/2015 18:47

dyslexic the neato robotic is brilliant. Had ours a year now and copes brilliantly with our large dog. It's noisy but we program it for when we are out. We have wooden floors, tiles and carpet and works well on everything. We replace the filters once every month/6weeks but it is used every day

FrazzleRock · 30/12/2015 18:47

Awesome. Thanks Whatsinaname2011 !

Whatsinaname2011 · 30/12/2015 18:47

We don't have carpets only big rug in the living room and then ceramic tiles in the kitchen and wooden floorboards in the rest of the living room. It does all floor types except big shaggy really long rugs I think it would tangle in.

Normal rugs, and tassles on the end of normal rugs are fine

yorkshapudding · 30/12/2015 18:50

Oysterbabe, I didn't know they just pootle off back to their charging dock when they're tired, which model is that? DH's main reason for not wanting one was that he thought it would just run out of battery really quick and we'd come back to half hoovered floors.

This thread has convinced me I need a robot vacuum in my life. If only there was one that could jump up and dust all your surfaces once it's finished the floors!

Whatsinaname2011 · 30/12/2015 19:04

yorkshapudding Roomba 880 here but I think all the Roombas must do it. You plug in the charging dock somewhere out of the way and Roomba lives on it. Then you schedule it to come on at say 3pm in the afternoon when you're at work, or 3am in the morning when you're upstairs asleep or any time you like...

It comes on, it vacuums the rooms you ask it to (it comes with one, and you can buy extra, things called "lighthouses" that you put in the doorway of each room and either set it to block off that room or to do that room. Once it's done all the rooms you've said (we have 2 lighthouses which means that it does 3 rooms - living room automatically as that's where the dock lives then the lighthouse tells it to move through into dining room then 2nd one tells it to move into kitchen) it then pootles back to it's charger and docks itself. At some point you think "oh I must empty the hoover" and empty the fluff into the bin.

It takes about 45 mins to do our downstairs (3 rooms) it's so thorough and detects extra dirty areas and goes over them extra, and the amount of dirt and dust is collects despite vacuuming daily is disgusting!!

jamtartandcustard · 30/12/2015 19:16

I asked dh to get me one for Xmas. It's the only time I would be happy to receive a Hoover for Xmas. I didn't get though as we only bought a dyson last year so I shall keep saving and buy one for myself.
Sil has one, they are amazing!

tinytumble · 30/12/2015 20:06

Getitgetitgetit.
It seems to get more off the carpets than the Dyson, plus it has helped the baby have decent naps twice a day for the last 5 months (they don't advertise that feature).
What's not to love?

Sallyingforth · 30/12/2015 20:20

whatsinaname Thank you!

Original poster
ChinaSorrows · 30/12/2015 20:31

dyslexic I haven't purchased Geoffrey as yet. But. This thread has been the catalyst DH needed to stop saying I was being "unreasonable" in wanting robot cleaner and we have decided we are getting one. It will be within the next couple of weeks. GrinGrinGrin

I will post pics when he's here and googlie eyed!

OP posts:
CakeThat · 30/12/2015 20:47

This sounds too good to be true! Do they break easily and cost a fortune to fix??

FullOfChoc · 30/12/2015 21:01

I love my roomba!

Wiifitmama · 30/12/2015 21:13

This has been really interesting to read as we used to have a roomba about 7 or 8 years ago. I loved it when we got it but I was not impressed after a while as it got stuck on our dining room table legs a lot and I did not feel it did a good job. I wonder if they have changed a lot since then? We are about to move to a house that is literally double the size of our current flat and I was not looking forward to cleaning the floors. I get my boys to do it once a week but I do it in between. If they have really improved that much since I had one, I would definitely consider getting one again.