To wonder what's the point of a robotic vacuum?

[Shufflebumnessie]

Over the past few years DH has often suggested buying a robotic vacuum cleaner. So far I have managed to dissuade him but I accidentally saw an email yesterday and it would appear he's bought one in the Amazon Black Friday sale. As he's not told me that he's bought it I can only imagine it's meant to be a Christmas present for me but that's a whole other thread!!

I honestly can't see the point in them. We have young children so toys laying on the floor are a pretty constant in the lounge so it won't have a nice clear floor space to clean. Plus, I'm assuming it can't get into corners so we're still going to have to get the normal vacuum out.

Are there any positives to them? Will it revolutionise the cleaning of my house?

I really want one!

I have a 3 storey house and one on every floor!

Why would you NOT want one? Move toys to the side, robot cleans your house to perfection without you doing a thing. My roombas pick up more crap than my upright so I ditched it and now only have robots and a handheld for doing corners and stairs.

I have one and really like it. You do need a clear floor. It has a little spinny brush that gets into the corners. It pops out and cleans while we're out and takes itself back to the charging dock when it's tired.

I don't have one but the point is fairly obvious. It would give me impetus to pick things up off the floor then I'd get to come home to a vacuumed house. Sounds great!

I don’t understand them either. No good for stairs. Teeny weeny dust collection thingies. Ridiculously expensive. I can’t imagine they are great for pet hair or moving from high pile rugs to hard floors, either. They wouldn’t replace a normal vac in my house.

Do any of you have dogs? I think mine would be frightened

I have a robot hoover AND mop and I love them more than anything else I own. It saves me so much time. Unless you are a dirty slattern and never hoover, it will do the same for you

Disclaimer, I am a dirty slattern and that’s why I need the robots - no judgement intended!

to give us stories like this

True or not it made me never want to get one

I really want one. And now i have leant from the above poster you can get a robot mop i also want one of those. I hate hoovering, it makes my back ache and a robot hoover would make me happy. At least until it became sentient and turned on me obv.

DH wants one, he also wants to get a cat, so then the cat can sit on it while it goes round. He's been watching youtube videos.

I get them if you have mobility issues or vacuuming is somehow physically problematic, eg they are great for my mum who has a heart condition and shoulder issues. The rest of us though? How time consuming a part of life is hoovering, really? My house is bigger than average and is over multiple floors, so is a pain in the arse for hoovering and it still doesn’t take a long time to run the hoover round.

I would love one. Ten minutes after I hoover the floor has bits on it.

My cat would be fucking terrified

Does it know not to fall down the stairs when it does the landings?

My house is more like a lighthouse than an actual house with stairs everywhere. Presumably a robot would be no good for me?

This is the sort of thing he wants to recreate.

I despair.

Don, yes it has a sensor to stop it toppling down the stairs.

I am lazy and certainly would not be vacuuming every day, but with my roomba the house gets done daily as it is no effort. It copes with mine and DDs long tangly hair very well.

I used to have one in my flat, it was ace. I used to pick up stuff from the floor and dust a room, then let the hoover do its thing while I tidied the next room. It went under the beds etc which I cba to do often with a regular hoover, and into the corners. I did have a handheld for occasional 'spot cleaning' i.e. a spill, but honestly it rarely got used. I miss it!

I’m assuming you clear the floor before you hoover manually? But you’re right it only hoovers - it doesn’t tidy up for you 😂

They're on my Christmas list! My sister has one and it's brilliant for the kitchen and living areas that really need a daily spruce but it's hard to find time for. There's no need to have toys on the floor (speaking as someone with 4 young DCs I do know the challenge, but the sooner they are in the habit of tidying the easier it is!), It's a good reminder to keep things tidyish too.

They are brilliant when you know people are coming and you are cooking and just want to hoover a room. I also use mine three times a week in the room where our dog hangs out during the day.

Mine is four years old now and has had a new battery and brush and still does a great job. Very thorough.

I don’t think you can beat a proper deep clean with a proper vacuum cleaner. I like the idea of in between a full good vacuum though

Are the cheapo ones any good?

It's great! I "downsized" from a Dyson that was getting too heavy to a cordless upright/handheld but then DD suggested a robot that was good for pet hair. It has the added bonus that Ddog will sit quietly on the sofa while it chugs around instead of trying to attack the upright vacuum and having to be expelled to the garden or another room so I can clean in peace.