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?

It's called iRobot! I do preliminary sweep and it does the rest to a very high standard!

www.johnlewis.com/irobot-braava-jet-240-mopping-robot-white/p3083209?sku=236642697&s_kwcid=2dx92700038717358278&tmad=c&tmcampid=2&gclsrc=aw.ds&&gclid=CjwKCAiAlvnfBRA1EiwAVOEgfC_4G2rZXKP8lpfdSlFwTrKQYwPT0oV3ChZ8zk_DGO3Wz-Ijvo_eVxoCa08QAvD_BwE

I have one and tbh it's ok on hard floors and very short pile carpet. It's crap on normal carpets or longer pile Carpets.

We used to have it set to come on in the kitchen to help with the million times a day that I sweep the floor but now it just gets on my nerves so I sweep up whilst moaning to myself 😂

Awesome, thank you! Normally get cash from my Dad for Christmas, never know what to get with it, job done!

My Roomba's one of the best things I ever bought! I absolutely love it. It's a fairly basic one - doesn't fall down the stairs due to a 'precipice sensor' but no programming functions which is fine by me.

I realised one day I really, really hated hoovering despite having tried every hoover known to man - bought a Roomba due to an MN thread linking to a bargain - and after a year I still really love it.

I work alongside mine, popping back every so often to empty his little dust tank and unwind the longest daughter hairs from the bristles. I'm not sure one could go out leaving them, for this reason.

It does a very thorough job. The carpets look good afterwards.

This is one of the RARE 'devices' I have truly loved - if it broke today I'd be online ordering another.

I did laugh at ^^ someone's Roomba thinking it can get under the fridge.. then stuck. And I loved the idea of googly eyes! The Roo (as mine is known) has none yet but here's one of my less-loved hoovers:

@Ilovedotcotton there's a MOP?! ok now I'm sold. I was on the fence before about the robot hoover but I'm going to get a little robot family to clean up after me

I have a Eufy which is cheaper than the Roomba, we call it Gary. I think it does a good job, but I will also vacuum normally, but not as often as I would have to otherwise. We only use it downstairs, we assumed it would fall downstairs if we used it upstairs though, so might have to test that out.

The dogs went ballistic when we first got it, they are better now, but still we try to keep them out of the way.

I would love a robot mop! In fact I am going to investigate.

I had a roomba and thought it would be a game changer but it was really disappointing. It couldn't do the whole of a floor of the house on one charge so you would have to trap it in one room at a time and wait until it finished. It would set the burglar alarm off so no use if you are out. It was hopeless on hard floors.
I sold it and got a cordless dyson instead. Still not great on hard floors, I tend to just use a sweeping brush on those.

@fleshmarketclose seriously thinking of getting the neato as my roomba doesn’t get into corners and just bangs off every service BUT can you programme it to do just one room? The roomba has an attachment you can put down which will ‘block’ it going past it so that works for me. I’d like the idea of doing that as I often have bits of Lego being created in one room!

They're great

We have a robot vacum (neto) and love it. It comes on every day after we leave to work and cleans whole house. It will get stuck sometimes, but mostly on cables. We have hardwood floors, tiles and one rug and seems to do a good job on all surfaces.

We also have two cats that just ignore it now. They were more curious than scared when we first got it.

Only thing, this thing is bloody noisy so when I was off on maternity leave, Ross had time off too as it sounded like a fog horn. Doesn't bother me when I am at work and we are detached house so should not disturb other people.

Ours is called Ross (as it is less capable cousin of Rosie from The Jetsons XD).

@Janus Neto has a magnetic stripe that you can put in front of area that you do not want it to vaccum, so that could work for you?

Well work colleague has the app on her phone and when she doesn’t want a room vacuuming she just draws a line on the floor plan on the app and it doesn’t go over the line @janus

I absolutely love mine! Dh "bought" it for me for Christmas last year (he is never left unattended with present shopping for anyone!) No exaggeration it's the best present ever.
I have fibro and normal hoovering was killing me, my Roomba is brilliant and I bought a mop version in the summer.
Oh and my cats love it, one knows how to turn it on himself to go for a ride @CrunchOnMyNuutterChucks

Thank you prism and flesh, that is so clever!! Love the idea of setting it while I’m out and blocking off just a certain area. The roomba will be moved upstairs to live!!!

Alfie190, my eufy does well upstairs. Hasn't fallen down them yet!!

Ours is the best thing ever. It's a Roomba- bought second hand but new from a woman who'd received it from her husband as a gift but was too offended to use it. He knows the floor plan of the house, fits under the furniture and is parked back charging himself when we get home from work. Disclaimer- no pets and hard floors. Have bought his mopping brother in the Black Friday sales

@ItsClemFandangoCanYouHearMe
It’s the iRobot Braava 380t and it is the best thing ever!! I was so sceptical when I bought it and was convinced that it wouldn’t be able to clean my filthy floors. If it’s amazing. Whenever I mop myself I always get streaks no matter what I do. With the iRobot there are no streaks at all. I bloody love it!

I love mine more than my kids!

I go out to work in the morning and when I come home he has cleaned all the floors and gone back to his little place for a rest.

He doesn't moan at me or say I will it later. He just gets on with it, and when he is tired he takes himself off for a rest rather than moaning at me about being shattered

Ours is called Robert

I had one. It lodged itself under a kitchen cupboard and burnt its motor out trying to escape. Stupid robot!

I don’t have a single room that doesn’t have either a cable on the floor or a little corner a robovac won’t fit in. I’d love to use my Neato more but we’re not compatible

We’ve got some and they’re bloody fantastic.
Instead of nagging the teenager and DH to hoover on their days, they see it’s done and finish off the stairs.
Little DC know they have to pick their stuff up and put it away on Roomba days (4xper week) so that’s a win too.

They make a bit of noise on hard floors but are completely silent upstairs on carpet.

Dogs are comically worried about them but then they’re scared of the tortoise, bin bags and umbrellas too.

They’re just going to have to suck it up

I am evangelical about them. I ummed and ahed about buying one for ages-now have 2. They are really good-true unless you clear the floor completely you won't a perfect result but in my case perfection is the enemy of filth-it's amazing how much dust gets picked up even though I use them everyday. (They have little brushes that sweep corner dust into the chamber)

Makeahouse
"1. They can't do stairs

1. They can't do edges properly"

I do that once a ~month~ week myself, I certainly wouldn't vac round every day though which is what my lovely machine does for me.