Does anyone have a robotic vacuum cleaner?

[SummerBreezemakesmefeelfine]

I would be interested to hear views from Mums netters on this. We recently visited a "stately home" which had robotic lawnmowers keeping the grass cut short.

It set me thinking that although our garden is not big enough to justify this expenditure, a robotic vacuum cleaner might be affordable.

I have a Roomba. Bloody love it. Very thorough, more so than a conventional hoover but then it can't always cope with bigger debris. Doesn't get into corners and needs "confined" but, overall, excellent.

Doesn't cope so well with cat poo...(vomit)

Yep! Have 2 x vacuum and 1x robot moppy. Works fab! Little army pootling arond the house. Deffo recommend!

I've got the same Roomba as mentioned by savoy, it is fab! It doesn't have any apps, you just switch it on and leave it working. The fancier models cost much more, but this is exactly the same quality and much cheaper.

We are house hunting at the moment, and have been worried about having another large garden, but I think a robot mower would solve that problem, too!

I bought a eufy on offer a while back and now I want another one for upstairs and a robot mop. It's bloody marvellous. Far more thorough than I ever was. It copes with cat hair just fine too.

I believe they aren't so great if your pet has diarrhoea

I have a EufyHome and I love it! So glad I went for it.

We only use it downstairs, but that's where all the dust, dirt and crumbs tend to collect anyway. Every day I do a quick check for cat vomit or spilled drinks, then pick up any things off the floor and ask Alexa to set robovac going. It's amazing how much it collects everyday! Crumbs and cat hair mainly I think, plus those damn black bits from AstroTurf pitches.

It potters around and does a pretty decent job. Definitely saves my sanity and helps us be tidier.

I have a Neato (who we affectionately call Burt). He is the best thing we've ever bought - he runs pretty much every day and does such a good job picking up our Ragdoll cats' fluff. You won't regret it.

They’re great if you don’t have a cat who likes to kill things or puke or a puppy... then it’s a mess spreader.

It also took me more than one incident to learn to only put it on when I was home. The last one was a poor hopefully dead before it got a hold of it mouse.. after cat puke n puppy poo dragged everywhere. Bloody thing didnt save any time for me when it pulled those stunts. However it might be good now we’re on two floors and the cat doesn’t get a window left open.

We have an Eufy and I wouldn't buy another. It seems to drag the dog hair around and deposit it in great clumps rather than vacuuming it up. It's become less efficient as time has gone on.
Maybe we're just unlucky tho

I’ve got a eufy and I love it! Usually only use it when I’m in the house though

has anyone got a cheap one that they would recommend?

love the idea but I haven't got the budget for a roomba

Yes we have a Roomba - I love it so much I talk to it. It really keeps the dust down and really helps us get theough the housework. Our 2 DS are also keen on it - quick tidy up of the floor fhen they set it going.and their floors are done.

Couple of questions if you don't mind -
Can they negotiate all the legs below a dining table and six chairs?

Can they get up onto a thick rug from a laminate floor?

Can they go in and out of bedrooms if you leave the doors open and block off the stairs?

Can they make me a cup of tea?!

@Hecateh - you might be able to pick up a reconditioned Roomba for not too much.

@Conkerer yes no yes no.

Thank you!

This is why we don’t have one, pretty sure DH would try this.

Life
Changing

Oh I'd love one - but I think it would completely freak my dogs out.

One dog is suspicious and walks off when it goes near her. The other gets bumped and looks at it with disgust for deigning to touch him LOL

We are older empty nesters who both work. Since a recent hip replacement, it is difficult for me to move the furniture around to clean as I would have done easily in the past.

I have paid a cleaner for the last year, but since my op in June, I can now manage most of what she does apart from hoovering often enough. We no longer have pets. Will look into the options and ask Santa for a robot!

Can they negotiate all the legs below a dining table and six chairs?

Yes, in principle, absolutely. Unless you happen to have chairs designed at the EXACT BASTARD LENGTH OF THE ROOMBA, in which case, no, and really fucking irritating that is, when it’s a key space you want cleaned! Your robot will get stuck in a four-way dance puzzle it’s never going to solve

Can they get up onto a thick rug from a laminate floor?
Usually, after an attempt or two! But (like dining chair dimensions relative to robot vacs) it can be a bit pot-luck.

Can they go in and out of bedrooms if you leave the doors open and block off the stairs?
100%

Can they make me a cup of tea?!
Alas...

@NoSquirrels - have you tried popping the dining chairs upside down on the table (with the seat part on the table and the backs hanging down - like they do in classrooms at the end of the day) before you set the robo-vacuum off?

Yes. I can honestly say it makes my life better and I'm grateful for it every day. 😌

It hoovers downstairs every night while we're sleeping and we get to come down to a sparkling clean floor even though our children were dropping crumbs at dinner. Anything that reduces your workload and stress levels as as parent is worth the cost, IMO.

(It's an Eufy)