Stuff & Things: Roomba Review + Questions Answered
by Joey | Mar 17, 2016 | Throwback |
Several weeks ago, I caved and ordered a Roomba. I have a cat who was falsely advertised as a short hair only to have him explode into a full blown fluff ball three months after bringing him home. My husband’s allergies loved that little magic trick.
Keeping the apartment hair free was become a constant chore. And then, in the middle of a several-weeks-long breakdown, I gave up all together. Trust me, be glad I didn’t invite you over during that time. Hair. Was. Everywhere.
At my breaking point, I interviewed housekeepers. $65/week to clean my shoebox of an apartment seemed like a bit much. And then the husband went and showed his hidden talent of scrubbing the shower (sorry hubs, it’s your job now), so it got me thinking…
Did I really need housekeepers?
No. I needed someone, er, something to help me get the job done. It’s no secret that I have very little free time. And after spending the entire week keeping someone else’s house neat and tidy, the last thing I want to do when I get home is touch a vacuum cleaner.
So anyway, after it arrived, I instantly started getting a million questions. Do you like it? Is it worth it? How does it work? What about stairs?
But I’m just here to answer one question today. If you have pets, or
really enjoy a clean floor,
yes the Roomba is worth it. It was a hefty splurge. I received a $100 Best Buy gift card after the whole mess they put me through back in January, but I still paid $270 out of pocket for it. And I’d turn around and pay the full price tomorrow if something happened to my new little friend.
But a clean house matters me to. My life just feels more in order when everything is in its place and my floors are clean. It turns out that giving up on my house chores during that breakdown was the biggest mistake I could make because it only kept me spiraling further and further into the haze.
So I guess you could say the Roomba saved my life.
Yeah. We’ll go with that.
To answer the other questions:
What about stairs: well, I don’t have stairs so that’s a non-issue for me. But it does come with a virtual wall that you can place strategically in any place that you want to keep the Roomba away from.
What about cords? I ran it for the first time while I was home so I could assess any problem areas. It got trapped in our wii sensor, so I had to move that. I have to remember to put my computer cord on my desk when I leave. It takes issue with small, thin wires. It can handle itself pretty well with any standard width cord and will free itself with some work.
When and how often do you run it? Mine has the ability to keep a schedule. I run it every. single. day. Hell, he’s here. I might as well put him to work. He runs daily at 1PM.
How long does it take? A while. Longer than your standard vacuum session would take. But hey, you don’t have to do it. I also tend to have it run while I’m not home.
How often do you empty the bin? I try to remember to do this daily. Like I said, I have an exploding long haired cat. It fills up daily over here.
What about your pets? Bailey is afraid of all things, but she is slightly intrigued by it. She’ll bark at it occasionally but otherwise just tries to stay out of its way. Campbell, however, thinks it’s his new best friend and is convinced that it’s actually playing a game of chase with him.
Does it dock itself automatically once it’s done? Yes. If it starts to run out of charge or finishes, it’ll return to its dock. I’ve only found it trapped somewhere once, and that was during the whole wii wire debacle. It’ll turn itself off automatically if there’s an issue (like it’s trapped in wires and can’t break free).
Have you read my book yet? Download it here! I’ll love you forever and ever and we can be besties for life!
It sounds like I definitely need something like this in my life!
I've considered a Roomba as well. My vacuum is so old. So not sure it really picks up all of Sophie's shedding. And boy does she shed.
I have REALLY been contemplating getting one of this, but I just couldn't decide! I have a pretty big area in the living room, dining room and kitchen. And my bulldog is terrified of all noises like vacuums! Does it work on non-carpeted surfaces okay? I have heard good things about it, but I still don't know!
We have mainly hardwood in the first floor of our house and it works wonderfully!
We have the same roomba and we LOVE IT. We have it run downstairs every night in the middle of the night so the dogs are upstairs with us and won't get freaked out. We also stick it up upstairs once or twice a week. And you actually don't need the virtual wall near the stairs because the roomba has a sensor on the bottom that prevents it from going down the steps.
We have been on the fence about getting a roomba, I'm just not sure I could justify the cost.
This sounds like a dream! haha It might be on my birthday wish list this year after hearing how effective it really is 🙂
I think one of these days, I might have to splurge on one of these! It would make my life so much easier.
I really need one of these!!
Sold!!! I want one!!!!! Even though we have mostly hardwoods, Gracie's fur is everywhere. Does it run over hardwood and carpet smoothly? Or is it a carpet only thing?
My parents had a Roomba ages ago, and it seems like they've come a long way since then! I'm definitely intrigued. Also, I really just want to see how Bert would react.
xoxo
Kat
Here's the real question… what did you name the little guy?!? Lol. And you gotta watch this little clip from Parks & Rec
Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! OH MY GOSH! I need to explore this piece of magical equipment very soon. We have 3 cats…all short hair, but still…3 cats.
Hmmm…Scott suggested one of these. I worry it'd turn into a gadget I'd stop using (don't get me started on the Amazon Echo…he loves that thing and I do not).
Also, I almost worry it'd scratch the floor. We had dog hair (not an obscene amount) and some sand and dust that gets in. It WOULD be helpful…clean floors are what I care about most.
My mom SWEARS by hers, and they have a black lab!
'cat who was falsely advertised as a short hair' hahahaha. Chelsea, our fluffiest fluff ball, was very very short hair looking when we got her. imagine our surprise when she poofed up a couple months later! there is absolutely no keeping up with the cat hair in my house. i mean, sure, maybe a roomba would do it, but then i wouldn't have a house because my husband would divorce me haha. but seriously. i see them at coscto all the time so maybe i'll get it on mega sale one day.