Robots
I like the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner. I like it because it cleans the floors and carpets while I can be doing something else, like laundry. I don’t like having to drag/push a standard vacuum cleaner around, it is hard on my back.
Having said that, there is a lot of room for improvement. The Roomba gets stuck frequently on the air vents that are in my floors and carpets. And when I say stuck, I mean it is really stuck, it stops there and signals its distress call. There are several of these vents in every room, so that is a pain in the neck, having to rescue the Roomba many times. In addition, there are several pieces of furniture that the Roomba seems to be smart enough to get under to clean, but can’t figure out how to get back out, so it gets stuck under the furniture a lot, too.
The small motor does not do a very good job of cleaning, so in order to keep the house looking good, the Roomba needs to be run every day. In contrast, if I pull out the standard vacuum to clean house, the carpets look clean for a week.
The Roomba tends to push pet fur “tumbleweeds” around floors rather than pick them up, so that is a disappointment. The little brush that “cleans corners” does not really do a very good job of cleaning corners. Having said that, my standard vacuum’s “corner cleaning” feature doesn’t do a very good job of that, either! Another drawback is that every time I use the Roomba, I have to spend ten minutes or more sitting on the kitchen floor, cutting pet fur away from the brushes and other areas of the machine. I learned to do that before letting it run, when it is fully charged so it could clean up the mess I made. If I do it AFTER it has run, I make a mess and it has no energy to clean up the mess and then I have to get out the broom and dust pan to clean it up myself. After I bought my Roomba, they came out with a different version that they claim is made specifically for pet hair. I’ll have to buy that one next and see if it does a better job than the one I currently have.
And, even though I have a docking station for the Roomba, for it to go back to by itself to recharge, as often as not, the Roomba will run out of energy in a different room and simply die somewhere else rather than docking itself. And as often as not, when that happens it is under a bed or a dresser, so it can be difficult to find it to bring it back to the docking station.
The warranty is way too short, considering the expense of the unit. They wear out/break way too quickly/easily. Even thought I tell people that I love my Roomba, I’m not sure if I’d tell my best friend that she should go buy one if she happens to be having financial difficulties and needs a vacuum cleaner. I’d be tempted to tell her to buy a regular vacuum cleaner that does a better job and lasts longer.