Is a robot vacuum worth it?
I remember when robot vacuums first came out. I am a late adopter of technology in general and so you can imagine I was reluctant to jump on board. They seemed like they were more work than they were worth. You had to make sure it’s path was clear, empty it out all of the time and it still seemed as though it wasn’t even that good at it’s one job; vacuuming. Plus they were relatively pricey.
Fast forward several decades (a quick google search tells me the first robot vacuum came out in 1996, but they became more mainstream with the Roomba’s in 2002!) and I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND!
They are smarter. Robot vacuums are really good at navigating obstacles (although not perfect, I’ll get to that in a minute). Even a lot of the lower-end models are equipped with LIDAR technology and are able to map out your floor plan. I can tell my robot vacuum to clean certain rooms. I can set up schedules in the app. They really are smart and easy to use!
They are actually really good at vacuuming. Like as good as my dyson. It’s actually quite shocking how much stuff my vacuum sucks up every night.
They are cheaper. My base model (it’s a Roborock) was less than $150. For me, 100% worth it.
They get under furniture with ease (think beds, side chairs and couches with a few inches of clearance). This is super helpful for me as these places are dust-bunny magnets!
I need help with keeping my floors clean! I’m in a stage of life where my floors need to be swept every day (sometimes multiple times per day!) My 2 young sons are messy creatures. I need an assist!
They’re like accountability partners for tidying. I am motivated to make sure the floor is somewhat clear before we go to bed because if something is the right size (too small for the robot to sense and avoid but too big to be completely sucked up, for example, a stray sock) the item will get stuck in the robot and the robot can’t suck anything else up. I’d rather pick up a few things and get a thorough vacuum in while I sleep than vacuum myself.
It helps with general dust collection. I found my house is much less dusty when we are running the robot vacuum every night.
They can double as toddler entertainment :)
But the thing I love most about my robot vacuum? The weight of keeping our floors relatively clean does not fall solely on my shoulders, or anyone else in my household. I have something (rather than someone) I can rely on to share the load and that is worth A LOT to me. Don’t get me wrong, we definitely believe in sharing the load in our household and we all have our areas of ownership. However, there is something nice about having a robot to share with. Robots don’t get sick. They don’t get tired and can’t vacuum tonight. They don’t have feelings and stressful days at work. They just do what they were designed to do (vacuum!)
Is a robot vacuum for everyone? Nope! Here are a few downsides to consider.
It’s not 100% maintenance free. You do have to empty the canister. To me, it’s not a big deal but mine will fill up in a matter of 3ish days, so I just do it everyday. I also occasionally give it a little cursory cleaning (clean out the brushes and tap out the canister filter). And every other week or so, I take out the brushes and clear them from any debris (like hair and string).
You have to keep your floors relatively clear. My robot vacuum can navigate around a lot of obstacles but things that are too small to be recognized as obstacles and too big to be completely sucked up need to be cleared from the floor. Cords can sometimes get wrapped up in the brush if they are out in the middle of the floor. If you have small children with lots of small toy items (legos, small figurines, playing cards) and you’d be annoyed by having to tidy before the robot vacuum can clean, maybe a robot vacuum isn’t the best fit for you right now. Again, this is a benefit to me as I use it as extra accountability to do our nightly tidy, but you may feel differently.
I know this sounds like a commercial for robot vacuums but wow, do I love mine! He’s kind of become a part of the family (we call him whiskers).
Love the idea of sharing household labor but not sure how to get started? Check out my workbook for a DIY option, or come to a workshop or book a call with me for more support! I’d love to be part of your journey to share household labor in a way that works for you and your family!
