Are Roombas really worth it?
Well, yes and no. Yes, because they are a very nice addition to your home, but no, because you don’t necessarily need one!
Some people feel that they do not need a iRobot Roomba because they have a small space, but in actual fact, getting a big house clean on the battery life of the average Roomba is less than feasible.
Robot Vacs make cleaning a house a lot easier and that is why people prefer them over traditional vacuums, but there are a few things that you need to know before buying a robot vacuum cleaner.
This article will detail things that you need to know before buying an iRobot Roomba, as well as the pros and cons to owning a robot vacuum.
Things To Consider Before Buying A Roomba
Size Of Your House
If you live in an apartment or a smaller house with limited space, then a robot vacuum may be a good choice for you. If, however, you live in a large house with lots of rooms, then this may not be the best option.
Flooring
If you have hardwood floors, then you should have no problem using a robot vacuum.
However, if you have carpeted floors, then you might find yourself having some issues, especially if you have high pile carpets or shaggy or fluffy carpets or rugs.
Pets
If you have pets, then you definitely want to get a robot vacuum cleaner that can handle pet hair. This means that you need to look at the different models available.
You also need to consider how often you expect to use the robot vacuum. If you only need it every once in a while, then you probably won’t need anything more advanced than the basic model.
Additionally, if you have a pet who makes a mess in the house occasionally, then robot vacuums are not ideal as they typically will smear the dog poop around.
How Dirty Your House Is In General?
If you think that your house is pretty dirty, then you might want to invest in a robot vacuum. The reason being that these robots are designed to pick up dirt from all surfaces, including carpets.
They are also able to work around furniture so that they do not scratch any walls or other items.
How Much You Are Willing To Spend?
You should always try to keep your costs down when purchasing something like a robot vacuum cleaner. So, if you are looking at spending $300-400 dollars, then you should be prepared to spend a little more money.
But, if you are willing to spend $500-$600, then you should be able to find a great deal.
Things To Know About A Roomba
They Get Stuck Easily
Generally, robot vacuum cleaners are great at avoiding big items like furniture and architectural obstacles like pillars.
Depending on the model, the robot vacuum may struggle over smaller obstacles and may get stuck in corners-even with fancy optical sensors and mapping of the home’s floors.
It is important to remove smaller obstacles before starting a clean, and it is best to block off stairways, so they do not fall down the stairs.
Of course, the more expensive models have more accurate floor mapping capacities, which will help avoid these situations.
They also have a tendency to vacuum up power cords, shoelaces, and the like. By doing this, there may be damage caused to the Roomba.
Value For Money
The Roombas offer a lot of features for the money. The handy thing about robot vacuum cleaners is that you can program them to avoid things like cables and smaller obstacles. They are great cleaners.
One of the main reasons for buying a Roomba is because it can help keep your living space tidy.
The Roomba will pick up anything from dust to dog hair or cat hair, and it will even clean under tables and beds. It does a fantastic job cleaning up after your family.
There are two types of robot vacuums: those that come with wheels and those that don’t. The ones without wheels tend to be cheaper, but they are less maneuverable.
They also cannot navigate through small spaces as well. So this is something to consider before buying.
You Need To Clean Them
The robot vacuums need to be emptied on a regular basis. Some of the robot vacuums have a larger dust bin, and so you do not need to empty them as often as others.
Having said that, there are robot vacuums, specifically newer models, that have a self-emptying capacity which will dump their debris into the home base which needs to be emptied less frequently.
However, these vacuums are much more expensive.
Additionally, you will need to clean their brushes from pet hair and dust bunnies. This is a quick process and should be done fairly frequently to ensure the vacuum performs at an optimum capacity.
They Are Noisy
Despite their small size, they do make a lot of noise and so are best used when you are out the house or when you are busy with other household chores.
A lot of people think that an advantage of robot vacuums is that you can let it do the work at night while you sleep. Unless you like the sound of white noise, it may not be the best for you.
Home Base Needs Careful Placement
The home base or the robot vacuum docking station needs to be put somewhere quite conspicuous. This is because the Roomba vacuum needs to sit flat against a wall with at least 1.5 feet of free space on either side of the home base.
What is more, they will need a massive four feet of space in front of it to easily get to home base. Additionally, the Roomba home base needs to be relatively close to a power outlet.
Pros And Cons
Pros
Robot vacuums are very easy to use and operate. You just plug it in and turn it on. There are no buttons to press, and it doesn’t take long to figure out how to use it.
With the right setup, you can leave the robot vacuum cleaner unattended while you go about your day. It will continue working until its battery runs out.
Robot vacuums are good value for money. If you buy one now, you won’t have to spend a fortune later on.
They are able to transition easily from one type of flooring to another. They are best suited on hard floors, but also can tackle low pile carpet and high pile carpet surfaces.
Cons
Robot vacuums aren’t perfect. Most robot vacuums can sometimes miss spots, and they can get stuck if they encounter an obstacle. Although they keep floors clean, they are not always great at picking up all the debris that may be on the floor.
Some people find them too noisy.
They can be difficult to maneuver around furniture and carpets, especially shaggy carpets.
The Final Verdict
If you are after a cleaning system that is relatively low effort, and you are ok with the cleaning standard being less than perfect, robot vacuum cleaners are for you.
Additionally, if you have a house with open spaces, a robot vac is for you. They offer a lot of value for their money and allow you to have a more hands-off approach to cleaning.
However, if you have a lot of furniture and smaller obstacles in your house or if you have shaggy carpets or regularly have wet mess on the floor, a robot vacuum, like a Roomba may not be the best choice for you.
Additionally, if you are very particular with the cleanliness of floors, then a real vacuum cleaner or a cleaning service may be a better match for you.
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