A robot vacuum, such as a Roomba or a Roborock is a must have for every household! We've had two different ones and it's truly life changing.
You're not still doing laundry by hand, so why are you still sweeping and mopping???
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Is a roomba worth it?
My husband suggested we get one, and my first thought was "$300+ for another vacuum? NO FREAKIN' WAY!" We already have a vacuum, I told him.
It's not that hard to pull it out of the closet, plug it in, vacuum one room, then plug it into another room, vacuum that room, plug it into another room, tug at the cord to get it unstuck from around the corner of the furniture, roll up the cord when you're done, and put it back in the closet. Repeat weekly (or twice weekly or more, if you have pets).
Oh wait. That sounds like a lot of work.
She said YES!
My husband doesn't ask for a lot of things, so I said yes to a Roomba several years ago when we bought a house and were determined to keep it extra clean. It was not a high price for my husband's happiness.
Get a roomba on Amazon, or directly from the company here.
A robot vacuum is life changing!
Little did I know that I would love our Roomba so much. The clunky, clumsy robot vacuum was amazing. I was pregnant at the time, so anything that helped around the house was amazing. The Roomba was so worth it.
Yes, it randomly bumped into things, but it kept our house clean.
Can a roomba handle pet hair?
Yes it can handle pet hair! We have two cats, and it definitely cleans up the cat hair. Of course, if you have a huge shaggy dog you might have to run the vacuum a couple of times a day and might still need to do some spot cleaning. But you have to clean a ton without a robot vacuum anyway, so this can only help.
Can it handle carpet?
Yes! It climbed up onto area rugs and carpeting without any issues!
Roomba vs Roborock
Upgrading to the Roborock:
We took our Roomba with us when we moved to the Bahamas. After hurricane Dorian, our HUGE area rug got soaked and ruined and we had to throw it out (it was the landlord's and it was HIDEOUS so it's not as sad as it sounds).
Suddenly we were left with a LOT of uncarpeted floor to mop, and mopping became a much longer chore.
We were so not in the habit of mopping so much and we ended up neglecting that chore more than we should have.
My husband suggested we get a robot vacuum that mops too. I had the same thought as I had about the Roomba: "Another $300? That's nuts. I can mop myself thankyouverymuch."
But I just haaaated mopping so much. So when the Roborock e25 was on sale on Black Friday for $199, I gave in. We ordered it to our NJ house and brought it home to the Bahamas with us in a suitcase. It was our Christmas gift to each other, and we gave our beloved Roomba away.
And OH MAN, having a robot vacuum that mops is LIFE CHANGING.
It doesn't randomly go all over the place like our old beloved Roomba. It follows a nice neat path back and forth around the house. But more importantly, it mops. And our floors were CLEAN.
You're not still doing laundry by hand, so why are you still sweeping and mopping???
Seriously, a robot vacuum with a mop is the next must-have "appliance" for every house. I mean, we ALL do laundry in a machine even though we can wash things by hand. We all use the dishwasher if we have one (unless you're an immigrant family and just use the dishwasher for storage like my mom lol).
Why are we so resistant to a robot vacuum???
The price tag might seem hard to swallow, but a robot vacuum is much cheaper than a washer, dryer, or dishwasher, which we consider essential household appliances.
And by the way, Roombas and Roborocks OFTEN go on sale on Amazon or have coupons, so you can usually get one for a very reasonable price.
The mopping feature
The mopping feature on the Roborock is just a small removable container of water and a reusable mopping cloth that is velcro-ed on the bottom. It's nothing high-tech. It mops (wipes) as it vacuums.
Yes, once every few months you might still need to do a thorough mopping to get the floors really clean. But that is a HUGE improvement over having to mop weekly.
The other nice thing about the mopping feature is that it leaves your floors SUPER dust-free. You know how when you vacuum there are still tiny dust particles blowing around all over?? Well the wet cloth collects all the tiny dust particles and your floor feels SUPER clean. It's amazing really. Especially for those of us with dust allergies.
We got a few of the reusable mopping cloths so that we always have clean ones available. That was also my husband's idea, and I am glad I listened.
I would say that if you have mostly hardwood or tile floors and very little rugs, then the mopping feature is a must-have.
We use our Roborock daily
I run our Roborock daily. The dust bin container is big enough to not have to clear it out after every use (yes, even with two cats!). The water container does have to be replaced every 1-2 uses, depending on how much you care about mopping. If it runs dry, then it doesn't mop, but it still vacuums, so it's no biggie.
Get the cords, cables, and baby socks out of the way!
The only adjustment to life with a robot vacuum was having to make sure we don't have have stuff strewn all around the floor. Just like any vacuum, it WILL suck up things, and then it will get stuck in a place because it can't untangle itself. It's not a big deal. If this happens, we just untangle it and put it back on its charging station.
It's never ruined anything. It's super easy to untangle the cords and get the baby socks out of it. In fact, it's easier to get accidentally-vacuumed stuff from the robot vacuum vs a regular vacuum.
Added bonus - our toddler cleans up his toys because he's scared the "Roombot" is going to eat them!
I think this was a brilliant parenting move on my part: I told my two year old he has to pick up his toys every night otherwise the Roomba is going to eat them. He is afraid of that thing, so he actually cleans up!
Sometimes I hear him muttering "roombot eat toys, roombot eat toys" and I see him cleaning up on his own! (He calls it a "roombot," which became the nickname both my husband and I use for our vacuum).
Do you still need to keep your huge stand-up vacuum?
No! You can absolutely get rid of it and get back some storage space. Sell it on craigslist or on Facebook to make some of the money back.
I do recommend a small hand-held vacuum for spot cleaning, stairs, and getting into the corners. It's just handy. We've had this one for years and love it.
Did I convince you that you need a vacuum robot with a mop?
Yes, I think a robot vacuum is absolutely worth it. It's such a great investment. Think about how much time you will get back. Think about how much less bickering you'll have over chores when two chores are virtually removed from your life.
So read the reviews for several robot vacuums with mops. Think about your house and what you need. If you have lots of rugs, then you probably don't want the mopping feature (though you can always just remove the water container and let it vacuum). If you have several levels to your house, you might want to get two of these and some "virtual walls" or magnetic strips to to prevent it from falling down the stairs (though some are built to not fall down the stairs!).
But I would recommend to get one if you're on the fence. Get it as a gift for yourself, for your significant other, or get it as a couple gift for both of you. You're going to love it. Coming home every day to perfectly clean and shiny floors is priceless.
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