Ok, so who orders a robot vacuum cleaner, you may ask?? Me! I have a fairly big house, with white tiles and cream carpet. I work full time. I have never had a cleaning lady, I have always managed to juggle the household chores and a demanding job, which really does take time away from spending time with my family and friends. So, I ordered a vacuum that cleans the floor all by itself! Yes - you read correctly... it VACUUMS and MOPS the floor for me!
I admit that while I was waiting for my Robomaid to arrive, I was a little sceptical. I tried not to set high expectations for the machine, thinking that I didn't want to be disappointed when I actually saw it in action. I wondered if it really would live up to the hype, and wondered why I didn't know someone with one already - they are very reasonably priced after all :)
Ok, so it finally arrives and I just about kiss the delivery driver who comes to my door with my new toy. I knew it had to charge for 12 hours before I could use it, so I put it on charge and watched the DVD that came with it. Looking good...
I didn't wake up at 2am to give it a try (although I did consider it), it was 6.30am the next morning that my life changed forever. I turned her on and watched it crawl around my living room, sucking up dirt off my floor - yippee!
I waited for my gorgeous sister, Linda, to arrive for morning tea, so that we could have a proper play with it. We set it off in the lounge room on the carpeted floor - wow! Still impressed! My 3 year old darling nephew fell in love with it, following it around, patting it and pointing out spots of dirt for it to pick up! It was very cute to watch.
Basically, you have to get everything off the floor so that it doesn't catch on anything. Then you just hit Play! One of the brushes got caught on my shaggy rug, so I have to lift this up when we clean the lounge room. It attempts to climb onto anything in its path, so I find that it is best to just have a clear floor.
I also block off one room at a time, so I know that it has done one room thoroughly, before moving it to the next room. You can block off a room a few ways - you can close the doors (if possible), you can move something to block the doorway (eg - basket, box), or you can use the 'virtual wall' that comes in the kit, which sends off infra-red rays that she reads as a wall and doesn't go past it. This ensures that Robomaid stays in the one room and does her magic thing! I try to think smart and put something I am moving off the floor into the doorway to act as the block (eg - magazine holder, fireplace tools, stools) - this way, you are hitting two birds with one stone!
To use the mop, I have been first getting her to vacuum the room, which takes around 10-15mins depending on the size of the room and how dirty the floor was. Then I wet the mopping pad and pop it under and let it go over the same room, this time mopping. It is so wonderful! It doesn't get all wet with puddles, just a light swipe of the damp cloth on the floor, and I have been amazed at the spots that actually lift off! I love that it doesn't get all wet, as you can generally walk on it within minutes of it being mopped - bonus :)
Here is the proof...
I put her into our bedroom last week and was shocked (both horrified and overjoyed) at the results.
She picked up so much gunk that I had to empty the drawer THREE times.
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| Sorry - this one is meant to be landscape. BTW - gross!! |
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| Make sure you check it regularly when the floor is dirty, to avoid the hair catching like it has on the far right here. |
I was absolutely horrified at the amount of dirt and fluff that had been living in our carpet, as I vacuum regularly with our Miele vacuum cleaner - nothing fancy, but I thought it did the job. At the same time, I felt so comforted knowing that from now on our entire floor is going to be so much cleaner, especially for our young niece and nephews who come to visit all of the time.
So, I have been wondering how to set up a system that is going to work for me. It is like a washing machine or dishwasher - it is extremely helpful, but you still have to set it up and pack it up (although it can make its way back to the docking station all by itself!) in order for it work effectively. My plan is to do one room a day, while I am getting ready for work in the mornings. I simply have to scout round the room and pick up anything this could be an issue and block off the doorways, and then in she goes for around 15 minutes, while I go and do my hair and makeup. Easy!
+ It will save me doing a marathon vacuum two days per week (usually takes 20-30 mins depending on how detailed I do it)
+ It will stop me nagging at my poor husband to not walk dirt through the house! It is very challenging having white tiles and two acres of land surrounding us ;) Now, I can simply pop the Robomaid over any mess that gets walked in and put it on the Spot Cleaning mode, and it will clean up that little area in no time.
+ It feels so lovely having clean floor! I feel like I am on top of the cleaning when the floor is done, so now I know that I will be feeling great when I see my shiny floor each morning and night!
I still have lots to learn, as there are a number of modes and functions available - I will have to watch the DVD again soon, to see if I pick up any new ideas. But, for now, I am soooo happy with my purchase! It is a truly wonderful addition to our household and I highly recommend it to everyone :)
I do still see the need to have a normal vacuum too, as it doesn't do the very corners of the room so well, which I will do when I do a detailed clean of the room every few weeks. We also still need to vacuum the cars and other parts of the house that are a little tight/tricky for Robomaid.
So there you have it! I hope that I have remembered to include all of the pros and cons for you - I wanted to let you know how wonderful it is, but also alert you to the fact that you do still have a do a few minor things to make it effective :)
If you check out the Robomaid website here, it gives you lots more info, including movies of it in action.
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