Do robotic vacuum cleaners really work

[rayshow]

And if yes, what would you recommend?

[janterry]

1. Yes, I have a roborock

https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-robot-vacuum/

[Kitchari]

2. One thing I read is that

They can get tangled if you have fringe at the edge of a rug, like an area rug that is Persian style-- Other than that, I would be tempted to get one.

[WePurrsevere]

3. I wish... but we have blown air heating and enough cats and dogs that...

As much as I'd love one, I think it would look at all the dust and fur and blow up.

I have more 'normal' family and friends who absolutely love theirs though. If (or when) they ever make a heavy duty one that could handle our volume I'd love to know about it.

[hlthe2b]

4. I'd bet they work best with more modern open spaces. I don't see how they'd work well

with more traditional rooms with more furniture and obstacles. Not to mention the pet hair problem.

But if I had a loft or similar with less furniture and thus more open design, I'd get one in a heartbeat. Even if I had to deal with pet hair blockages.

[3Hotdogs]

5. Cat likes to ride on the little sucker.

Beyond that, most of the time it is in the closet and the stick with the cylinder comes out of the closet -- faster and better for specific spots. I'd say, don't waste your money.

[klook]

6. Our Roomba is great.

We use it several times a week, one room at a time.

Small house, cat, partially muddy yard, allergies: the Roomba has been a good solution for us.

It gets up quite a bit of hair and dust every time we use it. We run it “on demand,” although it can be programmed to run on a schedule if you want to go that route.

We have to move a lot of things out of each room to give it full access to the floor, although it will navigate around and under things very well if you don’t want to take the time and trouble to do temporary rearranging of furniture and other items.

We didn’t get the top of the line model — I can’t remember which one it is (on edit: the 860), but it’s adequate for our needs. Does not have any cell phone interoperability, which would be overkill for us. And it doesn’t retain “maps” of the rooms — has to re-learn the room each time, which is kind of wacky to watch because it zig-zags all over the place until it figures out where the walls and other objects are.

We did spring for the gizmo that sends out a thin beam of light to keep it from going through open doorways, bumping into the cat’s water bowl, etc.

The new models have a lot more features — some empty themselves into a supposedly secure bag that holds a couple of months worth of debris, for example. Some have a rinsable dust bin. And I think all the new ones can be controlled and monitored with a cell phone app.

We use it mostly on hardwood floors, although it does fine on carpet (mainly tight-weave “Berber” style). We keep it away from movable area rugs and anything with a fringed edge (Christmas tree skirt, for example).

It spends 45 minutes to an hour on a smallish room (say, 12 x 12 feet), and then after cleaning and recharging for an hour or two, it’s ready to go again. We’ve had ours for 3 or 4 years, and it’s holding up well. I would definitely get another one when this one conks out.

The same company makes robot mops, but from what I’ve read those really don’t really do the job unless your floor is already almost clean. They just don’t have enough oomph to apply force they way you do when mopping with an “analog” mop.

[blueinredohio]

7. I have one although a cheaper model

You have to move cords etc. out of the way but for the most part it does a pretty good job. I like it because it gets under the beds that I can't get with the broom.

[janicer.marron]

12. vacuum cleaner

Yeah, I like the robot vacuum cleaner too, and I like its good cross-country ability under the bed snd best recliner loveseat!

[MontanaMama]

8. I have a Roomba.

Got it at Costco. I think it works great for the most part. I agree with the post above that electrical cords and anything loose like rug fringe can be an issue. They’re more powerful than you think...ours sucked up my husband’s drivers license when it fell behind the dresser. We have all hard floors with area rugs and it does well with both of those. I love how it will get crumbs and crap under the toe kicks of kitchen cabinets.

We have pets including a dog with long hair and it does a pretty decent job of picking up the hair. Our vacuum will stop and play a sad music sound when the rollers need to have hair unwound from them. It’s about a 5 minute job to do that. I really like how it can go under couches, armoirs and beds to suck up dust. If I only used it for that, it would be worth it. Mine can do two largish rooms...about 2 hours of continuous cleaning before it needs to charge. My dogs hate the thing...so does the parrot. Oh, and if you’re OCD at all, don’t watch it do it’s thing...there’s no rhyme or reason to how it navigates...drives me nuts to watch it.

[cyclonefence]

9. We've had one since about the third year they were available

and our machine has been excellent in cleaning up food detritus under the table between normal vacuumings. It doesn't substitute for a regular vacuum; its suction isn't as strong and it doesn't hit every inch of the floor. But it does an acceptable job in keeping the floor clean enough for every day.

We have a cat, and it does an excellent job in keeping cat hair under control, to the point that allergic people who visit after a Roomba-ing are not bothered by the cat's shedding.

My biggest complaint is that it gets stuck under furniture, and I have to prepare the room for its use. I place cushions in front of the couch, for instance, and line up the dining room chairs to create a clear passage. It also gets tangled in bits of yarn and kleenex that I don't notice under the chair. It's never had a problem with rug fringe, but sometimes gets trapped by the edge of thin throw rugs. You have to straighten up the room--or at least the floor--before you run it.

[Totally Tunsie]

11. Son's Roomba snagged the hanging edge of the toilet paper

and dragged forward, emptying the roll. He said it was quite a sight to follow the paper through the house.

Other than that, they love theirs. It's programmed and takes its ride each evening, which is especially helpful in the kitchen. Works well picking up their pup's hair. After a year, "she's" a part of the family, and has been given a lovely name.