Home & Garden >
Cleaning Floors & Walls
Get a Widget for this title
RSS FeedIs the Roomba a fad or the next reality?
Results so far:
| Fad | 57% | 208 votes | Total: 365 votes | |
| Reality | 43% | 157 votes |
Fad
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesRoomba like Rosie?
Meet the Jetsons...and their Roomba? Not exactly. While the Roomba may be a self propelled and directed vacuum cleaner, it still requires human hands to empty it and to keep it up and running. If the Jetsons had had to empty Rosie their robot maid every time she finished cleaning, I think they would be asking themselves what they were paying her for? Therein lays the primary problem with the Roomba: You still have to do housework.
People who buy a Roomba are obviously not fond of housework and probably lack the commitment and vigilance that is necessary to keep up with a daily housework routine. So why would that natural tendency towards procrastination change with the Rhoomba? Quite simply, it would not. The Roomba will clean the floors on a regular basis, but there is no guarantee that its owner will actually empty the filth that has been swept up.
I don't know about other people, but I like to vacuum my couch as part of my routine. I have a cat and he sheds on the couch so it is absolutely necessary to vacuum it with the hose on my sweeper in order to get his pesky little hairs off. Unfortunately, a Roomba cannot perform this task so it would be up to its owner to get out the old vacuum and do it. And vacuuming the couch is no easy task. I can vacuum my entire house in about 20 minutes and without breaking a sweat, but the couch takes 20 minutes alone and I sweat, like crazy! So Roomba owners have bought a $300 sweeper to do the easy job but save the hard work for themselves. Does that make a lick of sense to anybody because I don't understand that logic?
Next there is the staircase dilemma. If you have a two story house and your stairs are carpeted, you will still need to get the old sweeper out to do those. And the stairs are probably just as much of a task as the couch! So now there are two major obstacles that the Roomba cannot overcome and that you, the proud owner of this $300 miracle, will have to see to yourself.
And what about all of those nooks and crannies? The Roomba cannot fit in those small spaces that hide grime, nor can it get close enough to the wall to deep clean the edges. Skipping these areas in one's house will not go unnoticed. The grimy corners will stand out in contrast to the spic and span floors, trust me.
So what are the alternatives to the Roomba? Setting up a chore chart is a great way to go if you have a housemate and/or have children at home. That way everyone can pitch in on a different day of the week and the burden of keeping up with all the dust and dirt does not lay solely on one person. If motivation is what keeps you from getting out the sweeper and breaking a sweat, try to think about the end result rather than the work. A home is so much more pleasant and relaxing when it is clean.
If you are tempted by the Roomba, be sure to weigh all the factors before the purchase. Consider how much work it will actually be saving you by thinking about what you use the vacuum for in your house. Some people even use their vacuums as ceiling dusters as well as for floors and upholstery. Is $300 worth not having to sweep or vacuum when you know that you will still have to retain and use your old sweeper for furniture, stairs, ceilings, and corners? That is for each individual to decide, but I would rather spend the money on some new clothes or a night on the town!
Learn more about this author, Heidi Jame.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
Reality
I got a Roomba for Christmas a couple of years ago. My mother-in-law is notorious for throwing money at whatever trend makes its way into her field of vision. It sat in the box for months, having deemed it a waste before the wrapping paper fell away.
From my wheelchair I had the perfect angle to see that two kids and spring dirt were winning the coup to overthrow orderliness. I have often said that sweeping and vacuuming are the hardest chores to do from the chair, stretching and straining to reach every piece of paper, lint and dirt. The hated but necessary task always brought the swears and cusses so close to my lips that some would leap out of my mouth before I could wrangle them back in. After pulling several muscles in my back, repeatedly dropping the handle of the broom hard onto my bare feet and losing the vacuum under the kitchen table, I had had enough. I busted out the Roomba from the sealed box. I pulled out everything, scratched my head for a moment, then opened the owner's manual.
I charged it over night, not wanting the battery to harbor any bad memories. I cleared the downstairs floor of all debris, socks, legos, etc. I corralled the kids upstairs with SpongeBob, then pressed the "clean" button. I had taken the time to set up false walls under the kitchen cabinets that lacked a kick plate and flooring after a few inches. It spun concentric, widening circles before it took off in whatever direction it felt would be good. It crawled and sucked all over the floor, and easly made the transition between bare floor and area rug. It ran for over an hour, and I studied every move it made. I was unable to divine the method of its journey, but after it docked itself like an exhausted lover, I cried. The floor was without bits of crap, or sand, or dried macaroni. How could I have misjudged such a vital new member of the family.
After I served lunch, and let the Roomba charge, I schlepped it upstairs, one step at a time, with me crawling up from behind. I covered the couches with toys and juice cups, and half eaten bowls of dry Cheerios. We turned it on, and marveled at how good the carpet looked. It really was a miracle.
I now have a Scooba for washing the bare floors, and it, too, has become a member of the family, only not as close as Roomba since she can't plug herself in. Both IRobot beauties now are referred to as "she" or "her", and are to be respected at all cost. My husband says that they don't do quite as good of a job as when you do it by hand, but I say they do a much better job than me not doing it at all. Sometimes I hear moms say not to worry about the messes you or your kids make, they "have a lady." I find myself sharing that sentiment, pnly I get to say, "Not to worry, I have robots!"
Learn more about this author, Brooke Steiner.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
