Need Help With Chores? Adopt a Roomba

Most women have too much to do and too little time to do it, especially if you are wives, mothers, breadwinners, serve the role of taxi driver, house keeper, cook, laundress, groundskeeper, etc. That's enough for 3 women. If you also write, factor in a 2nd career. Outside of enlisting the husband's and/or family's help, what else can you do? How about a tip from Mrs. Jetson? Buy a robot that cleans. I'm serious. I recently bought an iRobot Roomba. Trust me, it is a writer's best friend. While I'm writing, it is vacuuming. I tell people this cute little machine is like a pet who cleans (instead of creating messes, like my other pets.) :-) What a fantastic invention. I've wanted one of these for years, but I decided to wait until the company improved it. The one I have is a 5th generation.

The only work involved is cleaning out the dust bin and filter after each one hour cleaning session. My work in this takes from 1 - 5 minutes. Since I have a long-haired indoor cat, I also clean out the brushes and front wheel after each session. If you don't have a long-haired pet, then the brushes only need to be cleaned ever 2 - 3 sessions. It is also helpful to pick up things off the floor. If you leave socks lying around, the Roomba will likely eat one and turn itself off. The model I have is designed to not tangle on cords or rug fringes, but it still does at times, so I lift all cords from it's path. It will go from hard floor surfaces to carpet with no problems.

Mine is a model 530, which doesn't schedule, but some of the models above that do have a scheduling feature, which means if you want, you can set it to vacuum every Tuesday at 2 pm or whenever. Since I like to be present when it's cleaning, I didn't need that feature. It also comes with 2 virtual walls. These are like invisible walls that force the Roomba to stay in one area until it's clean. Once the Roomba detects the floors are clean, it sends a signal to the virtual wall, which allows the Roomba through to the next area.

Two cute things it does are, 1) when I push the clean button, it beeps and backs away from the charger dock much like a big truck. 2) when the battery is growing weak and Roomba needs to recharge, it searches for its home. The base sends out a signal and leads Roomba home where it drives right up on the base. It then plays the well known music tones for "charge". Cute!

Additional nice things about Roomba are that it cleans better than my regular vacuum. It isn't as loud as my regular vacuum. And it will also go back under the sofa, chairs, bed and dresser to suck up all that hidden dust and lint we'd have a hard time getting to without moving heavy pieces of furniture.

iRobot also makes a Scooba, a floor washing robot which mops for you. I'm saving my pennies!

Vonda
www.vondasinclair.com

11 comments:

Cynthia Eden said...

Oh, sweet. I think you've just changed my life. :-)

Randy said...

OMG...where do I get one??? Case in point: the other night, I was getting ice out of the fridge dispenser, and the glass suddenly broke (right there in my hand!) scattering glass everywhere. Well...I picked up the major shards (the ones I could see), but I was too lazy for the rest. (Besides, I'm not sure I own a--a--whaddya call it? A broom??)-- and plus I figured I could wait another (approx) 8 days for the maid to come. (That's what slippers are for, right? Meanwhile, I think I'm tracking glass throughout the house.) So I definitely need one o' dese contraptions!

Anonymous said...

How funny! We just saw this yesterday at Costco. Our five-year old son is obsessed with robots, and we joked how we could get one and kill two birds with one stone. :)

Vonda Sinclair said...

Cynthia, I'm so glad to have given you a life-changing tip. :-)

Randy, I bought mine from Amazon. Delivered right to my door at no extra cost. What could be better? It would be helpful for your tiny glass shard problem.

Veronica, how true! Your son would probably volunteer to run it for you and clean it out all while considering it fun. :-) My floors have never been so clean.

Pat McDermott said...

What a hoot! I'm ordering one tomorrow. Every time I mention getting help around the house, my husband starts running some dust thing he bought over the chandeliers. He'd have a new friend to talk to if I got a Roomba!

Holly Greenfield said...

Your like Jane Jetson. LOL! Sounds like a great investment.

Chicks of Characterization said...

My mom has one of these, she loves it!!! I've been saying for months that I am going to buy one, just never have yet....

Andrea

Vonda Sinclair said...

Pat, what a great idea. Please let me know how he likes his new friend(and how you like your new helper.)
;-)

Holly, yes, I do feel a bit futuristic. LOL

Andrea, hope you get a new helper soon too. Your mom sounds like a wise woman. :-)

Elen Grey said...

Thanks for the morning smile and the tip. I'm trying to imagine my golden retriever, Gracie Allen and Roomba.

There might be a rumble with the Roomba! It would be the Jets instead of the Jetsons. lol

Joy Nash said...

LOL! My husband just picked up one of these to use in the basement, which has a vinyl tile floor and hardly ever gets vacuumed, because he said all the dust was getting into his computer.

I couldn't believe it, but the thing works great! My kids have nicknamed it "Chuck Norris" !!!

Now I have to test it out on the rest of the house.

Joy Nash
www.joynash.com
DEEP MAGIC: Druids of Avalon #2 Jan 08 Gwendolyn risks forbidden magic and forbidden love in her quest to forge a magical sword in Avalon's defense.

Vonda Sinclair said...

Elen, I haven't run my Roomba around my dog (a golden retriever mix) but he might think it's a large rat or opossum and attack. LOL!

Joy, LOL! Chuck Norris is a cool name for your Roomba. I haven't named mine. The brain wheels are turning. Hope you find Chucky to be as helpful in the rest of your house as it is the basement. :-)