With all the buzz over smart things I decided to take a stab at 1 in particular. We are doggie parents & our Lola sheds a lot. With this in mind, I wanted to know… are robot vacuums worth it? Spoiler alert – it depends.
In my testing, I looked at lot of models and read a ton of reviews. I had no idea of what to expect and no pre-conceived notions. I did ask a friend or two if they had one & if they like it.
One friend said she loves hers. She then followed up with “but I’m not as clean or anal as you so…”
I may have high standards, but I’m not over the top with it. I just don’t want to have to vacuum 3 times a week or more. Also, since these vacuums need to be out in the open, I wanted something that would blend seamlessly into our home decor or at least be inconspicuous.
For reference, our home is about 3350 square feet with tile flooring in the common areas & low pile Berber carpet in the bedrooms & offices. There are wool area rugs in 2 of the common areas. For the dock, I chose a spot behind a pillar so that it was hidden for direct view most of the time.
Disclaimer: my robot vac test is not a review of any particular brand or model. It’s my honest opinion on whether robot vacs are worth it in general. The only thing I compared them to are my Dyson DC33 upright and each other. All the vacuums I tried were $400 or less.
Still for $400, I expected more.
After all my research I decided to try a well known “mid-range” robot vacuum at a price point between $300-400. It was fine. My main issue was that it didn’t run for very long before it had to be emptied. I looked very utilitarian and a bit bulky but because of position of the dock, it wasn’t too bad.
Then I tried a low range model at $150. This one was supposed to be a wet/dry vac, which I thought would be perfect! It was also pretty & sleek. I should have known that would be too good to be true based on the price. I hated it honestly. It made more of a mess than it cleaned. And then there were all the parts that needed to be cleaned, including the microfiber “mop”.
This one was a definite no for me.
Last I tried another well known brand but a lower end model. The original price was $140-170 at multiple retailers. I scored it for $99 and figured I had nothing to lose at this price point. Interestingly, this was the best deal in my opinion so we decided to keep it. The 2 biggest drawbacks are:
- it’s transition from hard floor to carpet – it left hair & debris behind when it hit the carpet but this was an issue with all of the vacuums I tried. Resolution – we use a hand vac to pick up the debris & close off the carpeted rooms with doors.
- It sometimes has a hard time finding the dock automatically. Resolution – we just pick it up and place it close to the dock & press the home button on the vac or in the app. Easy enough.
One thing we can’t resolve with any vacuum is the fact that Lola really doesn’t like them. She’ll be fine!
Conclusion: So are robot vacuums worth it?
It depends on what you’re looking for. I thought I went in with no expectations but I clearly did have a few subconsciously. For me, high end robot vacuums are NOT worth it because in my opinion they cannot stand up to the clean you get from a solid performing upright.
That said, I do think some lower cost robot vacuums ARE worth it for maintenance between regular vacuuming. Running the vacuum 2-3 times per week automatically to pick up pet hair, dust, and kitchen debris – easily the busiest room in the home – is super convenient. It allows me to only pull out the upright once a week or for big messes.
What do you think of robot vacuums? If you own one, do you love it? If not, would you consider buying one? Let me know in the comments.
Also if you’d like to know which models I tried, just ask. This post has no affiliate links and I am totally unbiased.
I have a older model self-emptying model iRobot and I love it. (Cost around $350) It is programmed to run in defined areas (which it mapped) twice a week. It usually empties once or twice and keeps cleaning. It makes a huge difference in dog hair which we have plenty of. Is it perfect? No. But it is so much better than before. Fur bunnies are gone. Tracked in debris is gone. I get a message when the bin needs to be emptied or the sensors are too dusty. A vacuum still picks up more than the iRobot, but I’m not worried about a dirty appearance when guests drop in. If it broke today, I’d replace it. Sanity is worth it!
Hi MJ. I’ve heard great things about some older models that would now be a mint to get some of the same features. At least from what I found. We tried the robot vacs for the same reason as you – dog hair – and I completely agree that the sanity is worth it. Without it, I would definitely have to vacuum every day or every other day.