Robo Floor Cleaners

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ronnieboy DW keeps saying we should get one of these Roomba's but I can't comprehend it doing a good job on carpet? We don't have shag carpet by any means but it isn't berber either. I guess it works decent on in-between those two carpet types? Just watching the commercials and the flimsy looking 'fishing line' brushes don't look like they would do much.

On iRobot models (Roomba) the side brush is actually quite sturdy. I know I had opinions about these vacuums, but after using one for 5 months I understand the different designs of rollers, motors, and so on.

The i3 Roomba has found lots of dust from deep down in our wall-to-wall. The sidebrush is there to stir up dust in the carpet which meets a wall. It guides larger pieces to the center of the vacuum. The siliconized rubber covered rollers do the bulk of the work. A very strong vacuum pulls the dust and dirt into the removable (also self-emptying on i-series models).

The limitations are there. You just need to use one of these in your environment to find what works and doesn't.

[Another Reader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harllee I bought my Eufy back in December on Amazon for $130. Looking at Amazon just now there are none that cheap but there are some for around $150. Mine does not map and I have to empty the dust bin myself but it does have a remote and goes back to the charger on its own, pretty amazing really.

Which model? At that price point, I would give it a try.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Another Reader Which model? At that price point, I would give it a try.

Eufy 25c. I don't see it on Amazon but Walmart has it for $150.

[Another Reader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harllee Eufy 25c. I don't see it on Amazon but Walmart has it for $150.

Thanks! Target has the 35c for $180. Because it's an experiment, I'm holding out for a lower price point.

[misanman]

This may seem like an strange question, but would a robot sweeper work okay to keep a garage floor clean? That's one area of our house that doesn't get a lot of attention so I'm intrigued by having a robot run (maybe every night or every other night) cleaning things up. Bugs me to have a dirty/dusty garage floor.

Seems like it could easily navigate underneath the cars, etc.

Buying one for this purpose could also fit into the "Blow that Dough" thread!

[Ready]

Quote:

Originally Posted by misanman This may seem like an strange question, but would a robot sweeper work okay to keep a garage floor clean? That's one area of our house that doesn't get a lot of attention so I'm intrigued by having a robot run (maybe every night or every other night) cleaning things up. Bugs me to have a dirty/dusty garage floor. Seems like it could easily navigate underneath the cars, etc. Buying one for this purpose could also fit into the "Blow that Dough" thread!

Yes, it can pick up dirt and dust in the garage quite well. But if you are expecting it to navigate around cars and other obstacles, I would not buy a random bounce vacuum. You would be better off buying one with mapping capabilities and object detection so that it can detect where your cars and other objects are and navigate around them.

I had a Eufy random bounce vacuum for a while. It worked OK as long as the floor layout is very simple. But if you have too many objects for it to avoid, or an unusually shaped floor layout, it will vacuum the same spots over and over again while missing other spots.

It used to be there was a big difference in price between mapping robots and random bounce robots. But once Wyze entered the market with their $249 LIDAR based vacuum the price gap narrowed significantly. For this reason I no longer recommend random bounce vacuums. The price savings is not enough to justify the significant downside of not having mapping and object detection capabilities.

[cathy63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by misanman This may seem like an strange question, but would a robot sweeper work okay to keep a garage floor clean? That's one area of our house that doesn't get a lot of attention so I'm intrigued by having a robot run (maybe every night or every other night) cleaning things up. Bugs me to have a dirty/dusty garage floor. Seems like it could easily navigate underneath the cars, etc. Buying one for this purpose could also fit into the "Blow that Dough" thread!

Some models require light to "see" what's in front of them, so if you plan to run it at night in a dark environment, you'll want to read the specs before buying.

[target2019]

Quote:

Originally Posted by misanman This may seem like an strange question, but would a robot sweeper work okay to keep a garage floor clean? That's one area of our house that doesn't get a lot of attention so I'm intrigued by having a robot run (maybe every night or every other night) cleaning things up. Bugs me to have a dirty/dusty garage floor. Seems like it could easily navigate underneath the cars, etc. Buying one for this purpose could also fit into the "Blow that Dough" thread!

It would be a good idea to look into the physical features of the robot. A cement floor and hard objects would tear up the rollers of the iSeries Roomba. As mentioned above, some mapping robots need light to create the map and follow it on future runs.

[harllee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by misanman This may seem like an strange question, but would a robot sweeper work okay to keep a garage floor clean? That's one area of our house that doesn't get a lot of attention so I'm intrigued by having a robot run (maybe every night or every other night) cleaning things up. Bugs me to have a dirty/dusty garage floor. Seems like it could easily navigate underneath the cars, etc. Buying one for this purpose could also fit into the "Blow that Dough" thread!

If it were me I would buy a cheap robovac without mapping and every couple of days move the cars out of garage and let the robovac go at it. If you don't pay much for it and it gets messed up on something on the garage floor you would not have much money tied up in it.

[tulak]

I bought an Eufy last year and it’s ok, but after having a Wyze for the last few months, I’d never go back.

As for avoiding dog poop, run the vacuum manually. This is what I do with the Wyze. It gives me a chance to prep the area and I don’t have to worry about any accidents due to it running automatically.

Now I’m debating if I should splurge for another one for the other floors in the house. I don’t mind manually starting it, but I don’t want to move it to different floors.

[Lawrencewendall]

Mine.

[EastWest Gal]

Do you have to get one for each floor of the house? We have two stories and a finished basement. I've dreamed of getting one but I'm blowing dough on other things this year.

[tulak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastWest Gal Do you have to get one for each floor of the house? We have two stories and a finished basement. I've dreamed of getting one but I'm blowing dough on other things this year.

Are you asking about the Wyze vacuum?

You can use it on multiple floors, but you have to reset the map when you move it to a different floor. I think that might make it less efficient on its first run, but having reset the map for other reasons, I didn’t really notice a difference.

[cathy63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastWest Gal Do you have to get one for each floor of the house? We have two stories and a finished basement. I've dreamed of getting one but I'm blowing dough on other things this year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tulak Are you asking about the Wyze vacuum? You can use it on multiple floors, but you have to reset the map when you move it to a different floor. I think that might make it less efficient on its first run, but having reset the map for other reasons, I didn’t really notice a difference.

For the Roomba version that doesn't have a map memory, you can just carry it to a different floor and push the start button. When it finishes cleaning, it returns to the starting spot and sends a message to your phone so you can go pick it up and return it to the charging dock. I do this all the time.

[WestUniversity]

All of our floors are either wood or tile and we have some area rugs in various places. Will one of these robots be able to navigate the rugs and the transition strips between the tile and the wood?

[GalaxyBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cathy63 For the Roomba version that doesn't have a map memory, you can just carry it to a different floor and push the start button. When it finishes cleaning, it returns to the starting spot and sends a message to your phone so you can go pick it up and return it to the charging dock. I do this all the time.

The same goes for the roombas that do map the area, up to ten floors (or maps, actually). I carry my i6+ downstairs and when it fills up, it alerts me and I can either empty it manually or carry it upstairs, hit the home button, watch it find its way home and empty itself, then carry it back downstairs and it starts where it left off.

[PaunchyPirate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestUniversity All of our floors are either wood or tile and we have some area rugs in various places. Will one of these robots be able to navigate the rugs and the transition strips between the tile and the wood?

My Roomba i7+ moves quite well between my hardwoods, a tiled foyer, thick carpeted areas and large area rugs. I have a couple locations where there is a wooden threshold strip between surfaces and it has no problems moving between rooms over them. One transition it struggles with is from the tile to the thick carpet. I guess that height change is just too much for it. It made it a couple times, but also didn’t make it a couple times. I solve the problem by placing an area rug over the threshold which gives the device more of a ramp to navigate instead of a step.

I also move a couple small, lightweight area rugs out of the way before running the Roomba. I found that it sometimes pulls the rug corners into the suction and it disrupts the device. I never had to rescue the device, it always got itself free of the rug. But it’s easy to move them before vacuuming to make for a smoother cleaning. Heavier, room-size rugs are no issue. My rugs do not have tassels, which I have heard sometimes cause issues.

[Ready]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tulak Are you asking about the Wyze vacuum? You can use it on multiple floors, but you have to reset the map when you move it to a different floor. I think that might make it less efficient on its first run, but having reset the map for other reasons, I didn’t really notice a difference.

I have the Wyze vacuum and I’ve kept it to just one floor because of the limitation of not supporting multiple floor mapping. I haven’t tried deleting the map and running it on a different floor yet. Do you have to bring the charging base with you when you move it to a different floor?

[PaunchyPirate]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lawrencewendall Mine.

That’s funny.

[tulak]

Quote:

Originally Posted by WestUniversity All of our floors are either wood or tile and we have some area rugs in various places. Will one of these robots be able to navigate the rugs and the transition strips between the tile and the wood?

My Wyze goes from hardwood to rugs without any issues. The rug doesn’t have the frilly strands at the end, so I don’t know if that would cause any issues. If that’s a concern, I’m sure a quick search on google would provide an answer.