I know a robot vacuum might not be as budget-friendly as a regular cleaner, but if it could save me time and be much easier to use without hurting my back like mopping does, could it still be considered a smart way to spend my money? I'm curious if anyone here has used a robot vacuum in your home. How do you feel about it? And do you think it’s really worth the investment?
Is it worth paying more for a robot vacuum if it makes cleaning easier?
byu/ypsilon42 inFrugal
Posted by ypsilon42
33 Comments
No I find they suck. I just have a broom and wash clothes
Totally worth the investment it’s something me and my wife didnt know we needed until we got it
I spent about $600 for my shark robot 2-in-1 about a year ago, and it has been my favorite investment. It sweeps and mops and is very low maintenance (empty the waste bin a couple of times per month and add extra mop solution). I couldn’t go back. It’s saved me dozens of hours.
Absolutely. I have a two in one, and the fact that I don’t have to vacuum and mop saves me way more time and effort than the dishwasher, and yet the dishwasher was three times as much as the robot.
I think they are viewed as a luxury because until very recently, they cost a lot more
Sometimes it’s worth it to splurge on an item that takes a chore off of your list. To me it would absolutely be worth it. I would consider that to be self care, and for some could be an accommodation for a disability.
I’ve been very happy with my Roomba, and would absolutely recommend getting one.
There are a lot of different brands on the market now, in all price ranges. If you decide to get one, do your research before deciding on a brand, and make sure it has the features you want.
I love mine! I let it run for an hour then follow up with mopping(granted I am in a smaller apartment)If you think it could help, why not? Try it out for a bit and if it doesn’t suit your taste then return it 🙂
Frugal doesn’t mean cheap. Frugal means saving money where you can so that you can make quality of life adjustments.
Definitely worth it saves a lot of time, could activate when you’re not there and get more stuff done. I got a Roborock for around $130 a year ago and it’s hasn’t given me any problems
Do you have young kids? My spouse and I found that keeping the floor sufficiently decluttered to let the vacuum work was almost as much work as cleaning it ourselves. I’m not saying robot vacuums aren’t worth it. Only that they’re not a good fit for every home.
Nothing cleans the dust bunnies better than your brawny hands. That clanker won’t be able to suck off the nook and crannies from the first tier of your staircase lmao.
Save your change for a industrial vacuum cleaner and work out those hands God gave you. Trust me. :]
My robot vacuum cost me about $200 cdn and it’s been worth every penny. I bought an older model and I have to empty it manually. I’m really bad at staying on top of vacuuming and it helps me to feel less overwhelmed by cleaning
We’re poor got ours at the thrift for $20 it helps a lot!
I love my generc roomba. I got a cheapass one from Amazon and just not having to do my least favorite chore is such a QOL update.
I find that we still need to actually vacuum every so often to actually get things clean with the robot vacuum, but it helps keep things at bay with our kids, dog, and cat. As someone else mentioned, definitely do your research and take your time. I wouldn’t get a cheap one just to get it.
Yeah probably
The OKP L1 robotic vacuum is top rated by Consumer Reports, and is currently on clearance for $60 on walmart.com. You betcha I snagged one!
Robot vacuums are really worth it. Think of it as investing in your health (mental and emotional). It’s one less thing to worry about, and it sounds like your back could use the rest.
Totally worth it if the rugs don’t get sucked into the machine, or places where the robot can get stuck like under a table leg/entertainment center, or you don’t mind remembering to empty out the vacuum and pull any strings that may have gotten stuck in the front brushes for it work properly…
With all that maintenance I might as well just vacuum and sweep myself.
I have 2 dogs and 2 cats. I love my Shark robovac. I got the one that self empties and will continue after it does. It was worth it to upgrade with all the pet hair because both our dogs have blow out twice a year and one cat sheds like crazy too. So it doesn’t need me to empty it every 6 minutes.
Three dogs in the house, I have two, one on each floor. I would rather splurge on making my life a bit easier than worry about being frugal. Saves me time and my time is worth money.
I got a Eufy one and it’s worth it. Is it perfect? No, I still have to kind of babysit it and make sure no cords or rugs are in the way, but it works for me. As far as mopping goes, it just pushes a damp cloth around on the floor, so that might not be good enough for you.
It really helps my sanity to see the place mostly vacuumed. We have pets, a toddler, and a baby. And there are many days I just don’t prioritize sweeping or vacuuming.
Yes, with kids. some days I don’t let it run because I can’t pick up after the kids enough. But it also makes me do it more and makes me keep less toys for them out too.
I also find it annoying, too loud, and had to rescue it often. My husband doesn’t necessarily think it’s worth it. But the dirty floor bugs me more than him.
I was pretty unimpressed with the low budget eufy and Roomba. They tend to get stuck under the couch, vacuum the same areas while missing others and bang into the furniture hard enough they were leaving marks.
Yes
100% worth it. I don’t think the house would have been vacuumed at all in the first six months of my son’s life if we hadn’t had a Roomba.
Our roomba lasted over ten years. Ran it five days a week. Definitely worth every penny
meh. I have a $600 one and it is “ok”. It does dumb stuff like get stuck in corners and under chairs. It scuffs up some furniture, it does not have anywhere’s near the power of a plug in unit. I have a 2 in 1 that has a “mop” feature. it is not very good. First off you can see the wet spots and it does not do a good job … it is wet in some parts of the “mop” and dry in others. – I don’t use the mop feature anymore.
I now block off my dining room and living room because it was scratching up my table, and it gets stuck under my couches.
I let it go through the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen, I have a cordless one I use in the other areas.
Also found out this thing sends a LOT of data to china from my router… I no longer use it through my router.. I don’t trust it at all. No reason for it to be sending tons of data to China.. I work in cybersecurity … this thing is not a safe IoT device at all.
Yes. I got a Roomba for like $250-ish not long ago as a birthday gift to myself. We use it nearly every day (I have a toddler…) and it’s wonderful to run it and do other chores or just sit back and watch tv instead of vacuuming. I don’t think it 100% replaces a vacuum, since I still use our vacuum cleaner twice a month and it still picks up quite a bit, but it helps with maintenance.
It’s funny to me because I gave my old Roomba to my little brother, and it still works great after 8 or 9 years. I just wanted the new one because it goes in straight lines now lol.
If you have dogs that shed it’s 1000% worth it!!
Yes
Our house is so much cleaner, the carpets are not getting gross, which probably saves money in the long run.
I’ll never buy one, but not because of a value judgment. I just can’t see any of them working in my home. I don’t vacuum nearly often enough and I’d benefit from a robot doing it every night or so, but 1) there’s just no way it’d be able to maneuver into every corner and tight area (under the dining room table and chairs, for instance), and 2) literally every time I use my vacuum, which got rave reviews for its ability to handle pet hair, I have to cut hair out of the rolling brush. Some of it’s pet hair, most of it’s wife hair. I can’t imagine a robot vacuum surviving more than a week before becoming so terminally clogged it just dies right in the middle of the living room, producing sad electronic grinding noises, smoke, and the smell of burning rubber and hair, while using the wifi connection it so undeservingly demanded to ping home to void all warranties.