help me choose my robot
August 26, 2019 11:43 PM Subscribe
I have zero carpets. Is there any reason to get a robot vacuum or should i proceed straight to robot mop? which one?
I live in an approximately 100 sq meter apartment with tiled floors. I got rid of our one carpet a while ago. We're 2 adult 1 toddler 1 baby.
My goal in buying robotic assistance is to help cope with my dust mite allergies, both by removing dust and by freeing up time spent cleaning floor to do other cleaning/laundry tasks made necessary by the allergy.
I have not been able to find help online to answer the question of whether what I need is not a vacuum but a mop. Every shopping guide starts with the assumption I already know. Other than that I'm not sure what other criteria to look for, beyond vague awareness vacuum should be HEPA-certified if i go vacuum route
people with similar floor or allergy situations or knowledge of robot choices, what should i get?
I live in an approximately 100 sq meter apartment with tiled floors. I got rid of our one carpet a while ago. We're 2 adult 1 toddler 1 baby.
My goal in buying robotic assistance is to help cope with my dust mite allergies, both by removing dust and by freeing up time spent cleaning floor to do other cleaning/laundry tasks made necessary by the allergy.
I have not been able to find help online to answer the question of whether what I need is not a vacuum but a mop. Every shopping guide starts with the assumption I already know. Other than that I'm not sure what other criteria to look for, beyond vague awareness vacuum should be HEPA-certified if i go vacuum route
people with similar floor or allergy situations or knowledge of robot choices, what should i get?
I have a roomba, which I purchased partly on the strength that my sister has both a roomba and two cats and her floors were completely free of cat fur. My spouse has dust mite and mold allergies. I looked into getting a robot mop and decided against it mostly because the cost didn't seem to outweigh their failings (smaller floor area covered, limited by amount of liquid they hold, taller machines means less clearance to fit under furniture). I found a lot of reviews that called them dirt movers rather than dirt wipers.
They are helpful for floors without carpets and do a so-so job on carpeting (my mother has a eufy and has thick rugs). They are also infuriating and limited in many ways. They will get stuck on weird things. Sometimes mine fails to find its base and dies somewhere behind the bed or in the bathroom. They are not a complete replacement for vacuuming because they can't get anything above floor level--cobwebs, pet fur, human hair, and other usual debris will still accumulate in all the places it can't reach. They are also not as efficient as a human vacuuming, which is why people often run they daily or every-other-day. Sometimes they miss a clump of dust or drag something out from under the sofa but don't actually suck it up. I'm hoping for a wall-crawling gecko version sometime in the near future (less creepy than imagining spider robot vacuums for me). I still have the vacuum I had before I bought the roomba because there's not way for it to do all the other dust-loving spaces (Miel canister vacuum with a HEPA filter).
I know that for allergies, steam cleaning carpets is a bad idea since dust mites like the damp. I don't know if they would have the same reaction to mopping a tile floor since tile won't hold on to moisture.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:21 AM on August 27, 2019
They are helpful for floors without carpets and do a so-so job on carpeting (my mother has a eufy and has thick rugs). They are also infuriating and limited in many ways. They will get stuck on weird things. Sometimes mine fails to find its base and dies somewhere behind the bed or in the bathroom. They are not a complete replacement for vacuuming because they can't get anything above floor level--cobwebs, pet fur, human hair, and other usual debris will still accumulate in all the places it can't reach. They are also not as efficient as a human vacuuming, which is why people often run they daily or every-other-day. Sometimes they miss a clump of dust or drag something out from under the sofa but don't actually suck it up. I'm hoping for a wall-crawling gecko version sometime in the near future (less creepy than imagining spider robot vacuums for me). I still have the vacuum I had before I bought the roomba because there's not way for it to do all the other dust-loving spaces (Miel canister vacuum with a HEPA filter).
I know that for allergies, steam cleaning carpets is a bad idea since dust mites like the damp. I don't know if they would have the same reaction to mopping a tile floor since tile won't hold on to moisture.
posted by carrioncomfort at 7:21 AM on August 27, 2019
We've had Roombas since they first came out. I've used them on laminate hardwood flooring and carpets.
I think the Roomba does better on floors than it does on carpet. It will vacuum carpet, but the strength of the suction even with the modern models is modest at best. It's mostly the beating action of the brushes against the pile that helps it remove the dust.
On floors, the Roomba shines. You can sweep your entire house, let the Roomba run, and it will still fill its dust chamber with things you missed. I highly recommend them to keep houses much more dust-free. The proof is that when you run it for a schedule, say every day, you'll note the piles of dust collected lessening each day.
My main recommendation for ameliorating dust mite allergies is to lower the humidity. If you can keep < 50% relative humidity in your house, you'll notice a dramatic decrease in dust mites. They need a higher humidity to thrive. Another side benefit, if you can keep the dry air in your bathrooms as well, is that mold and mildew will perish in such conditions, thus keeping your bathroom cleaner.
posted by sydnius at 7:27 AM on August 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
I think the Roomba does better on floors than it does on carpet. It will vacuum carpet, but the strength of the suction even with the modern models is modest at best. It's mostly the beating action of the brushes against the pile that helps it remove the dust.
On floors, the Roomba shines. You can sweep your entire house, let the Roomba run, and it will still fill its dust chamber with things you missed. I highly recommend them to keep houses much more dust-free. The proof is that when you run it for a schedule, say every day, you'll note the piles of dust collected lessening each day.
My main recommendation for ameliorating dust mite allergies is to lower the humidity. If you can keep < 50% relative humidity in your house, you'll notice a dramatic decrease in dust mites. They need a higher humidity to thrive. Another side benefit, if you can keep the dry air in your bathrooms as well, is that mold and mildew will perish in such conditions, thus keeping your bathroom cleaner.
posted by sydnius at 7:27 AM on August 27, 2019 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: slight derail, but sydnius, I would LOVE suggestions for lowering humidity it is defiitely a major factor.
posted by Cozybee at 10:22 AM on August 27, 2019
posted by Cozybee at 10:22 AM on August 27, 2019
I run a dehumidifier in my bedroom. Lessening air infiltration has helped keep it dry, especially in the winter. We're pulling 2 gallons of water a day out of the air maintaining 50% humidity. This is with sealing all the air gaps with poly foam, running exhaust fans in bathrooms. We just turn it off at night because my wife thinks it's a bit loud to sleep with. Personally, I find its rumble soothing and sleep with it on when she's out of town.
posted by sydnius at 11:30 AM on August 27, 2019
posted by sydnius at 11:30 AM on August 27, 2019
One more data point... we have an EcoVacs Deebot N79W and only use it on hardwood and tile. It is excellent; we run it twice a week (with a dog) and it's little canister is full every time.
posted by Laura in Canada at 12:35 PM on August 27, 2019
posted by Laura in Canada at 12:35 PM on August 27, 2019
I run our Roomba 980 three times a day. We have a two story house, mix of hardwood, tile and carpet. And FIVE pets.
I run it upstairs in the morning and then split the downstairs into two runs with a virtual wall.
The bin is ALWAYS full. ALWAYS.
We would be buried alive in pet hair without Roomba.
I also have a Braava mop. It also runs 3x a day - same pattern. So basically, the robots vacuum and mop the entire house for me every day.
Except the stairs. I still have to clean those myself.
I am addicted to clean floors. If one of my robot pals died a replacement would be headed my way with the fastest shipping option available to me.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:06 PM on August 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
I run it upstairs in the morning and then split the downstairs into two runs with a virtual wall.
The bin is ALWAYS full. ALWAYS.
We would be buried alive in pet hair without Roomba.
I also have a Braava mop. It also runs 3x a day - same pattern. So basically, the robots vacuum and mop the entire house for me every day.
Except the stairs. I still have to clean those myself.
I am addicted to clean floors. If one of my robot pals died a replacement would be headed my way with the fastest shipping option available to me.
posted by hilaryjade at 7:06 PM on August 27, 2019 [1 favorite]
My Roomba is a champ. It does great on floors (not as great on carpet, as mentioned), fits under furniture, and I am astonished by the amount of stuff it picks up. Bin is always full and I run it several times a week.
HOWEVER, you still have to pick up before it can run. It vacuums, it doesn't tidy. Damn thing will choke on socks, Legos, cords, tissues, and it's very stupid and gets stuck in the legs of chairs. So although I 1000% recommend them, you still have to do *some* work. And as mentioned, they don't do stairs or trim.
posted by epanalepsis at 12:26 PM on August 28, 2019
HOWEVER, you still have to pick up before it can run. It vacuums, it doesn't tidy. Damn thing will choke on socks, Legos, cords, tissues, and it's very stupid and gets stuck in the legs of chairs. So although I 1000% recommend them, you still have to do *some* work. And as mentioned, they don't do stairs or trim.
posted by epanalepsis at 12:26 PM on August 28, 2019
I have the Roomba 690, I love it. I appreciate that iRobot sells replacement parts for nearly the whole vacuum and seems to support their discontinued models.
The Wirecutter has comprehensive reviews and I agree with their advice - mine is definitely louder than the Eufy my friend has, I might go with their pick if I were to do it again. Also note that they think the ones that randomly bump work better than those that do LIDAR mapping.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-robot-vacuum/
posted by epanalepsis at 12:34 PM on August 28, 2019
The Wirecutter has comprehensive reviews and I agree with their advice - mine is definitely louder than the Eufy my friend has, I might go with their pick if I were to do it again. Also note that they think the ones that randomly bump work better than those that do LIDAR mapping.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-robot-vacuum/
posted by epanalepsis at 12:34 PM on August 28, 2019
> We've had Roombas since they first came out. I've used them on laminate hardwood flooring and carpets.
I think the Roomba does better on floors than it does on carpet.
Seconding all that. I've had Roombas for years, because of dust allergies, and have a minimal amount of carpet. They're wonderful on hardwood floors.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:09 PM on August 28, 2019
I think the Roomba does better on floors than it does on carpet.
Seconding all that. I've had Roombas for years, because of dust allergies, and have a minimal amount of carpet. They're wonderful on hardwood floors.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:09 PM on August 28, 2019
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In short, we love the vacuum. We have run it three times so far. I sweep and mop almost daily but the vacuum got into places I don't normally go and found SO MUCH dust, like just wads of it.
What's REALLY amazing about this to me is we just moved into this place less than 2 months ago. When the place was empty I scrubbed the floors wall to wall and then continued to clean the floors regularly ever since (we have a crawling baby who puts everything in her mouth, and I hate when my feet pick up crumbs) and yet the robot vacuum still put me to shame. It fits under cabinets and between chair legs so it's really quite thorough and so far we are thrilled.
We have only used it in vacuum mode so far, but it has a mop feature I'm excited to try soon.
posted by paris moon at 3:34 AM on August 27, 2019