Floor Vacuum Robot
Best Mom Time Saver - Vacuum Robot
I'm nominating a Roomba vacuum as a Best Mom idea for the house.
Why Roomba?
I never thought I would need to clean the floor so often, but I quickly found myself sweeping up everyday after my little boy would leave a crumb trail after every snack or meal. It didn't help that I have a cat that also adds hair to the mix. My husband and I did some 'googling' and found out that these little robots could run around and clean the floor for us every night.
Cost
I originally bought the Roomba 650 for $325. The Roomba 650 is no longer available but it appears it is now the Roomba 690 - The Roomba 690 is currently $318 on Amazon. There are some other brands that are newer, but they just don't have enough reviews out right now for me to trust them with a big purchase like this.
Consider the Math:
I was sweeping the downstairs hardwoods every day . . . lets call it 300 times a year. Now I never sweep the downstairs; I let the Roomba do a 'run' every other day as I go to bed or leave the house. Therefore, the Roomba has saved me from sweeping 300 times in one year, I expect the Roomba should last at least three years so that is 900 sweeps! The Roomba also does an excellent job vacuuming carpets, so if I don't have time to vacuum myself I let the Roomba do it for me. That's a big savings to any mom who is in a time crunch! We are coming up on one and a half years of having it and feel like it was money well spent.
*Please Note: The Roomba vacuum doesn't do a wet clean so you will still need to swiffer or mop your floors however often you prefer.
Is a Roomba worth the money?
I was really skeptical at first, but now I'd tell you yes. I felt a bit silly spending a bunch of money on a robot!
Summary:
I would equate buying a Roomba to buying yourself some more time. Let the Roomba run around the house and do your dirty work while you are doing other chores or running errands.
2017 Update (3 years later):
I just wanted to update everyone on my experience with Roomba after 3 years. I still believe Roomba was while worth the money! We now have 3 children, so I have triple the crumbs and mess since I first purchased Roomba. I have so much time to spend with my family instead of having to constantly clean up little messes or sweep every night.
We did have to buy replacement parts after 3 years of use. The spinning side brush lost it's bristles overtime. Of course, we do use Roomba every night so it was bound to happen with that much use. The replacement parts kit was only $39.
The only downside I have seen with Roomba is that since it sweeps around the baseboards of the house, overtime it starts to leave black marks on the corners of baseboards and doors. The newer models have better sensors and probably don't 'rub' against the baseboards as much.
2018 Update (4 years later):
The Roomba 650 started not making it back to the charging station at night, turns out the battery had finally died and we were able to replace the battery for 25 bucks. The Roomba is back to working great!
Which Roomba Should I get?
The 690 is the same one I have now (just different colors really). I would definitely recommend it because its been going strong for 4 years! I would say the 614 is my preference if the cost savings was significant, but currently the 690 is actually cheaper than the 614 on Amazon.
I have a friend that has the 890, and it is definitely nice. It has tangle free rollers and is more powerful so you could expect to get a better clean from it than the 614.
Based on features, I would skip the Roomba 960. None of the features impress me too much and the actual vacuum parts are all the same so it will clean the floors the same as the 890.
The Roomba 980 does have additional cleaning power with an upgraded vacuum motor so it would clean more than the 890/960.
Recommendations:
Roomba 690 for your first if you are a bit skeptical and want to minimize cost.
Roomba 890 wins for best overall and is what I will get if my Roomba ever dies.
Comparison chart. Courtesy of Roomba.com