My iRobot Roomba Robot Vacuum: A Love-Hate Relationship

March 30, 2015

Around the holidays, “someone” joined our family: a iRobot Roomba! I’d been hankering to try one out for a long time, and as family of four with two sheddy cats, I was desperate for some help in containing the constant debris. You can find a million reviews online, but I’m gonna tell it to you straight: it’s a love-hate relationship.

Here’s why:

6 Reasons That My Roomba Is Like Having an Invisible Housekeeper

When I’m not home, she can get to work—but doesn’t even need keys to get inside.
When she’s working, I can lie on the couch watching The Real Housewives and not even feel guilty that she’s hard at work and I’m…not.
She’s good at her job.
I can have her come every single day, no extra charge.
She’s got more stamina than I do.
She’ll work any time of day—I just have to ask beforehand.

irobot-roomba-review-hardwood

irobot-roomba-review-carpet

On the other hand, all is not sunshine and roses with Rosie the Roomba. She can be sorta high maintenance, doesn’t understand my need for silence, and is always underfoot. In that way, and a few others, she’s like a kid.

4 Reasons That My Roomba Is Like Having Another Child in My House

I always have to clean up after her (see picture of underbelly after a short stint in action, below).
Sometimes she gets into a sticky situation and needs a hand (those chairs near the dining table are a tough spot).
She’s indefatigable.
Once she gets going, she doesn’t shut up.

irobot-roomba-review-hair-brush

Overall, “Rosie” the Roomba is a delight, but she requires a lot of maintenance to keep her delightful.

Do you have a Roomba? How do you like it? Tips for helping her help me even more? Spill!

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Liz Krieger is a wife, mother, writer in Brooklyn, New York. She's been a magazine editor for over 15 years, having worked at publications including Health, Self, More, Real Simple, Allure, Good Housekeeping, and Parents magazine. She has written for publications including Bazaar, WebMD Magazine, Women's Health, and O, the Oprah magazine. She's the mother of two lovely little girls, and when not chasing after clumps of cat hair (thanks to the two orange tabby cats who sleep near her head), she can be found avoiding to cook, attempting to regain some semblance of core muscles, listening to podcasts while jogging around Prospect Park, and reading really, really fast. Special skills and interests: Figuring out how to have a clean, organized home without actually having to clean or organize, seething at various Real Housewives, varsity-level lint rolling, and the ability to eat an entire pineapple in one sitting.