I’m someone who really enjoys cleaning my home. In fact, I wasn’t always like this—quite the opposite, I used to be pretty messy and disorganized. My interest in the “science of home cleaning” began over 10 years ago when I worked as an au pair for a wealthy family. You could say I was pretty lucky to have learned how to clean in a more systematic way early on 😅 and realized that I could enjoy many things rich people have without having a lot of money. It’s all about mindset, my friends!

Now, back to vacuuming. Robot vacuums have been around for a long time, but even though I’ve always been “into” vacuuming, I never considered buying a robot. Part of the reason is that I’ve always lived in rather small apartments, 17m², 24m²… In such small spaces, it only takes me about 5 minutes to vacuum. In 2020, I moved to a much larger apartment. Although vacuuming takes more time now, I still hadn’t thought about getting a robot vacuum. Simply put, I was quite satisfied with my traditional vacuum cleaner and believed that only a traditional vacuum could offer the strongest suction (which is also why, despite seeing Dyson ads everywhere, I never intended to buy one).

The turning point came on Black Friday 2021. I was just browsing the malls to see if there were any good deals (usually there aren’t 😤). I walked into an electronics store and saw that a bunch of robot vacuums were on sale. At first, I thought these must be products that no one uses, hence the discounts. After circling the store, I ended up leaving with an iRobot Roomba i7 (without even reading a single review, even though I usually read reviews before buying even a dishcloth). And I’m someone who prides herself on being a “concious spender” 😪 Don’t be like me.

When I brought it home, the robot stayed in its box for nearly two weeks. I didn’t open it because I was afraid… of regretting my purchase, so I wanted to read some reviews first to see if it was worth it. If not, I could return it. The reviews were mixed, so I decided to open it and experience it for myself. Like everything else in life, I set my expectations pretty low. Low expectations lead to less disappointment 😎

That said, after nearly three years of using the robot vacuum, I’m very satisfied, and it has indeed taken my apartment’s cleanliness to the next level. 

First, the reason I chose the Roomba i7 was pretty simple. Among the many discounted robot vacuums, this one fit my budget the best, even though it wasn’t the cheapest (I still believe in the saying, “you get what you pay for”). In fact, there was an i7 Plus model with a “self-emptying” feature that wasn’t too expensive, but the box was too big, and I wasn’t driving that day, so I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to carry it. In hindsight, I think I was quite lucky with that choice, because if I had bought the i7 Plus, it would have taken up more space in my home, and the trash bin wouldn’t have been that much bigger.

I haven’t used any other robot vacuum, so below are just my experiences with the iRobot Roomba i7.

1. Cleaning effectiveness: 4/5

I live alone, don’t have pets, and spend most of my day out working (and going out). The area where I live is also quite clean, with little dust. The dust in my home mostly comes from my clothes (I wear a lot of wool). Under these conditions, I find the Roomba i7 to be quite effective at cleaning. I love the feeling of coming home to clean floors without having to expend any energy myself—it’s great to walk on. The robot is also slim enough to get under most types of beds and sofas, which I appreciate because I don’t vacuum those spots often with a traditional vacuum, but now they’re always clean.

Cons: The robot can’t reach very tight spots like I can with the small nozzle of a traditional vacuum. The robot excels at picking up small, light dust, but it doesn’t seem as effective with larger, heavier debris. However, when I empty the dust bin, I do find quite a few hard and heavy objects, like… gravel (I’m not sure where I dragged that in from 😂). Another downside is that the robot can only vacuum the floor—you still have to vacuum furniture, beds, sofas, etc., yourself. But I can overlook this, because having clean floors is already a big help. Plus, I’ve noticed that when the floor is always clean, there’s less dust settling on other objects.

2. Space requirements: 4/5

Although the iRobot is quite small, the user manual suggests that the robot needs 1.5 meters of free space in front and at least 50cm on each side. The robot should also be placed in a relatively central location within the area that needs cleaning. This might be an issue for those living in small homes or with a lot of furniture. I don’t have space issues, but aesthetically, I’m not a fan of having a vacuum cleaner sitting out in my home (all my cleaning tools are stored in a closet or cabinet with doors). That’s a downside, but on the upside, the robot vacuum has a pretty stylish design, so I try to treat it as a decorative item in my home.

3. Ease of use: 5/5

For me, the only thing I have to do is press a button on the app, and with that, I have sparkling clean floors—definitely worth 5/5. I find the iRobot app quite simple and easy to use. After a few initial runs, the robot maps out a fairly accurate layout of my apartment. You can add rooms, split rooms, and set “no-go zones” right in the app. Connecting the robot to the app is also quick and easy. A minor downside is that if you’re buying this for your parents and they’re not very tech-savvy, they might need your help during the initial “learning phase,” but after that, I’m sure they’ll be able to use it just fine, especially if they’re already familiar with smartphones.

4. Operational limitations: 3/5

Unlike traditional vacuums where you can control what gets sucked up, using a robot vacuum requires a bit more preparation before each cleaning session. For the robot to clean effectively, you need to clear away small objects that might cause it to get stuck. My home isn’t very cluttered, but before each vacuum session, I tidy up as much as possible. My pre-vacuum routine includes:

– Keeping all cords off the floor: charging cables, power cords. The robot can actually go over these, but I prefer to keep its path as smooth as possible to save time and battery.

– Raising floor-length curtains: If you have curtains that touch the floor like I do, two things could happen: either the robot could snag on the curtain and get stuck, or its sensors might mistake the curtain for a wall and turn around, leaving the area behind the curtain unvacuumed.

– Lifting chairs onto the table (if possible): I usually lift my dining chairs onto the table so the iRobot can clean the area under the dining table.

Some people wonder how the robot handles door thresholds and rugs. For door thresholds, I’ve found it has no problem with the 0.5cm – 1cm wooden thresholds in my home. As for rugs, I usually lift thin, light rugs, but for larger, heavier ones, the robot can easily go over them.

In summary, I think a robot vacuum cleaner works more effectively in a minimally furnished apartment. While some might see this as a downside, I consider it a plus because it encourages me to live more minimally. Before buying a piece of furniture that I like, I always think about how it would only make my apartment more cramped, reduce my available space, and make it harder for the iRobot to navigate 😝. It actually saves a lot of money!

I live in a single-level apartment, so I don’t know how an iRobot would perform in multi-story houses. I think this could be a significant downside if you’re considering buying a robot vacuum. If any of you have experience with this, please share it in the comments so that I and others can learn from it 😇.

5. Maintenance: 4/5

First, maintenance after each vacuum session. Compared to traditional vacuums with dust bags that can be used for a long time, the iRobot’s dustbin is quite small and needs to be emptied regularly. I usually use my traditional vacuum to suck out all the dust from the iRobot’s bin after each session (depending on the area and dirt level, the bin can be used a few times before needing to be emptied). For me, this isn’t a downside, because instead of vacuuming the entire floor, I now just need to quickly empty the iRobot’s dustbin (by the traditional vacuum cleaner). As I mentioned earlier, the Roomba has a Plus model with a “self-emptying” feature. This feature would reduce the need to clean out the bin as often—if anyone has used it, let me know if it’s worth it 😎.

Another maintenance issue is replacing parts and accessories. With traditional vacuums, I used fabric bags that lasted a long time and were fairly cheap to replace. With iRobot, there are three parts that need replacing (the filter, the dual brushes, and the side brush). All three parts last quite a while, but they seem to be more expensive to replace (I haven’t checked the prices yet). The initial box came with an extra set of accessories, so I haven’t had to buy any yet.

In conclusion, using a robot vacuum has been a great experience, and I don’t regret buying it. It’s one of the best purchases I made in 2021. Have you used a robot vacuum, or tried different brands? What was your experience like? Share it in the comments 👏.