My Mom-Mom, who has always kept an immaculate home & organized her world to a tee, has always given me the same answer when I ask her how she does it all: “It’s so simple!”
And she’s right — everything is so easy now. We have machines that wash our clothes, beds that don’t require annual re-stuffing with straw — heck, there are even services that allow us to do all of our grocery shopping online!
When I start feeling overwhelmed, it really helps me gain perspective to think about all of the little conveniences and automated butlers that help me run my home. I have my own washer and dryer, an instantly-clean crock pot that serves me dinner, tons of amazing apps that act as organizers and personal assistants, we recently purchased a dishwasher (the first one I’ve owned in 7 years!), and now….
I have a Roomba!!!!
Image created using Rosie Robot illustration from My-Retrospace & product photo from Amazon
It’s The Jetsons for real. Rosie the Robot — Roomba style!
My amazing, wonderful mother bought one for herself, for my Mom-Mom, and for me. She found a really cool, easy way to buy ‘em at bargain prices (I’ll show you how), and we are all in love with our new little vacuums!
I am sure most of you have already heard of the Roomba vacuum, but there are SO many awesome things about it that I didn’t even realize.
It’s not one of those made-for-tv gimmicky gadgets. This thing is bad-to-the-bone, real-deal-Holyfield, flippin’ amazing.
It cleans better than my regular vacuum (my mom says it’s better than her Dyson!) because it can get into corners, cleans right up against the baseboards, and fits under the couch, bed, & island where my normal vacuum didn’t fit.
See those sweeping arms with cleaning bristles? They reach into & under all of those little nooks & crannies to clean out the crud!!
It automatically senses when it reaches a ledge so that it doesn’t tumble down the stairs.
Even More Awesomeness:
- It automatically docks itself on the charger when it’s finished.
- If you put it in a different room, it will just run until it completes the job, then turn itself off (I thought I would have to watch it so it didn’t go dyin’ on me, but it turned itself off on its own!)
- My dogs don’t mind it. Chase kind of avoids it, but Basil will literally continue napping while it bumps & maneuvers its way around him.
- It learns the layout of your house & gets more efficient every time you use it.
How to Buy Them for Less:
Normally, these little guys are close to $400. (Reasons why I didn’t already own one.) But GUESS WHAT?! You can find refurbished versions on Amazon for CHEAP (I think mine was less than $200!)
Search “refurbished roombas” or “used roombas” on Amazon, then click on the links in the sidebar to see more options.
It might also look like this:
That’ll take you to a page that shows all of your options.
Just keep an eye on ‘em & you can find some great deals!!
My Roomba Routine
- Empty dust pan before starting it (I’m already there, so it’s easy to remember)
- Turn on at night when I’m loading dishwasher (connecting new chores to an existing routine helps me get into the habit!)
- Wake up to a clean house!
It’s magical.
Some days, if I notice it’s a little dirty in the laundry room or upstairs, I’ll let it run in those rooms. My house has never been cleaner. Gone are the tumbleweeds of fur that collected under the sofa. Dust bunnies hanging out under the washing machine? Outta there! Peek under my bed. I dare ya. Spotless.
Watch yourself, Martha Stewart! Casey’s got a Roomba, and the possibilities are endless!!
UPDATE:
Still lovin’ my Roomba. I found this video on youtube & it entertains me WAY more than it should, so I figured I’d share it with you, too!
Thanks for the comment telling me to look up pets riding Roombas on Youtube, Stacy!
I have wanted a Roomba for years!!! The bottom level of our house is 2,200 sq ft and has either hardwood or tile flooring. No rugs (yet). It would definitely get a workout in our home. I’m glad to hear your experience with a refurbished one. What a great deal!
Hey Erin!! Yes, put it on your birthday/anniversary/holiday gift list & keep an eye out for good deals! It even cleans the fur & dirt on our welcome mat! Our floors have never been cleaner!
Another plus is that my non cleaning husband is so intrigued with Roomba’s technology that he will use it without my having to ask!
Woohoo!!
I am so jealous! Did you have any concerns with getting a refurbished Roomba? I’m definitely putting this on my wish list for Christmas. How sad that I would be super excited to open that present Christmas morning? My younger self would be laughing if I ever said that!
Haha most of my favorite gifts have involved some sort of cleaning appliance! I think as long as you make sure you’re buying from a seller with good ratings & that you’re still getting a warranty, you’ll be golden. We are three for three on having good luck buying refurbished Roombas through Amazon (knock on wood!)! I would definitely make sure you read the reviews & seller ratings before you buy one. (Had to say it twice bc I think it’s that important, lol!)
Irobot has excellent customer service, even if you didn’t buy the initial product from them. We had an issue with ours, which was bought from a deal site and they replaced it for free. The refurbished ones would not get you a free one, probably, but they will walk you through fixing whatever is wrong. Many times it just needs new brushes and the like.
Great tips & insight, Micca! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
So flippin’ jealous, man! My aunt has one of these- they are great!
Yes they are!! Everyone I know who owns one just loves it to pieces!
I’ve been eyeing the one at Costco, but it’s almost $500. That is really SMART.
I’m adding one of those bad boys to my Christmas list! Switch you the iRobot for a cheese board? Just kidding!
Annie XO
Ha! If you throw in a year’s worth of delicious gourmet cheeses, you’ve got yourself a DEAL!
I actually have two Roombas – one I found at Goodwill for $14.00 and it works! It didn’t have a charger, but I already had a Roomba and charger, so I couldn’t help but snap it up! They are great! If you wanna have some fun, you can search youtube and see all kinds of pets that hitch a ride on Roombas while they clean. Pretty funny!
Wow, $14??? What a great find!! Lol I will definitely check out the youtube clips — thanks!!
Oh my gosh, I NEED one!!! My hubby was gonna buy me a ikettle cause I said they were cool but at £100 I said was too much but this however looks well worth the money!! Will be looking out for a good used one here in the UK!
Ooh, good luck! I think there are a few other companies that make similar vacuums now, too. I haven’t heard of the iKettle before — it does look cool!! Hopefully the price will come down soon!
I have been eyeing a roomba for a long time and almost bought one a couple yrs ago, but friends with dogs (and lots of dog hair) said it was junk! Do your dogs shed like crazy? I have a very hairy border collieo there is hair everywhere! Also does it only clean one room at a time or does it go in multiple rooms? I think this would be life changing if it actually worked well! Thanks for the info!!
Hey Kirsten! One of my dogs sheds a bit (he has short fur) & we get little fur tumbleweeds, but it isn’t as intense as, say, a husky would shed. If your border collie has really light, fine hair, then it would probably work well. I have heard that the newer Roomba models like mine are better than the ones from a few years ago. We have one with a HEPA filter for pet hair & it’s been awesome. Maybe check out the reviews on Amazon & see which of the pet versions are best? I also heard that they have a really great return policy (one of my readers left a comment on here about it). And have you tried the Furminator? So awesome! Our main floor is about 500 square feet & our Roomba vacuums the whole area without any issues. I think it’s designed for multiple rooms at a time, because you would either have to set up a virtual wall or close the door to a room to keep it from vacuuming the entire main floor. I hope this helps!!