Well, I just ordered an iRobot Roomba 650 as my own little cleaning R2D2. http://store.irobot.com/product/index.jsp?productId=13081980 
Firstly lets get this out of the way, this is inarguably a non-necessary, luxury purchase. I'm lazy, and I can live with it.
Fact: I HATE cleaning, as a single guy it's the scourge of my free time and I am always looking for ways to make life easier in that department. A friend bought one a couple of years ago and has raved about it for so long (she is also very homely and fastidious) that I finally started to do some research myself to see what the fuss was about.
Reviews and user feedback is generally very positive even from cleaning experts and fussy housewives, especially for the new range of models, and according to user experiences it apparently cleans around 95% of your floors, with the other 5% in difficult to reach areas like corners needing good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Either way, I am looking forward to picking it up next week and giving letting it clean my apartment (not house) while I go out and make money. If I can actually find some kind of R2D2 sticker on Ebay then I will love it like a son. I will also of course update this post with a review when I get it and start using it for a week.
So... anyone else got one, or looking into it?
UPDATE 27/06/2013
Ok, I have now used the Roomba (henceforth known as R2, or Richba, depending on my mood) for 3 days. Every day at 12pm my robot son has patrolled my apartment, his little brushes whirring merrily as he collects my household detritus. Not a word of complaint has thus far escaped his little robotic lips.
So, how has he performed?In a word: bloody great. I purposefully didn't do a proper hoover before I started using him (iRobot recommend to start froma fresh base of hooveredness-nessness), and he has not dissappointed.
Day 1 - The floors were noticeably cleaaner, but when I put my finger around I saw a few bits of dust and dirt in various places that he didn't have time to get back to before he had to recharge.
Day 2 - Floors were even noticeably cleaner, but still a bit of dust in corners, where again Richba didn't get chance to randomly pass before he needed to go to the charge-a-loo to do his business.
Day 3 - Came home and did a test. Wow, the floors are better than when I do a hoover and take good care. I mean really, even corners etc are free of dirt. I found on a few bits inside some really hard to reach nooks and crannies, but I am being really critical here.
Clearly not only does the Richba do his job, but he really benefits from multiple daily cleanings in order to maximise coverage during his scheduled runs. If I want him to do a specific room that I disallow during the scheduled cleaning (like my bedroom, too many wires due to my poor organizing, I need to tidy them up for it to be Richba safe) then I just plonk him inside and press the "clean" button, and after giving him a playful pat on the rump he then dutifully gets about his business.
I had read reviews so I was expecting it to be good, but honestly it's a ridiculously convenient thing to have, and will mean that my floors (all hardwood and lino) stay clean with minimum effort on my side. Plus, it will have the added benefit of making me keep my floors clean of clutter.
So far I am thinking this is money well spent.
UPDATE 29/06/2013
Well, I came home today and out of curiousity let Richba go in my bedroom and watched it do it's work (yes, really, it fascinates me like only a time and energy-saving gadget can). In the 30 mins it was doing the cleaning cycle it went into every conceivable place it could physically fit into. It looks so random the way it veers and bumps about, but no matter how much you think "Hmm, it's missed a spot" it always ends up going to that place eventually. The logic it runs on, while chaotic, seems pretty damn thorough.
I hadn't had my bedroom hoovered in a couple of weeks and now the floors just really feel clean, no fluff on my socks or dust on my bare feet, and I can honestly say that it does a better job than I do with a hoover. Yes, there are of course parts behind and inbetween some things that it just cannot reach due to obstacles and furniture, but for the 95% it covers, it really does the job.
Absolutely delighted with the purchase, and I really don't understand how anyone can come out with rubbish like "they are completely useless"or "oversized paper-weights" etc etc.
The facts are that after almost a week of daily use my hardwood and lino floors are visibly and to the touch cleaner than I have seen them in ages, and I would not say that if I genuinely didn't think so, and the proof is right before my eyes. Fantastic little machine, and I don't regret the purchase for a second.
Firstly lets get this out of the way, this is inarguably a non-necessary, luxury purchase. I'm lazy, and I can live with it.
Fact: I HATE cleaning, as a single guy it's the scourge of my free time and I am always looking for ways to make life easier in that department. A friend bought one a couple of years ago and has raved about it for so long (she is also very homely and fastidious) that I finally started to do some research myself to see what the fuss was about.
Reviews and user feedback is generally very positive even from cleaning experts and fussy housewives, especially for the new range of models, and according to user experiences it apparently cleans around 95% of your floors, with the other 5% in difficult to reach areas like corners needing good old-fashioned elbow grease.
Either way, I am looking forward to picking it up next week and giving letting it clean my apartment (not house) while I go out and make money. If I can actually find some kind of R2D2 sticker on Ebay then I will love it like a son. I will also of course update this post with a review when I get it and start using it for a week.
So... anyone else got one, or looking into it?
UPDATE 27/06/2013
Ok, I have now used the Roomba (henceforth known as R2, or Richba, depending on my mood) for 3 days. Every day at 12pm my robot son has patrolled my apartment, his little brushes whirring merrily as he collects my household detritus. Not a word of complaint has thus far escaped his little robotic lips.
So, how has he performed?In a word: bloody great. I purposefully didn't do a proper hoover before I started using him (iRobot recommend to start froma fresh base of hooveredness-nessness), and he has not dissappointed.
Day 1 - The floors were noticeably cleaaner, but when I put my finger around I saw a few bits of dust and dirt in various places that he didn't have time to get back to before he had to recharge.
Day 2 - Floors were even noticeably cleaner, but still a bit of dust in corners, where again Richba didn't get chance to randomly pass before he needed to go to the charge-a-loo to do his business.
Day 3 - Came home and did a test. Wow, the floors are better than when I do a hoover and take good care. I mean really, even corners etc are free of dirt. I found on a few bits inside some really hard to reach nooks and crannies, but I am being really critical here.
Clearly not only does the Richba do his job, but he really benefits from multiple daily cleanings in order to maximise coverage during his scheduled runs. If I want him to do a specific room that I disallow during the scheduled cleaning (like my bedroom, too many wires due to my poor organizing, I need to tidy them up for it to be Richba safe) then I just plonk him inside and press the "clean" button, and after giving him a playful pat on the rump he then dutifully gets about his business.
I had read reviews so I was expecting it to be good, but honestly it's a ridiculously convenient thing to have, and will mean that my floors (all hardwood and lino) stay clean with minimum effort on my side. Plus, it will have the added benefit of making me keep my floors clean of clutter.
So far I am thinking this is money well spent.
UPDATE 29/06/2013
Well, I came home today and out of curiousity let Richba go in my bedroom and watched it do it's work (yes, really, it fascinates me like only a time and energy-saving gadget can). In the 30 mins it was doing the cleaning cycle it went into every conceivable place it could physically fit into. It looks so random the way it veers and bumps about, but no matter how much you think "Hmm, it's missed a spot" it always ends up going to that place eventually. The logic it runs on, while chaotic, seems pretty damn thorough.
I hadn't had my bedroom hoovered in a couple of weeks and now the floors just really feel clean, no fluff on my socks or dust on my bare feet, and I can honestly say that it does a better job than I do with a hoover. Yes, there are of course parts behind and inbetween some things that it just cannot reach due to obstacles and furniture, but for the 95% it covers, it really does the job.
Absolutely delighted with the purchase, and I really don't understand how anyone can come out with rubbish like "they are completely useless"or "oversized paper-weights" etc etc.
The facts are that after almost a week of daily use my hardwood and lino floors are visibly and to the touch cleaner than I have seen them in ages, and I would not say that if I genuinely didn't think so, and the proof is right before my eyes. Fantastic little machine, and I don't regret the purchase for a second.
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