Is a Robot Vacuum Cleaner Worth the Money?

Any person with a frugal mindset, myself included, would likely say that a robot vacuum is unnecessary – possibly even lazy. I held this opinion myself, thinking why would I ever waste money on an overpriced tech gadget when I already have a perfectly functional vacuum cleaner? 

Now, this is most definitely a luxury item and not a necessity for everyone. Mustachian types will almost certainly be screaming “waste of money!” at their monitors right now, but hear me out for a moment.

Debating a Large Non-Essential Purchase

I sat on the fence over purchasing a robotic vacuum for a long time, questioning if I truly needed one (clearly not a need). Vacuuming is a chore that needs doing, but most people hate it. It also needs to be done even more often when you have pets that constantly shed as ours do or kids that enjoy dropping cereal and then (apparently) unknowingly grinding it into the carpet. 

The shedding mess and resulting allergy attacks are what originally got me thinking about the purchase. The relief of not having to vacuum daily would be a bonus – but truthfully, the price still scared me off. It wasn’t until we had kids that I discovered how little time we had to keep up with house chores. Families with two full-time working parents and an overall chaotic household know this all too well.   

We finally ended up buying a Roomba by iRobot. There are plenty of robot-vacuum options out there and cheaper ones to boot, but we liked the reputation and associated quality of the known brand. Although there was plenty of spending guilt and the initial sticker shock, it turned out to be one of my favourite purchases ever, and I’ll let you in on why…

A Massive Time Saver

Having little time for maintenance cleaning with dogs and kids was what pushed me over the edge. Even when we were home, it isn’t easy to clean with little ones around, as any parent surely knows.

Let me tell you, the robot vacuum cleaner is incredible! It ended up being an extraordinary time saver for us and helped keep our house in way better shape than we could have just old-school vacuuming. Not only could we avoid doing the maintenance vacuuming by hand, but we can now vacuum way more frequently – even when we aren’t home!

For those that have never owned a robotic vacuum, you basically hit the start button (or turn it on from a mobile app on your phone) and off it goes. Most vacuums will also learn the layout of your rooms, thus increasing the cleaning efficiency of the areas they cover over time.  

Packed with Features

They also have cool little features such as automatically detecting dirty spots and doing extra passes over these areas for a more thorough cleaning. The vacuums also seem to do a main clean, then a final ‘pass’ of the room.  When their batteries get ‘tired’ they automatically head back to their charging stations.

Have stairs or off-limit areas? The vacuums usually come with beacons that throw off imaginary lines that designate the places the robot cannot pass or go. The newest versions even have self-emptying technology. This feature enables the vacuum to empty its contents after cleaning into a larger bin for less frequent and easier disposal.

Even if you’re only doing the main room every night or two, that 10 or 15 minutes each night adds up. Aren’t there other things you’d rather be doing with your time than pushing a vacuum around?

Develop Strategies and Routines

We’ve managed to put in place some amazing time-saving hacks and strategies utilizing our new robotic companion. If you can get a good system in place and work the cleaning into your schedule, it is terrific.

Say Goodnight to a Dirty Kitchen Floor

One of our favourites is the after-dinner, scheduled cleanup. Typically our family’s routine is to have dinner, then right afterwards, get the kids upstairs for a bath and bedtime.  

Usually, this is an hour-long task, which conveniently turns out to be the perfect amount of time to let the robot loose and do its thing. It will completely clean the main living area and the kitchen by the time we’re downstairs.

Besides having to do a quick floor cleanup of any larger items to give it a clear path, this method is fantastic for a few reasons.  

First of all, we barely have to do any work. Secondly, we’re tired after bedtimes and don’t feel like vacuuming or cleaning, so what’s better than coming down to a clean floor? Finally, if your kids are light sleepers, you don’t have to worry about waking them up with a howling vacuum cleaner right after you’ve settled them into bed for the night. 

Come Home to Cleanliness

Another great feature is getting our upstairs area and the kids’ rooms cleaned with minimal effort. They’re usually upstairs frequently playing in their rooms, but a quick toy pickup before going out somewhere or before school drop off, lets us deploy our robotic maid and start it remotely.

The set-it-and-forget-it feature of these vacuums is sweet!  You can utilize the app and clean from anywhere, so you always come home to a clean house.

For those who work a 9-5, you can also set a schedule in your app that allows you to clean any day, at any pre-specified time. This way your robot doesn’t have to bug you with noise or get in the way while you’re at home. The vacuum is also smart enough that if it’s low on battery or it runs out of power, it realizes this and makes its way back to the charging dock, then continues with its work afterwards.

Time is Money and Vacuuming Sucks

So the bottom-line on robot vacuums, at least in my opinion, is that while they cost a pretty penny, they are MAJOR time savers!  And time is money!

Not only can you avoid wasting hours upon hours vacuuming, but you can re-allocate that time to more productive endeavours — things like actual paid work, side-hustles or even your favourite hobbies. 

You’ll also save lots of energy that you can reserve for time with your kids and family, rather than slumped over a vacuum cleaner for hours a week.

But Robot Vacuums are Still so Expensive!

It’s true, vacuums like the popular Roomba brand are quite expensive, but there is also a lot of technology behind these, so it’s not shocking.

One way to save a bit of money is not to get the latest-and-greatest. Look for similar models with the majority of the features you want but aren’t brand new.

You can also look into “off-brand” models. They are generally cheaper than the famous Roomba’s but do your research to make sure you are confident in your purchasing product.

Whichever type of vacuum you choose, definitely try to wait for discounts if you can. These items often go on sale for hundreds of dollars off the regular prices; you will likely find a decent deal if you are patient and plan ahead. There are usually good savings during Black Friday, Boxing Day and other similar sale events.

Also, don’t forget about price-matching. These products are very competitive amongst retailers, and you can usually knock another 10% off if you find a store with an excellent price-match policy.

Finally, don’t forget cashback credit cards and consumer rebate websites like rakuten.ca. Many large retailers are on the platform and offer decent cashback deals on product purchases. Even 2% on $500 is nothing to sneeze at.  

When you combine a sale + price-matching + cashback + rebates, you could be looking at a much more affordable purchase – and remember, you’re going to be saving time anyway – and time is money!

It Won’t Completely Replace your Vacuum.

While these vacuums are unique, time-saving tools for maintenance and regular cleaning, one final word of warning – don’t expect them to replace your central vacuum.

Unfortunately, they are not the greatest if you need a good deep clean or scrubbing. There is also the issue of getting into really tight nooks and crannies. While they do have sweepers for baseboards, it doesn’t always do the job as well as an upright vacuum cleaner.

I’m also patiently awaiting the first model that will figure out how to do stairs...

Conclusion

Pros 

• Time savings for your family
• Cleans while you’re away or cleans on a schedule
• Great for easy maintenance and regular cleanings
• Cleans under a lot of beds and furniture pieces easily

Cons

• Expensive compared to most uprights
• Can’t access all areas a regular vacuum can
• Need to ‘pre-clean’ items from floor that could potentially get stuck
• Must empty dust collection bins frequently

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