Roomba and rumba are two different things. Rumba is a dance, but Roomba is a robotic vacuum cleaner that I have drooled over since it was first produced. Being able to flip a switch to make a robot clean the floor is intoxicating to me (my idea of living HIGH). The price was astronomical and is still too expensive for this miser. John saw the box on the shelf at Aldi’s supermarket and said we should try their knock-off. We knew from looking at the box that it was a dusting tool, not a vacuum. Still, I reasoned that having a gadget remove dust under tables and chairs would be a fun thing.
On a day when dog Sadie wasn’t here, I prepared to run it. That’s when the dance began – a dance with music from the kitchen speaker. There were many crumbs on the floor, so I whipped around with the dust buster to remove the big stuff. The dust buster didn’t work well, and I found it was clogged with Christmas tree needles and hair. Clearing that was a slow dance. I turned on the robot and set it loose. If you watch the video, note that two of the percussion sounds were produced by the robot as it hit legs of a table and chair. This was interactive cleaning at its best.
The idea behind the robot was brilliant. It moved in a straight line until it ran into something and changed directions. That’s when I began a really fast dance. To keep it from going into the living room, I jumped over it and stood in the doorway. It lumbered back toward the stools, and I jerked them out of the way. Oops! It got caught among the kitchen chairs, which I shuffled away. Its profile was so low that it went under the platform holding up the table. Great! Thinking ahead, I pulled up wires going to the lamp and chargers. I sprang in the doorway to the hall, guiding the robot back to the kitchen. Thankfully the robot cut itself off, not a minute too soon. It may have used up its charge, or a tiny pebble may have locked one wheel. My frenetic Roomba dance was over for the day. I found I have a limited amount of energy for this labor-saving device.
Mehrling Muse 
It sounds like you expended a lot more energy chasing after this thing than you would have if you’d hoovered..I’d bee constantly worried about any damage it was doing as it bumped into things.
Huge Hugs
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The bumps were very soft. I hate hoovering. I’d do almost anything to avoid it, hence today’s exercise in silliness.
xxx Energetic Hugs xxx
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It sounds like a workout 😊 I always wondered how they worked and if they scooped the crumbs up with ease.
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This one is only a duster, not a vacuum. It did what the box said it would do, but it didn’t warn me I’d have a cardio workout.
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Anne’s dance with the roomba. This is a funny post, I love it 🙂
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My whole day was rather amusing. Thanks for joining me.
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Sounds like there is work to it or maybe you just let it do it’s thing and hope it gets everything done eventually!
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I’ll know how to set the room up next time. That doesn’t mean it won’t backfire.
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🙂
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😄Too funny. I LOVE the ads for the Roomba but like you, I can’t get past the 💲! The irony of the labor you expended for a “convenience” tool!😄
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They should have sold this floor duster as an exercise machine.
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Now this whould have been fun to watch….I always figured there was too much prep work for one to work in my house.My Mother used to clean before a cleaning lady would come to clean..Kinda the same thing.
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Yes, indeed. I take after your mother. I’m sure it’s why my mother didn’t have a cleaning lady.
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We didn’t very often .Not in the budget.
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That’s funny – it was “all over, like cheap underwear” as that expression goes. Do you have to have Sadie out of the house when it does its cleaning routine next time? It was definitely more fun than mopping!
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I’m sure Sadie would chase the floor duster. One good tug of her teeth, and it would be useless. We’ll not discuss how useless it is while working perfectly. It is good exercise for me, though.
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Every since I changed the HEPA dust filter and put in a new bag in the Fall, the vacuum cleaner does not pick up anything anymore. I even put in a new bag – nope. It has a mind of its own. It is an upright and the hose/nozzle attachment pics up without a hitch, so most ??? So I get my exercise too as I have to use that to do the majority of the rugs. I’ll take it over to the shop in the Spring. I like this one as it has no fan belt. The Eureka and Hoover uprights we had over the years had fan belts. My long hair would get caught up in the bottom, and it would actually slice the fan belt – it was difficult for me to put it on, and after tugging a while, I’d finally get it on there and six months later (if that long), I’d be doing the same exercise again. And, I did not brush my long hair upstairs just so hair would not be flying around, still enough hair would break that dumb belt.
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Could the connecting pipe be clogged?
When my hair was longer, it would get entangled in the whirling brush of our vacuum. Things are better now.
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I wrote down the model number to see if I could troubleshoot online to see what the problem was – that was last Sunday, then I had the computer issues at work and also my speakerphone which has a static problem – I was looking for ideas to troubleshoot for it. I was looking for the manual, but didn’t see anything and sometimes people will write tips if I could find a forum. Yes, the whirling brush was what collected hair and the fan belt was attached to it and kept breaking all the time. This vacuum does not have a fan belt – I’m grateful for that as I had a difficult time stretching the belt across the brush part.
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Too funny. I can picture it now. My daughter had the original, but my grandson was constantly putting things in it’s path until it ran of of juice or clogged. He gave it a thorough workout, not to mention the one he got running around after it. Of course he was only 5 at the time. He is now 9.
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I wish you had a video of your grandson and the Roomba!
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Me too! Oh, that boy was a caution.
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I love that sentence– that boy was a caution.
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And, I say “was” because he did grow out of it.
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Thank heavens!
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That’s so hilarious, and sorry I don’t mean to laugh at you but I always thought the aim of buying those things was put your feet up and let them do the floor……obviously not…..it’s an exercise machine not a cleaning one😂
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You are correct. It is an exercise machine. I’m sure the very expensive ones are marvelous, but I’m too cheap to find out. Meanwhile, I’m going to enjoy laughing at this one.
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Like your attitude 😆
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😉
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LOL! I recently heard a story on the news about a couple who heard noises coming from downstairs so they called the police thinking that someone had broken into their house. When the police arrived they found the Roomba doing it’s thing. LOL.
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Roomba may be a little too automatic!
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I’ve wondered about these machines. You are the only person who I know what has given one a go. In theory, so nice. But I dunno… still a good blog story so maybe worth it?
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The cost of the door duster was worth it for a blog post. I’m a miser, so you know it wasn’t expensive.
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What a saga. I can’t imagine how it knows when it has dusted the whole room. Maybe you should put rags on your feet and just skate around to get the dust! Might be less work than avoiding the machine.
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You are brilliant! It would be fun to skate-dust. I’d need to hire children to get in the tiny places. What do you think their pay should be per hour?
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Cookies always were welcome pay when I had kids skate around.
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Fantastic!
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Love this Anne! My son and daughter in law just got one of those with all their Christmas money. They talk about it as if it is alive! It got itself stuck in the bathroom when it shut the door on itself, they have barricaded it in the kitchen and tried keeping it safe from the stairs.
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It seems to me a Roomba is a lot like a toddler.
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They sound like it!
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There is nothing like a new gadget to wear you out….like having to clean the house before the maid arrives.
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I always read the instructions first, too.
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