Friday, February 22, 2019

Ruth my Roomba


One of my sons surprised me with a robot vacuum cleaner for Christmas. I hadn't thought I wanted one, but I find it is fabulous. How happy I am when I am sitting on the sofa reading and my little robot is vacuuming the rug. I named her Ruth.
She is a Roomba. I clean the tray every time Ruth my Roomba vacuums for me. I am amazed to see how much dog hair she vacuums up. It takes her about half an hour to vacuum the large living room, and the same amount of time to vacuum the wooden floors in the back of the house.
One time she got stuck under my bed so firmly that my younger son had to lift the bed to free her. She is rather strong.
Before I have her begin I police the floors for pet toys, my socks, electrical appliance cords, etc.Big cords are ok and she bumps them and leaves them alone but little ones like for head phones she will try to vacuum up.
My cell phone tells me when Ruth has completed a job and when she is done she goes right to her charging station and charges her battery. You can set it up to use your phone to tell her when to clean; I don't care to do that. I think I need to keep an eye on her, she gets stuck once in a while.
If she gets stuck she sends a message to my cell phone app and also speaks out loud explaining her problem, like "Roomba's left wheel is stuck". My favorite message from her thus far is "Roomba is stuck on the edge of a cliff."
Great gift though!
Do you have a house cleaning tip or useful appliance?
One blog friend asked if a Roomba would fall down stairs; I have a one story house so haven't checked on that, but I read that it will stop if it encounters a drop in height. Thus her message to me about being on the edge of a cliff. But I haven't tested her on stairs.
Another friend asked if Ruth my Roomba goes around chair legs and under tables, yes she does.
Also my dog Bounce does not mind Ruth in the least, he is not frightened or interested. Of course he is not frightened, he is my 14 pound watch dog with a fearless heart!

38 comments:

Michelle said...

A friend of mine has one and says it is the best thing ever. I am considering getting one.

NanaDiana said...

Once we get moved that is going to be my choice of a new vacuum. My SIL has one and that does a great job. Glad you love Ruth!
Just so you know-when I try to send you an email it pops right back at me. Would you mind sending me your email so that I can respond directly to you? Mine is dianakos1@gmail.com. Thanks so much, Terra. LOVE the "stuck on a cliff"....xo Diana

Lauren @ My Wonderfully Made said...

This is hilarious! My son and daughter-in-law got one and sent me a video. I've always wondered if this really works. Didn't know you could program and monitor with your phone but doesn't surprise me with modern technology!

Barb said...

Hi Terra!

I've always wanted to hear a review of a Roomba, but didn't know anyone who had one...thank you! I have a big Lab, who lives in my house, and it seems like I am always vacuuming to keep his hair under control, so I would love to try a Roomba! What a thoughtful gift, from a thoughtful son!

Hug,
Barb

Linda Myers said...

After all these years, I am thinking about getting one.

Cynthia said...

Well, now i want one! Especially for under the bed. I would just really enjoy sitting in my rocking chair and watching someone else clean my house! I love that you named yours.

Betsy said...

I have thought having a rumba would be a wonderful thing because of all the pet hair Chloe and Frannie seem to leave around. However, I was afraid it might fall down the stairs. Do you find that is a problem? Does she go under the table and around the chair legs? I have so many questions. Ha! And I love that you named her Ruth. How perfect is that? Have a lovely day my friend.
Blessings, Betsy

Inger said...

I've been thinking about getting one of these. Now that you made her so personal, with a name and all, she's all that much harder to resist. Right now, vacuuming is one of my exercises. I have to look at it like that or it will be too great a chore. It's good to know that Ruth the Roomba will be there when I no longer can get it done.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I bought myself a Bosch cordless vacuum cleaner some weeks ago - I agree it is brilliant. Yes
the dog hairs it picks up are amazing - each week the rubbish case is full to the top with dog hairs - there must have been thousands embedded in the carpet. Now that I have had Tess cut I am hoping we have seen the worst of it.

Mevely317 said...

How cute is that?! I'd LOVE to receive a Roomba of my own, but can't justify the $ just now. Then, of course, there's our little dogs. Grace might possibly have a stroke! :)

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

That is such an excellent gift from your son. My daughter has one and I wish I had one also. I love how it knows when it is done and then goes back to its home.

Lin said...

I like that you can get updates from Ruth. Being that everybody here likes to throw up a lot, I would need to really be careful if she/he was heading for a pile. That's the only thing that worries me about those things. I'm glad you like yours!

Curtains in My Tree said...

Oh I love mine also!! My original one died so my daughter and son in law got me one for Christmas I think they are the great thing since sliced BREAD

Arkansas Patti said...

Rosie is mine and she is priceless. So glad you are enjoying robotic cleaning. Now if we can find one that does windows-----

only slightly confused said...

I'd love to have one but I think our floor space is too cluttered.

Mari said...

I have a Roomba too and ours is named Robby. However, I find I need to pick up cords or he gets caught. I love it though!

Kathy said...

Once I get this messy floor picked up, I want to get a Roomba. Everyone I know that has one loves it.

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Gee, your Ruth sounds really cool. I think I could get used to having one of those...It would be so nice to have "ruth" doing the rhoomba while I read a book or visit here on blogger. Thanks for sharing. I've wondered if they are worth the money...

Kathy G said...

Ruth sounds like a wonderful addition to your household.

Ronda@islandmother said...

I didn’t realize such a thing existed...i’m Glad it is so useful to you...such a sweet heart the giver has. I have a puppy who barks like crazy at the broom or the mop. It is so amusing....

Joyful said...

What a thoughtful son you have and what a wonderful gift you will have for years to come.

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

Glad to read your Ruth is making your life easier.

Have a great weekend ~ FlowerLady

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Thanks so much for taking the time to stop by and leave such a kind comment!! I actually knew I need the knee surgery and put it off for 6 years but I think I put it off too long causing it to get as bad as it has....
Hugs,
Debbie

Retired Knitter said...

I have been curious. Sounds like a great idea. How does it handle corners?? After all, it is round and the corner would be missed, yes??

Wanda said...

I've seen them advertised, but you are the first person I know who actually has one. I loved your story about Ruth....Hmm, I may have to look into that. Maybe I'll call my Rachel..haha

Iris Flavia said...

That sounds helpful. And cute! My BIL has a little mower he calls Karl-Heinz :-)

Jennifer said...

I wonder if Ruth could survive the quantities of fur my Ginger leaves around the house? When she's shedding it's unreal! I'd love to try a Roomba and see!

Granny Marigold said...

How nice that you like your Roomba and that 'she' works well for you. Isn't it funny how we end up liking appliances we didn't think we needed.

DawnTreader said...

I think I have too many places where she might get stuck... But who knows. There was a time when I didn't think I'd have much use for a cellphone either!

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

That’s good to hear how well she does. I need to get one. I had an old one that didn’t hold much dirt, hair so I stopped using it....I hear they made improvements 🥰

betty said...

I've seen these advertised, but I've been skeptical about purchasing one. In former days we had a corgi that shed constantly and continually and required us vacuuming several times a week. He broke several vacuum cleaners with the sheer volume of fur collected. I'm not sure how Roomba would be able to handle fur of that load :) Glad it is working for you though!

betty

Red Rose Alley said...

That is amazing, Terra. Jess got one of these also as a gift. I have cords on the ground from the tv, so it might get stuck vacuuming my house. How funny that you named her Ruth. I hope she continues to work well for you. : )

~Sheri

Gene Bach said...

If I had one of those I'd get in trouble for chasing the cat around the house with it. ;-)

Sally Wessely said...

I've hear of how others love these vacuums. We got a similar appliance to clean our wood floors, but we have a rather odd shaped area where the appliance would have to clean. It just never worked right. I took it back to where we purchased it. I would love to have something like you have, but I don't think it would work in this high house with high ceilings, odd shaped rooms, and funny angles.

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

I had one of these and it was fun, but I grew tired of having to empty the tiny dust cup so often - we have cats and it filled up too quick. I sold mine.

Liz Hinds said...

Wow! She sounds amazing!

elizabeth said...

oh nice! this was really funny: "Roomba is stuck on the edge of a cliff." :)

Debbie said...

i LOVE mine as well. i named mine alice!!!