With Luna the Big Dog™ going in and out of the house, and our driveway (where she likes to hang out) still being mostly dirt, the floors are constantly dirty even if we try to stick with removing our shoes whenever we go into the house. It’s a small house, but also quite crowded with furniture and… stuff. We’re scheduled… and re-scheduled… and re-scheduled for a gravel delivery for the driveway, but it’s apparently only going to happen on island time
HA was losing her mind, and I hate doing floors, so the situation was getting critical. Many years ago, when the technology was quite new, I got an early model Roomba robotic vacuum. I later supplemented it with a Scooba robotic mop. In those days, I easily spent more time repairing the Roomba and (especially) the Scooba than I would have spent just doing the floors the old-fashioned way. I ended up with several of each so I could swap parts around. It was not economical in terms of dollars or time, but I rather enjoyed the tinkering and, well, I hate doing floors. Eventually, though, my little fleet was becoming unsustainable and my two-jobs-and-a-single-dad lifestyle made hiring a housekeeper a smarter choice.
I’ve been told that the tech is much better these days. I have heard of combination sweep-and-mop units, but when I checked Wirecutter they felt that they’re still more trouble than they’re worth. Worse, almost all the little robots require a WiFi connection and a proprietary app. Many have already started foisting expensive subscriptions on their users, and I’m dubious of all internet-of things that require an internet connection. It feels as though enshittification is always lurking just around the corner.
One Wirecutter recommendation stood out: the Eufy RoboVac 11S Max. It has a wireless remote, but no app and no WiFi. It is also quite inexpensive, $140 on Amazon at the moment. We’ve had it for three days. It isn’t a panacea. It isn’t going to handle mud when it rains and we have to prepare the place to be sure it doesn’t get hung up on wires and such, but it navigates the little house well, gets under most of the furniture, and picks up an amazing amount of Luna fur with each pass.
Only time will tell if it’s a decent long-term solution, but after four whole-house runs I can say that it’s looking really good.
—2p