Vacuums that do their own thing.

[bczoom]

Looking for a vacuum (e.g. Roomba) that does the vacuuming by itself.
Recommendations?
We have wood floors with area rugs. Does it transition between the two?
How about small thresholds that go from wood to tile floors?
Do they return home properly?
Can you leave them to do their business unattended for weeks on end (this would be for our condo which we only visit monthly)?

 

[jpr62902]

Depending on your square footage, you're probably looking at multiple units that can be pre-mapped. We have a Roomba that's a lower end model and we just use it for the master. It works well enough, returns to its dock (usually) and almost never gets stuck. The big advantage is it vacuums under the bed.

 

[bczoom]

We have around 1800 sq/ft. How many would I need?
What does it do if it doesn't return to its dock? Just park somewhere and quit working?

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I have four sharks. One on the top floor. Two on the main floor and one in the basement. They work most of the time but occasionally they get caught up on things. I did have one disaster where my dog threw up and the robot pushed vomit all over the main floor of the house. But otherwise, they work pretty good at keeping an two dog house with light cream carpets looking relatively clean. Not as good as a real vacuum but much more consistent than waiting for a person to do the job.

 

[XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq]

I have self emptying ones. If they don't get stuck they will run for about two weeks. Then they need to be emptied and the filters cleaned.