Technology is taking over my home. First, it was my doorbell, showing me the packages on my step, I can get on board with that! Second, it was my refrigerator automatically filling my cup with the right amount of water, hmmm I like that too. Third, it was my laundry room alerting my phone when my washing and drying cycles are complete, that works for me too! Technology in my house is supposed to be making my life easier. Could it make my cleaning easier too? It seemed like the perfect time to bring technology into my cleaning routine.
The Yeedi K650 Robotic Vacuum seemed to fit what I wanted at a decent price point of just $180. We quickly opened the box, ran the robotic vacuum through its learning the floor layout routine, installed the app on our phones, and then, of course, named our new floor-cleaning buddy “Low-luh”. I was anxious to see how this technology would ease my vacuuming commitment so I could assist with E-Learning, organize our new home, finish laundry, or any one of the other items on my long multitasking list. I quickly scheduled Low-luh to vacuum twice per day. The first couple of times she started on her daily cleaning adventure, Low-luh literally scared the daylights out of me, and the dog, as she announced “I am starting to clean”.
“YIKES Low-luh, why do you have to scare me like that!” Of course, she didn’t answer but I felt better letting her know she scared me. As Low-luh went about her cleaning routine, I was surprised at how loud she was as she randomly cross-crossed my hardwood floor seeking out dirt to eliminate. I am glad that the app gave me a quiet mode, but unfortunately, that meant the power was also reduced while running in that mode.
As Low-luh went about her cleaning, it was not long before she had herself tangled in the Christmas Tree skirt and was announcing “I am suspended.” To which I responded, “Well Low-luh what are you doing under there anyway? That’s no place for a vacuum” but shockingly, I don’t think she understood what I was saying. So, she went on her merry cleaning way. It was not too much longer and I heard, “I am suspended” again and Low-luh was wrapped up in the cords by the couch. “Oh Low-luh, now what are you doing?” While I am super thankful she didn’t pull the lamp off of the table by catching the cord, I was beginning to question whether Low-luh had been spending a little too much time watching and learning how to get into trouble from my six-year-old. I set her free again and after nearly two hours, she announced she was returning to the charging dock and then again that she was starting to charge. I went over and pulled out the debris container and I was pleasantly surprised by how much dust, dirt, and hair Low-luh had collected.
As the week went on, I thought she would learn where not to go, but she did not so I guess that feature might be a little too much to ask of a robot vacuum. I also found myself wanting to tell her exactly where I wanted her to clean when I knew there was a mess, and while the app has a “spot clean” button feature in it, I have to physically pick up the robot and put her where I want her to clean and then hit spot clean in the app. I would much prefer some way to tell Low-luh where to spot clean.
I did not get the boundary strips that are available for purchase and those would limit the number of places the Yeedi K650 could get caught up around the house. I wouldn’t really trust Low-luh to clean for two hours while I am out of the house as I am worried she would get wrapped up in cords and I would not be there to free her. So I guess the ideal candidate for a robotic vacuum would be a home with not very many loose cords on the floor and a family that doesn’t have loose things under their beds.
So, to answer the question I began this whole cleaning quest with, could a robotic vacuum eliminate the need for my traditional vacuum altogether? The answer is, sadly not yet. The Yeedie K650 is a good vacuuming partner, and I was happy with the amount of dirt the Yeedi K650 could collect and hold. However, robotic vacuum technology has not come quite far enough to eliminate the need for a traditional vacuum completely, but my expectations were pretty high.
