In the first few months after having Astrid I tried to do it all.
I wanted to be the perfect housewife, mum, daughter, sister, friend, and employee, and I felt I was being stretched in a million different directions and failing on all fronts.
As soon as I accepted it was ok to leave the clean clothes in the basket for another day or not need to fill every single weekend with social activities, I started to feel better about myself.
I decided to look into hacks and tips to make life a little easier and give me some time back in my day.
Whether that was accepting the offers of help from family or looking into automated Nespresso subscriptions (because running out of coffee has been a nightmare I’ve had way too many times) and technology, I’m fully embracing it.
So, when I was given the opportunity to test out a robot vacuum, you better believe I put it through its paces.
One of the perks of my day job as an Editor is being sent some pretty cool items to review, and this time, I roadtested the ECOVACS DEEBOT NEO Robot Vacuum Cleaner.
With a toddler, who probably manages to spill as much food on the floor as she gets in her mouth, meal times are always followed up by a massive cleanup.
Having the ability to schedule an appliance to start vacuuming after each meal is a lifesaver.
The vacuum uses an app on a smartphone to operate and while The setup was pretty straightforward, although it took me two tries to connect it to the wifi on my phone, we were up and running in under 10 minutes.
The unit has two brushes you plug into the bottom that spins debris towards the centre to suck up. Not only does this increase the cleaning range, it also makes getting up close to furniture and skirting boards so much easier.
Having expectations of how I thought the vacuum would work, I was surprised at how quiet it was. There are settings to increase the suction power, but the standard level is probably half the volume of my regular vacuum.
I also expected it to run into walls and furniture, making crashing sounds as it cleaned, but it was clearly aware and didn’t crash into anything once.
The duel vacuum and mop function also meant I didn’t have to get the mop and bucket out after.
My favourite feature of this product is that I didn’t have to move my lounge to clean the many (many) dust bunnies that live beneath it- oh, happy day!
My Pros and cons
I had my phone open as I fangirl-followed the unit around the house, smiling taking notes of the pros and cons, and here’s my list.
Pros
- It’s quiet
- It doesn’t crash into furniture or walls
- The little brushes get right up close, so nothing is missed
- The app is pretty simple to use
- It travels under the lounge without me having to move it
- It vacuums and mops
- It makes its way back to the charging dock when it’s done
- It’s quick and cleaned my small apartment living and dining room in 13 mins
Cons
- If you’re not super tech-savvy, it may be challenging to navigate the set-up
- The dock needs to be on the ground, which may not be an option for everyone
- I didn’t know how to turn off the mop to allow it to get up on the rug, so had to look it up
- If you prefer a traditional instruction booklet, you won’t get one here
- It’s still a large investment to spend (both on sale and at normal retail price)
So if you’re in the market for a new vacuum or are just looking for someone (or something) else to do the cleaning, I highly recommend this number!
Not gonna lie, it is an exxy investment, but if you think about how many times you’ll fire it up a week, the cost-per-use is a lot more stomachable.
Best of all, Florian thinks it’s the coolest gadget out and ‘plays’ with it every day- winning!
That Girl from Sydney 