Nobody said that household chores are easy. Imagine how many couples break up over dirty dishes. Think of how many full-blown rants families go through just because the trash was full and no one could be bothered to take it out.
Robot vacuums, Roombas, robot mops, and robovacs were invented to make our lives easier. And they did! The first robot vacuum was the brainchild of the inventor James Dizon, but only in 2014 did tech-savvy vacuuming become a thing. Now, the chances are your mom has one, or you just added one to the basket. But not everything is that easy when it comes to putting one of the most hated household chores in the hands (?) of a robot that resembles a UFO.
So, this time, Bored Panda compiled a list of painfully funny cleaning failures that prove a couple of things: a. We all make mistakes; b. Don’t do it unless you know what you’re doing; and c. Beware of that freakin’ robot vacuum. And take the third one seriously, everyone.
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A Volunteer At Our Local Cat Rescue Turned On The Vacuum
Came Into The Kitchen To Find That My Dog Trapped The Dead Roomba With His Toys
Roomba Suicide In My House Last Night. It Somehow Wrapped Up Its Sensors In Toilet Paper And Headed Off The Edge
Back in time, robot vacuums seemed like a futuristic luxury not for everyone. But today, everything has changed and these tech-savvy "flying saucers" make up 20% of the global vacuum market. The Roomba remains the most popular choice, making up 70% of the total robot vacuum market, with over 14 million units sold to date. Remember that this cleaning product comes at a minimum of $300, so their popularity is nevertheless surprising.
I Found This While Vacuuming Under Our Bed
Received A Notification From My iRobot App. "Roomba Requires Your Attention. Roomba Is Stuck Near A Cliff"
Local Doggie Daycare Learned A Valuable Lesson About Leaving A Roomba In The Reception Area
Roomba is starting to draw a pentagram to summon something...
The iRobot CEO and co-founder Colin Angle told TechCrunch in an interview that the high sales of Roomba cleaners prove it’s “a steady business for a consumer product that starts at a price point that tends to be a bit higher than your average human-powered home cleaning hardware.” Meanwhile, Angle envisions home robots gaining more importance as homes get smarter.
But some critics claim that robot vacuums will never replace traditional cleaning tools because… well, they don’t do their job that well. According to NY Times, even the best robot vacuums barely touch the fine dust that settles into rugs.
“After six months of regular cleaning with the top-of-the-line Roomba, all of this debris still managed to pile up in a single 6-by-9-foot area rug.” The mess was cleaned in only 15 minutes by a human-powered vacuum.
Roomba, The Nope Of Dog World
So Your Vacuum Cleaner Doesn't Work
This Is What Happens When Your Wife Leaves The Door Open To The Pool Area. Your Expensive Robot Vacuum Decides It Wants To Meet The Pool Vacuum... Goddammit
Another con in the robovac department is that our modern homes filled with obstacles are not compatible with robots that easily get stuck in household clutter. Think of all the piles of laundry, small little items scattered around the house, charging cables, and all the other traps. These are a no-go for a robot vacuum and unless you keep your home clutter-free, it will be a hassle.
And lastly, in all fairness, not all robot vacuums look like they really know what they’re doing. Do an experiment: sit down, relax, and watch your bud moving around. You’ll see it bumping into obstacles, cleaning the same area for half an hour, and basically looking dumb and without a vision. The best way to avoid this is to stop watching and let it be.
Today I Got Home To A Vacuum Robot With Artistic Pretensions
Apparently My Dog Thought The Roomba Was An Assailant
Not Only Did It Steal The Bloody Shower Towel It Tried To Hide Under The Vanity Thing. I Suppose It Wanted To Snack In Private
The Roomba Didn't Come Home Last Night After Its Scheduled Cleaning And Is Nowhere To Be Found
Just Found Out I Bought Vacuum Which Doesn’t Have Any Vacuum Capabilities, It Just Rolls Around The Floor
I'm Afraid, Our Vacuum Will Quit Soon. It Seems He Had An Interview
You should give him a pay raise, seems as though he is not happy in the current work environment
Cat + Paint Can + Roomba
Started Cracking Up When I Discovered SNL’s Mr. Bill Stuck Like This In The Roomba. Poor Guy
My Parents Tested Using Robo-Vac To Clean The Unfinished Basement And Apparently Left The Walk-Out Door Open
This Vacuum At Work Hadn't Been Cleaned In A While
Came Home From Dinner And Found My Vacuum Hanging On For Life
People who live in homes with staircases and have a roomba should really be careful. Or else they should be charged with roomba neglect and endangerment. :P
Found Out Why The Roomba Quit Working
Just My Neighbor Vacuuming His Grass
Our Roomba Had A Run-In With Naked Barbie. Naked Barbie Lost
My Brand New Roomba Ran Over My Puppy's Poop And Proceeded To "Clean" The Rest Of My Home
Go Home, Roomba! You’re Drunk
This Is Carl. He Likes To Squeeze Into Impossible Spots And Then Sleep. This Is His Favorite Spot, Takes 2+ People To Get Him Out
Mother Knew I Wanted A Roomba But Didn't Want To Waste That Much Money On One. So She Found One For A Bargain. Note, It Has Zero Vacuuming Ability
Apparently My Husband Hasn't Learned How To Hide His Charger Cords From "Eva" The Vacuum
She sent me a message while I was at work to tell me she was having a bad day and requires assistance.
Bumped The Empty Button After Finishing Vacuuming
I Hear Screaming Coming From The Living Room, Only To Find My 5-Year-Old Daughter On The Floor With Her Hair All Sucked Up & Tangled In Our iLife Robot Vacuum
I couldn't stop laughing the entire time I tried to free her.
Apparently I Found A Loose Thread While Vacuuming
Oh Yeah... A Cliff
why do the manufacturers seem to think the consumers are vacuuming landscapes?
My Robot Vacuum Ate A Piece Of Chalk
This Is What I Woke Up To
When The Robo Vacuum Ruins Its Perfect Track Lines Retuning To Base
Roomba Tried To Make A Break For It Today
Forgot My Headphones On The Ground While The Roomba Was Running
My Girlfriend Was Wondering Why Her Vacuum Was Not Working Anymore
My Buddie's Girlfriend Has A Husky And Hasn't Vacuumed For A Few Months This Came Out Of Said Vacuum After
Never Vacuum Your Keyboard
dude..... you should blow air in to keyboard... not sucking of air.....
Roomba Has Gone Rogue
It Made It Less Than A Meter From The Charger Before Asking To Be Charged Again
Wife And Teen Daughters Said Vacuum Wasn't Working, Checked Roller Brush
Why You Shouldn't Agree To Dogsit When You Have A Robot Vacuum
Just Vacuuming The Street In Front Of The 5-Star Hotel
Came Home To Find My Roomba In An Apparent Suicide Attempt
Just A Man Attempting To Vacuum A Puddle. Typical Glasgow
I'm Sorry, A What?
How The Roomba Stole Christmas
Why I Don’t Vacuum
Roomba Got My Last Roll Of Toilet Paper
Vacuum Cleaner On/Off Switch Was Sparking/Broken And I Didn’t Want To Buy A New One. Fixed It
So My Vacuum Robot Got Into My LEGO Room
Note To Self: Be More Careful When Using The Vacuum Hose
Vacuuming When... Nope
Nope nope nope. Time to buy a new vacuum cleaner and just throw that one out.
Came Home To A Murder. I Think My Broom Resents My New Purchase. The Roomba's Battery Died Like This
Get A Roomba So You Don’t Have To Clean Up Anymore, They Said
We Bought A Roomba Yesterday And Ran It Last Night. It Had A Surprise For Us In The Morning
Mischievous Roomba This Morning
The Roomba Sucked Up My Headphones While I Was Gone
Cat Took A Crap On The Floor And Our Roomba Decided To Drag It All Over The Floor
Friend: hey Watcha doin? Me: watching roombas tracking poop on carpets
How Close My Vacuum Is To Fitting In This Gap
I'm Suddenly Remembering Why I Sweep My Craft Room Instead Of Letting The Roomba Do The Floors
The Cord For My Wife’s Vacuum
Today I Came Home To Find Joomba Mating With Or Killing One Of Murrow’s Toys
Everyday my Roomba tells me via the app that it has successfully completed cleaning my floors, and is back home nestled in its little charging base. And almost every day I come home to find little Joomba in a different place in the house, completely drained of its battery.
So I Was Vacuuming My Car Today When I Noticed The Vacuum Wasn't Sucking Very Good. This Is What I Found
Quarantine Day 9 - My Dad Vacuuming The Yard
The Way My Girlfriend Winds Her Vacuum Cord
"Daddy! I Need Your Help!" Walked In And Saw This. We Saved Some Hair, But Still Had To Cut Her Out
There should be a protective screen/guard blocking that intake valve. Unfortunately I have seen them frequently removed and/or lost. It's one of those random things you find behind the couch or door, can't figure out what it's for and then toss it out later. Only to realize what you've done... When hair, yarn, tails etc get stuck months later.
Ran The Robot Vacuum 20 Minutes After Leaving The House. The Dog Evidently Waited Less Than That To Plant A Steamer By The Front Door
My wife couldn’t figure out why she kept getting error messages from the vac app
at that point just throw it out and vaccum the old fasion way
My Flatmate Owns This Crappy Vacuum Cleaner Robot Which Keeps Getting Stuck Everywhere. I Swear It's Easier And Better To Just Use An Ordinary Vacuum Cleaner
Pro-Tip: Use A Vacuum To Quickly Wrap Your Headphones
You're A Jerk, Roomba
I Was Trying To Vacuum At Work And I Almost Burned Down The Place
Came Home To This Derp Having Pulled Open The Blinds And Promptly Dying
I Live With Five Other Girls. This Is What Happens Every Time I Vacuum The Apartment
When Customers Think That Two Dyson Stick Vacs Are Enough To Clean A Home With Three Dogs
They are good enough but you still need to empty it when you see it gets filled
Pro-Tip: Don't Use An Industrial Vacuum Cleaner To Clean Your Thinkpad
When Nobody Remembers To Clean The Vacuum Cleaner
The Roomba Got All The White Thread Off The Bobbin After My Wife Left Just A Bit Touching The Floor
Our Vacuum Cleaning Robot Got Stuck Under The Drying Rack
Oh No
So the message I'm getting thus far is: if your pets don't poop in the toilet while you're gone, a Roomba is not the wisest choice for your family.
My Robotic Vacuum Died About 3 Feet From Its Charging Station
"A Vacuum That Never Loses Suction"... Until You Have A Kid
Roomba Screwed Up
Robot Vacuum Sucked My Mouse
My Buddy Was Pumped To Get A Roomba... Until His Dog Poo'd In The House
Vacuum Was Not Working. She Blamed It On The Cat. Our Cat Is Grey
Another Bad Roomba. Came Home To This
My Roomba Got A New Tail
The Way Our Vacuum Cleaner's Head Just Barely Doesn't Fit In This Gap
One Dog... One Vacuum
Why do you insist on shaming me in front of the whole world? - says the miffed Corgi.
Roomba Made The Poor Choice Of Trying To Clean Up Dog Poop. After Dragging It Around The Dining Room, The Roomba Put Itself In The Corner. I’m Assuming Because Of Shame
I See Your Tangled Earbuds And I Raise You This
Apparently My Roomba Got A Little Chilly While I Was At Work
Wanted To Take The Dirt Out Of The Vacuum
While I Was In The Shower, My Dog Puked Up All Of His Breakfast. Roomba Attempted To Do His Duties, But He Was Not Equipped For This Mission
Vacuuming Fail
Oh god this brings back memories of the frustrating kind. I used to work a cleaning job where they had two vacuums: one with virtually no suction and one that fell apart all the damn time. So frustrating when you need to vacuum 200m2 of carpet.
Thank God My Husband Married Me For More Than Just My Housekeeping Skills
"Babe, The Vacuum Isn’t Sucking. Can You See If You Can Fix It?"
My Vacuum Robot That Knocked Over These Plants, Making A Bigger Mess Than Any One This Jerk Has Ever Cleaned
House Sitting My Parents House And Was Too Lazy To Vacuum Myself, Sadly The Roomba Is An Idiot
If You're 3 Years Old, Terrified Of The Vacuum, And You Dump Baby Formula On The Floor, You're Gonna Have A Bad Time
Yeah, terrorize her into submission and put her picture up scared and crying on the internet ...That will set her straight. Like voting, being a parent should entail a basic intelligence test
So Our Roomba Had A Rough Day Yesterday
Get A Roomba They Said. It'll Make Your Life Easier They Said
Decided To Clean My Keyboard With A Vacuum Cleaner
Roomba vs. Wyze Wi-Fi Camera
Roomba Got Hungry
Fake! No way it would flip itself in the toilet paper in that direction.
Vacuum Cord. About Once A Year I Have To Replace This Cord Because The Wife Destroys Them
Here's my question. Why are so many peoples dogs shitting in the house? Do you not walk them? Have you not trained them? If you can't stop your dog doing that, you're the problem. Train your dammed dog.
Right?? We have 3 dogs and the last time one of them pooped in the house was when they were young puppies and still being trained. After they were trained, we’ve never had a single accident with any of them over the years.
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Seeing posts like these, I was sceptical at first too. Besides that, our home isn't so big, with much floor surface. But my husband got one anyway, one of a cheaper Chinese brand, and we both got pleasantly surprised at how smart it actually is and how well it does its job. Also, very easy to clean and maintain. We're both satisfied. I guess it depends on where you live and how you use it. Ours is controlled by an app, where you can see the floor surface it scanned and you can set location restrictions, to prevent falling and damage. You can also control it with a remote, like the toy cars, if you please. Also, the wires, surprisingly, don't jam, it actually retrieved lost usb cables from underneath the bed, no damage. Sometimes it's kind of stubborn on certain door corners, which is when it needs help, but overall it's impressive. I just don't really dare leaving it working when there's nobody home, but same goes for every other appliance.
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I have two questions: Why are peoples dogs pooping in the house so much? Why do people leave their toilet paper hanging down to the floor?
I might add... why don’t these people clean they vacuums and vacuum brushes?
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Robot cleaners are great but they can't do everything for you, you still have to pick up things like earphones and loose mats yourself to avoid mishaps.
True, but they're getting better even at these things.
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I realized how old I am when my reaction was, "Are people now so lazy they can't even clean their own floors with a vacuum and empty a canister or bag?" Yep. I'm my grandma. *sigh*
It's not only laziness, painful backs and joints play a role too. Also, it allows for a better multitasking, and the end result is better too. Imagine, when the first laundry machines were invented, someone probably said "are people now so lazy they even can't wash their own clothes?"
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If I ever get a roomba amma going to accessorize it with googly eyes and a cheshire cat grin sticker.
All the Roomba problems - why do people have it on while they´re not at home? If nobody is there to quickly notice problems and intervene they invite danger. A defect machine or something broken is the best-case scenario, worst but well possible case is the whole house burning down.
We had high hopes when we bought a Rumba, like "yay it will do all the work for us"! But in the end we realized it wasn't worth it: too much time spent preparing the surface (closing doors, moving chairs, checking no cords were on the ground etc) and afterwards cleaning the brushes etc. Plus it doesn't do a very thorough job, not going behind some furniture and hidden corners... So back to our good old vaccuum cleaner ;)
That depends on the set up though - all my furniture and rugs are roomba friendly, so I just turn it on, no need to prep. Just take my hair out of the brush every couple of weeks :).
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What I learned from this post: 1) Roombas like to spread s**t all over the house 2) Roombas like to eat earbuds/other-corded items 3) Roombas like to get caught-up in the toilet roll --> Conclusion: Don't get a Roomba
our Roomba ran into a table with a glass of water on it, knocked over the water, and broke its self. we have a deebot now
I have a Roomba that I never use. Between needing to remember all the cords that need to be unplugged and moved and the unit getting stuck under sofas, cabinets & the refrigerator it's more work than its worth.
Never going to buy a robot vacuum. And as for the ones that don't actually vacuum, what on earth were you thinking??
All of us in the comments getting triggered by toilet paper and dogs lol! but really, just wow
I had a little robot vacuum cleaner; it was great. Then it threw a wheel and I found out replacing said wheel would cost an absolute fortune - more than the price of replacing the whole thing. I gave it away for parts. Never again!
I can’t believe people fell for it and bought a roomba. There is no cleaning unless you put some back in it.
:/ meh. I have no use for one of those things. Plus, I have 3 cats and my apartment is covered in cat toys. Wouldn't really work well. I usually pick everything up and then vacuum. Gives me something to do. Then re toss down all their toys & tents. I'm not kidding when I say I just have this cat paradise going on.
the fact that all of these photos are about Roombas and robot vacuums even though the article is about all vacuums, in general, tells me maybe it's not too smart to buy these.
So, I learn from this thread that roombas and similar attempts at being lazy by buying stuff (... ever compared your hourly wages to their price, as to determine how much time the device needs to safe in its lifetime so you don't end up working 20 hours to get rid of 10 hours of chores?) that does boring tasks and chores basically just mess around, distribute dog poop, cat poop, other poop, other spilled-overs of any kind, break easily and generally aren't even close to half as useful as the basic idea implies them to be. I'll keep my good old vacuum, neither a roomba nor a dyson seem up to any demands above using electricity. Why make it complicated if it works fine and automatization just introduces new problems to solve, new things to break, new hassles and harassments?
And people still think a roomba is a good idea? Just. Do. It. Yourself. Much better and way less frustrating.
Here's my question. Why are so many peoples dogs shitting in the house? Do you not walk them? Have you not trained them? If you can't stop your dog doing that, you're the problem. Train your dammed dog.
Right?? We have 3 dogs and the last time one of them pooped in the house was when they were young puppies and still being trained. After they were trained, we’ve never had a single accident with any of them over the years.
Load More Replies... Seeing posts like these, I was sceptical at first too. Besides that, our home isn't so big, with much floor surface. But my husband got one anyway, one of a cheaper Chinese brand, and we both got pleasantly surprised at how smart it actually is and how well it does its job. Also, very easy to clean and maintain. We're both satisfied. I guess it depends on where you live and how you use it. Ours is controlled by an app, where you can see the floor surface it scanned and you can set location restrictions, to prevent falling and damage. You can also control it with a remote, like the toy cars, if you please. Also, the wires, surprisingly, don't jam, it actually retrieved lost usb cables from underneath the bed, no damage. Sometimes it's kind of stubborn on certain door corners, which is when it needs help, but overall it's impressive. I just don't really dare leaving it working when there's nobody home, but same goes for every other appliance.
Load More Replies... I have two questions: Why are peoples dogs pooping in the house so much? Why do people leave their toilet paper hanging down to the floor?
I might add... why don’t these people clean they vacuums and vacuum brushes?
Load More Replies... Robot cleaners are great but they can't do everything for you, you still have to pick up things like earphones and loose mats yourself to avoid mishaps.
True, but they're getting better even at these things.
Load More Replies... I realized how old I am when my reaction was, "Are people now so lazy they can't even clean their own floors with a vacuum and empty a canister or bag?" Yep. I'm my grandma. *sigh*
It's not only laziness, painful backs and joints play a role too. Also, it allows for a better multitasking, and the end result is better too. Imagine, when the first laundry machines were invented, someone probably said "are people now so lazy they even can't wash their own clothes?"
Load More Replies... If I ever get a roomba amma going to accessorize it with googly eyes and a cheshire cat grin sticker.
All the Roomba problems - why do people have it on while they´re not at home? If nobody is there to quickly notice problems and intervene they invite danger. A defect machine or something broken is the best-case scenario, worst but well possible case is the whole house burning down.
We had high hopes when we bought a Rumba, like "yay it will do all the work for us"! But in the end we realized it wasn't worth it: too much time spent preparing the surface (closing doors, moving chairs, checking no cords were on the ground etc) and afterwards cleaning the brushes etc. Plus it doesn't do a very thorough job, not going behind some furniture and hidden corners... So back to our good old vaccuum cleaner ;)
That depends on the set up though - all my furniture and rugs are roomba friendly, so I just turn it on, no need to prep. Just take my hair out of the brush every couple of weeks :).
Load More Replies... What I learned from this post: 1) Roombas like to spread s**t all over the house 2) Roombas like to eat earbuds/other-corded items 3) Roombas like to get caught-up in the toilet roll --> Conclusion: Don't get a Roomba
our Roomba ran into a table with a glass of water on it, knocked over the water, and broke its self. we have a deebot now
I have a Roomba that I never use. Between needing to remember all the cords that need to be unplugged and moved and the unit getting stuck under sofas, cabinets & the refrigerator it's more work than its worth.
Never going to buy a robot vacuum. And as for the ones that don't actually vacuum, what on earth were you thinking??
All of us in the comments getting triggered by toilet paper and dogs lol! but really, just wow
I had a little robot vacuum cleaner; it was great. Then it threw a wheel and I found out replacing said wheel would cost an absolute fortune - more than the price of replacing the whole thing. I gave it away for parts. Never again!
I can’t believe people fell for it and bought a roomba. There is no cleaning unless you put some back in it.
:/ meh. I have no use for one of those things. Plus, I have 3 cats and my apartment is covered in cat toys. Wouldn't really work well. I usually pick everything up and then vacuum. Gives me something to do. Then re toss down all their toys & tents. I'm not kidding when I say I just have this cat paradise going on.
the fact that all of these photos are about Roombas and robot vacuums even though the article is about all vacuums, in general, tells me maybe it's not too smart to buy these.
So, I learn from this thread that roombas and similar attempts at being lazy by buying stuff (... ever compared your hourly wages to their price, as to determine how much time the device needs to safe in its lifetime so you don't end up working 20 hours to get rid of 10 hours of chores?) that does boring tasks and chores basically just mess around, distribute dog poop, cat poop, other poop, other spilled-overs of any kind, break easily and generally aren't even close to half as useful as the basic idea implies them to be. I'll keep my good old vacuum, neither a roomba nor a dyson seem up to any demands above using electricity. Why make it complicated if it works fine and automatization just introduces new problems to solve, new things to break, new hassles and harassments?
And people still think a roomba is a good idea? Just. Do. It. Yourself. Much better and way less frustrating.
