A Robotic Vacuum Cleaner: Is it Worth the Investment?

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ttapIn our world of scientific advancements, there are constant advancements that make our lives easier and give us time for more important things than what is lurking on our floors. One new advancement is the Neato XV Essential Bagless Vacuum, or as we affectionally call it, Rosie.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 1neat xv essential robotic vacuum 3Comprised of the vacuum unit and a charging base, the Neato has a large blade brush that helps it adapt to a variety of floor types.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 4neat xv essential robotic vacuum 5Its large bagless dirt bin is easy to empty and environmentally friendly – no more bags to buy, throw away, and replace. While there are a few different robotic vacuums on the market, the Neato XV Essential stands out from the rest with it’s methodical approach to cleaning. This vacuum has laser guided navigation that allows the vacuum to map out the best method for cleaning and uses an organized approach.

Navigation-Algorithm-Neato-XV-15
It carefully cleans the perimeter of the room getting into the corners that round vacuums cannot, and the smart sensor keeps the Neato from bumping into stairs, furniture, or moulding.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 8Then, the vacuum uses a back and forth pattern to clean the room carefully moving around furniture and anything else that might be in the way.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 7This back and forth method is unlike the other automatic vacuums which use a random path to clean. This carefully mapped out path makes the Neato 4x faster! It will work around people and pets, and you can even create a border around “no clean zones” where there might be toys or anything else that you don’t want disturbed.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 15Probably one of the best features is that Rosie can go all the way under furniture to suck up dirt that most conventional vacuums usually have trouble reaching. (and lets be honest, you’d rather skip that area than get down on your hands and knees to ram the stick vacuum stubbornly into the piece of furniture you’re trying to get under)

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 6You can program a daily cleaning schedule or even just spot clean. If the vacuum runs out of battery, it will automatically return to its charge base and resume cleaning where it left off when it has been recharged.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 14The Neato XV Essential has the strongest suction available in a robot vacuum and paired with its low profile means no dirt will be left behind in those hard to reach nooks and crannies. I love that it gets right up under the cabinetry in the kitchen with ease.

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 9 neat xv essential robotic vacuum 10It will automatically move from floor to floor, room to room, and even work on rugs without sucking up the fringe and destroying the rug or the vacuum. 

neat xv essential robotic vacuum 12 neat xv essential robotic vacuum 13*NOTE* Rosie had a bit of a problem with the shag rug in our living room. While she made valiant efforts to conquer the long fringe beast (she did often made it to the middle), overall the length of shag was too much for her. Honestly, I would have been extremely surprised if it wasn’t!

After having Rosie in our home for the past few weeks, I am overall pleased with the results. She does a great job of keeping our floors clean during the week when I’m just too busy and could definitely use the saved time making dinner or snuggling with the family instead. My only complaint would be that she is VERY loud, especially on hardwood floors. When I first turned her on, I jumped a bit because I wasn’t expecting that level of noise. 

Neato XV Essential Noise Levels

I took some dB readings of my ambient home (off) vs when the Neato was running (on) and you can see it is almost double the sound. To give you an idea of what these numbers mean, Asha.org says:

How loud is too loud?

The noise chart below lists average decibel levels for everyday sounds around you.

Painful
140 dB = firearms, jet engine
130 dB = jackhammer
120 dB = jet plane takeoff, siren

Extremely Loud
110 dB = maximum output of some MP3 players, model airplane, chain saw
106 dB = gas lawn mower, snowblower
100 dB = hand drill, pneumatic drill

Very Loud
80–90 dB = blow-dryer, kitchen blender, food processor
70 dB = busy traffic, vacuum cleaner, alarm clock

Moderate
60 dB = typical conversation, dishwasher, clothes dryer
50 dB = moderate rainfall
40 dB = quiet room

Faint
30 dB = whisper, quiet library

So while it’s not enjoyable to have Rosie cleaning while we are home, it’s probably not the best time to have her on anyway given the amount of foot traffic. The solution is to turn her on before heading out to work or while running errands. You’ll come home to clean floors and avoid the noise!

The Neato XV Essential Bagless Vacuum model 945-0016 is sold through Walmart online and comes with a 1-year manufacturer’s warranty. This sleek model comes in white with a Nickel Metal Hydride battery. It weighs about 16 pounds with free shipping available or place an order and pick it up at your local Walmart. Customer reviews consistently give this Vacuum five stars and Cnet also give favorable marks.

This post is brought to you by Lunchbox. I was provided product to facilitate this review, but all opinions remain my own.

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