Shedding Dogs And The Robot Vacuum That Could

Ask me any day and I will tell you that our dog’s only flaw is his amazing capacity to shed. You would never believe how much of his short, white coat ends up on our floor. Our dog, an English Pointer, is a cyclical shedder not a seasonal shedder, which is far from the non-shedding, sometimes hypoallergenic breeds. In addition to a better diet (grain, wheat, and corn-free), we recently discovered one of the best solutions for our shedding dog: an unassuming little robot vacuum called the Roomba.     

These little robot vacuums from iRobot are pretty amazing. The amount of hair and dirt they pick up blows me away every time I dump out the bin. More importantly, however, is the amount of time I save compared to my normal vacuuming duties (one of my jobs around the house). With the “scheduler,”  you can program the Roomba to go out at a specified time and come back to the charging station when the battery depletes itself.

Due to my irregular schedule, I prefer to run the Roomba when I choose rather than a scheduled time. Most of the time, I just tap the start button as we head to the dog park, so upon return the floors are clean and the Roomba has returned to the charger. Cleaning up after our shedding dog could not be easier.

Normally, it would take an hour 2-3 times a week to vacuum our condo. We would live with the hair on the floor on the in-between days. These days, it takes about five minutes to move a few things before and after the Roomba performs its task. I recommend that you watch it work the first couple of times to identify the objects that cause obstruction.

On alternate days, I flip the edges of the living room area rug up to let the Roomba get the hair that seems to work under the first foot of carpet. I also push the couch back a foot or two as there is always a nice collection of hair there. If our couch was just an inch higher, the Roomba would go right under. Though the couch is just a hair too low, I really like that it goes beneath most of our furniture.

We have, as I imagine most dog owners do, hardwood floors, at least in the main living areas. Actually, we have a white dog with Brazilian Cherry floors, which show every bit of his hair. On the hardwood floors, the Roomba absolutely excels in collecting all of his hair, dust and usual bits of treats found on floors. It performs just as well on area rugs as well.

We have carpet in our master bedroom.  I would say it offers a job well-done, as others who live in our building have commented on the difficulty of removing lint/dust bunnies from the same carpet with their regular vacuums. Regardless, with the first few cleaning runs in the bedroom , it amazed me with the amount of hair and regular dust bunnies that must have come from beneath the bed and dressers.

Overall, the Roomba far exceeded my expectations. It is not perfect – sometimes it will miss a spot. I tend to miss spots with the regular vacuum, so who am I to criticize? Where the Roomba excels is in keeping your home looking good between major cleanings.

Conversations with other dog owners who have the Roomba Pet Series Vacuum, especially owners with long-haired dogs have been positive as well. I should note that owners of long-haired dogs should take an extra moment to clean the beater brush every two to three uses. My one issue is keeping Margie’s long hair out of our vacuums.  For people reading this with multiple floors in their house, I have met others like you and they recommend a Roomba for each floor of your home.

I also met a few dog owners who have the Scooba Floor-Washing Robot in addition to the Roomba. The Scooba has a small reservoir of cleaning solution and a small tank to collect dirty water. I saw the ads suggesting bleach, though other dog owners who use the Scooba recommend canine-safe vinegar instead. The Scooba is a lifesaver for people with dogs who slobber, drool, make a mess while drinking or leave wet footprints.

What I like most about the Roomba is how quick and easy it is to use, the fact that the dog is not bothered by it (he is afraid of the big vacuum) and how well it cleans beneath furniture. I spend far less time tending to our floors and they are much more clean than before.