Roomba to the Rescue

Last year when I bought this old 5th wheel it came with lots of white sculptured carpet. There was lots of intermittent work and repairs going on. It seemed no one would wipe their nasty shoes before traipsing inside!

The rig came with a huge upright heavy vac that I could barely more from level to level. No one did the vacuuming and the carpets suffered. Then I took some combined Christmas gift money and ordered the gadget of my dreams... a roomba vacuum cleaner!

I named her Rhonda and put her to work. Matter of fact, I make her vacuum all levels every day. I'm a slave driver that way.

What a lifesaver. She is my favorite tool and I pamper her endlessly. It took the dog some time to make peace with Rhonda. Boy is he ever diligent to check the floor for snacks and crumbs before she sucks it away.

At some point I let Stanley Steemer bring life back to the carpets after the workman had tried their best to destroy them.

Any time I accidentally skip a day without Rhonda I feel terrible guilt. Sometimes I turn her loose in the living area when I go to bed. Mostly I run her in the main area while I am dog walking. Then when I come back, I move her from level to level.

My 5th wheel is on 4 levels, so I have to move her around. My housekeeping is now Rhonda friendly. I've tamed electric cords and I toss the dog toys back in their box before Rhonda drags them around. Poor teddy bear was being helplessly dragged around by his ear one day before I rescued him.

This has transformed my life. My carpets looks beautiful. Home smells clean. I was able to sell that huge hunk of vac that I did not like that gave me back aches.

I still own a tiny handheld vac leftover from motorhome days. I've rarely used it now. Rhonda can get aggressive and I've learned to check her dustbin before tossing it. She has sucked up keys, pills, spare change and errant screws.

I have to give her a haircut once a month as my long hair tends to wrap around her roller brushes.

I chose roomba by iRobot over the rest because they supply all the parts needed to give her a makeover if she wears anything out. She also scoots across the parquet floor in the kitchen and the throw rug at the entrance. I try to shake the throw rug often but Rhonda sucks out the ground end dirt.

In all the homes I have lived in, this is my first time with wall to wall carpet and this rig came with white.

Yesterday a neighbor stopped in and she said WOW, your carpet is gorgeous, you must slave away to keep it that way.  I said "Yeah, it's so hard to push that little start button..."

So if you are looking for the perfect gift for someone this Christmas, get them a roomba!

Amazon has them in all price ranges.