How do you people do it?

We have two Roombas left over from our time as DINKs (dual income no kids).  If you are not familiar with these little guys they can be a great tool in the battle against dog hair and kid mess.  What kind of kid mess?  Primarily food and play-doh.  Roomba has to main advantages... One, it is a start it and forget it underling.  Unlike other underlings it will go about it's business with very little to no assistance.  Two, it goes under couches and chairs.  I am amazed at how much dust and dirt finds it way under furniture.  Now if we are at someone's house and something goes under a couch I am a bit more hesitant to reach under it blindly:)

Unfortunately, as our Preacher reminds us, we live in a fallen world.  One of my Roombas seemed to be the target of some evil spirit.  The brushes stopped turning.  I did what any SAHD would do, I took it apart!  I found the culprit... dirt, dust and dog hair or as I call them the dirty d's.  I cleaned it all out and it worked again, for a while.  But alas, it stopped working.

At least I had my second string Roomba that I could carry around the house on missions.  The house did not stay as clean as usual but it worked. That is until it also stopped spinning its brushes.  If I was a more suspicious man I would think this was some sort of strike or planned work stoppage on their part.  Maybe Roomba was tired of just cleaning up the mess.  Maybe they wanted better working hours, pay or conditions.  But thanks to Google I have found out that it is just poor designing on the part of Irobot, the makers of Roomba.  It seems that dirt gets into where brush gears and motor are eventually fouling them up.   Of course this does not affect Roomba's performance until well after the warranty period so why fix it? :)

My saving grace is Hammacher Schlemmer!  If you are not familiar with them let me tell you about their Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee. :

"Items that we sell are guaranteed for their normal life under standard non-commercial use. Should any product ever fail to meet your expectations, for any reason, simply return it with proof of purchase. We will replace it or refund the cost of the item less the original shipping and service fees."


My Roombas are on their way back to Hammacher Schlemmer for an exchange.  I plan to get the new model Roomba in exchange for one and try out the new laser guided vacuum for the other one.  But until they arrive I must make due with what I have...  Poor me:) lol

I think housework is the reason most women go to the office. 
Heloise Cruse 

My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you? 
Erma Bombeck

Al