Update (August 1, 2014): After posting my original positive review of the bObsweep PetHair, I began experiencing some problems with my vacuum. Both of the side brushes broke. The vacuum started having more and more errors during use. And then the vacuum started moving extremely slowly. I have contacted the company about the problems and will post another update once I reach a resolution.
Update (November 3, 2014): I ultimately returned the bObsweep PetHair that I received to review. The company offered to troubleshoot the vacuum, but I turned down the offer. I suspect that the shag carpet in my home is not fully compatible with the vacuum. However, I would still recommend the bObsweep PetHair for homeowners without shag carpeting. I am also pleased with the customer service provided by the company.
Original Post: With two dogs, one cat, a toddler, and a husband, the floors in my home quickly become dirtied with pet hair, crumbs, dirt, and other nastiness. I thoroughly vacuum my home once a week and vacuum up smaller messes as needed. However, I still felt like I was losing the battle in my war for clean floors. Thus, when bObsweep recently offered me a chance to review the bObsweep PetHair, I eagerly accepted the opportunity.
The bObsweep PetHair is a robotic floor cleaner. I have already begun to refer to my robot vacuum as Bob. I received the wine (rouge) version, but bObsweep also offers a champagne version. Upon opening the box, I discovered the following items:
- bObsweep Intelligent Floor Cleaner
- HEPA Filters (2)
- Charge-up Station
- Remote Control
- Side Brushes (2)
- Microfiber Mopping Cloths ( 2)
- Mopping Extension
- Bumper Adhesives
- Brush Cleaning Tool
- Power Adapter
An owner’s manual was missing from inside my box, but I was able to easily find instructions for using my new bObsweep PetHair on the bObsweep website.
Although the bObsweep website indicated that I needed to assemble the side brush on my new vacuum, my robot came fully assembled. However, assembly requires only the attachment of the side brush with a single screw, meaning that normal assembly is incredibly simple.
After removing my bObsweep PetHair from the box, I immediately set up the charging station. I then allowed Bob to charge overnight. The next morning, I pressed the Start button and let Bob wander around my home, cleaning my floors as he went.
How well does the bObsweep PetHair clean floors? First, let me start by saying that the footprint of my home is quite odd. My house is a modified ranch-style home with an addition on the back. The main bathroom and bedrooms are located at one end of the home. I also have a living room with two doorways into the rest of the house and one doorway that leads to a foyer that leads to the front door. Behind the living room is a dining room with desk and then the kitchen. The addition contains my backroom and two exterior doors. From the kitchen is also a small hallway that leads to the backroom and to the basement stairs. In other words, the layout of my house is not very straightforward.
I decided to place Bob in one corner of my dining room, out of way of foot traffic. When I first started my bObsweep PetHair, he cleaned part of the dining room for a few minutes and then headed into the living room. He then worked on vacuuming the thick shag carpet in my living room until his bin filled up with pet hair and other nasties. Each morning when I start Bob, he does a quick sweep of my dining room and then heads into the living room.
As I have already stated, the layout of my home is rather bizarre. Despite using Bob for a few weeks, he has not yet figured out the entire configuration of my home on his own. Additionally, my home is also rather large and contains a number of different floorings. My living room and main hallway are carpeted in thick shag. The bathroom is linoleum. The bedrooms have hardwood. The dining room and kitchen have ceramic tile. The bathroom has industrial carpet as well as two thick commercial area rugs around the back door. Aside from the area rugs, Bob has no problem cleaning any of my flooring!
If you live in a smaller home with a more typical layout, then I am confident that Bob could figure out the layout on his own. However, for my strange home, I have figured out a nice floor cleaning that works for me. In the morning, I allow Bob to wander on his own. He cleans the kitchen, dining room, and living room before filling to the brim with pet hair, crumbs, and other debris. I then allow Bob to charge again for the rest of the morning. In the late afternoon, I place Bob in my backroom, allowing him to clean the carpet. Once he does a thorough sweep, I move him into my hallway and allow him to clean the carpet in the hallway, the linoleum in the bathroom, and the hardwood flooring in the nursery. I use baby gates to keep him from heading back into my living room. With two uses a day, Bob keeps my floors clean and free of debris.
The only manual vacuuming that I must do anymore is on the area rug around my backdoor. Try as I might, Bob refuses to vacuum that particular surface. If I put the bObsweep PetHair on the rugs, he immediately moves off into either the backroom or the kitchen.
The only other major problem that I have had with my bObsweep PetHair is that Bob gets stuck under three pieces of furniture in my home: the queen bed, the crib, and the coffee table chest in the back room. All three pieces of furniture are tall enough for Bob to get under but just short enough that the button on his top gets snagged. If you have any low furniture under which Bob gets stuck, simply use another item to block him. Problem solved! Bob also scrapped some of the paint off the very bottom of my low bathroom cabinet, so I need to add some more foam bumpers to him.
Another feature of the bObsweep PetHair that I love is the UV light. I will admit that I am a germaphobe. I love knowing that, as Bob vacuums up the floors around my home, he is also sterilizing the surface. I particularly love the UV light in my bathroom and in my kitchen. The sterilizing power of the UV light means that the germiest floors in my home get a little extra cleaning each day!
I am also extremely pleased with the suction power of my bObsweep PetHair. With a cat and two dogs, my floors quickly become covered in pet hair. My cat, in particular, sheds a lot. Each day when I empty the bin on my bObsweep PetHair, I throw out a mess of nasty pet hair. With my manual vacuum, I thoroughly cleaned the floors around my home once a week. Now Bob cleans up the majority of the pet hair on my flooring, keeping my home looking cleaner than ever. He also thoroughly picks up the crumbs that my toddler daughter leaves around my house. I can honestly not believe the amount of debris that the bObsweep PetHair picks up each day! Bob is my absolutely new favorite tool in keeping my home spick and span!
As I previously mentioned, the bObsweep PetHair picks up a lot of pet hair and other debris around my home. I personally must empty Bob after each use. However, emptying the bin is incredibly easy. Simply press the button on the front of the machine, pop out the dust bin, empty the bin into the garbage with the cleaning brush as needed, and then replace the bin. Emptying the bin twice a day takes me less than a minute each time! Additionally, when hair and other debris becomes entangled on the main brush of the bObsweep PetHair, I can easily clean the brush by using a screwdriver to remove the brush. I can then clean off the brush in a matter a minutes.
If you are considering purchasing a robot vacuum for your home, I have only one thing to say about the bObsweep PetHair: I could no longer live without my Bob! My floors have never been so clean! With two dogs, a cat, a toddler, and a husband, my floors are constantly littered with pet hair, crumbs, dirt, and other debris. By running Bob twice a day in different areas of my home, the bObsweep PetHair keeps my floors spick and span. The best part is that Bob largely works on his own, requiring my assistance only in getting to the correct areas of my home. Once I place Bob in the designated areas of my home, he cleans the floors on his own. I no longer find myself lugging around my larger manual vacuums once a week in my battle against dirty floors!
Final Verdict: I love my bObsweep PetHair and find myself no longer able to live without him! Despite the absurd layout of my home, I quickly and easily made Bob work for me. My house is rather large, so I run my bObsweep PetHair twice a day, and he fills to the brim with pet hair and other debris every time. Emptying and charging the robot vacuum is just as easy as setting him free to roam and clean my floors. With Bob, I no longer need to give my home a lengthy and thorough manual vacuuming once a week. If you have a pet or even just find yourself losing the battle against dirty floors, I recommend the bObsweep PetHair with my highest regards. Bob will quickly become an essential part of your household too!
To see the bObsweep PetHair, check out my videos of Bob cleaning my tile flooring and Bob cleaning my shag carpeting:
For more information or to make a purchase, visit the bObsweep website. The bObsweep PetHair currently retails for $669 and is worth every penny! You can also follow bObsweep on Facebook.
Image Credits
bObsweep PetHair Box © 2014 Heather Johnson
Inside the bObsweep PetHair Box © 2014 Heather Johnson
Removing the bObsweep PetHair from the Box © 2014 Heather Johnson
bObsweep PetHair Accessories © 2014 Heather Johnson
Charging the bObsweep PetHair © 2014 Heather Johnson
Fully Charged bObsweep PetHair © 2014 Heather Johnson
bObsweep PetHair Vacuuming Short Carpet © 2014 Heather Johnson
bObsweep PetHair at Work © 2014 Heather Johnson
bObsweep PetHair Vacuuming Shag Carpet © 2014 Heather Johnson
bObsweep PetHair Debris Bin © 2014 Heather Johnson
Opening the bObsweep PetHair Debris Bin © 2014 Heather Johnson
Debris Inside the bObsweep PetHair Debris Bin © 2014 Heather Johnson
Emptying the bObsweep PetHair Debris Bin © 2014 Heather Johnson
Dirty bObsweep PetHair Brush © 2014 Heather Johnson
Cleaning the bObsweep PetHair Brush © 2014 Heather Johnson
The post Meet Bob, the Newest Member of The Parenting Patch Family: bObsweep PetHair Review appeared first at Meet Bob, the Newest Member of The Parenting Patch Family: bObsweep PetHair Review
