For a long time, vacuuming was something we planned around.
Heavy machine. Awkward angles. Furniture we couldn’t quite get under.
On days when my hands were acting up, it often meant waiting — or letting it go.
I didn’t think much about that. It just felt like part of getting older.
What finally caught my attention wasn’t a new gadget, but watching my husband wrestle with our old upright vacuum. It was loud, bulky, and harder to maneuver than either of us wanted to admit. That was the moment I realized the problem wasn’t motivation or mess, it was effort.
I didn’t know there was another way to do this
Somewhere along the line, vacuuming quietly changed.
Machines got smaller. Some of them started moving on their own.
I hadn’t paid attention. Partly because my husband usually handled the floors, and partly because I assumed anything “robotic” would be complicated or fiddly. But once we actually tried a self-operating vacuum, I realized something important:
The biggest change wasn’t how clean the floors got.
It was that vacuuming no longer required strength, grip, or lifting.
What changed for us
The vacuum we use now is low to the ground and runs on its own. Once it’s started, it moves steadily across the floor, changes direction when it meets something, and eventually finds its way back to recharge.
A few things stood out right away:
- No pushing or pulling
I don’t have to brace my hands or wrists to guide it. - It fits under the bed
That alone removed a chore we used to put off. - It’s quieter than what we were used to
Not silent — just less demanding of attention. - It handles the everyday stuff
Dust, crumbs, pet hair, the bits that accumulate even when you’re careful.
We still keep a lightweight stick vacuum for quick touch-ups, but the heavy upright comes out far less often now.
Things that matter more than features
What made this work for us wasn’t the brand name or the model number. It was a few practical details that turned out to matter more than any spec sheet:
- It can be started with a single button or a simple remote
- It doesn’t require lifting during normal use
- It needs very little day-to-day maintenance
- It lets us clean without rearranging our bodies to do it
That’s the part I didn’t expect: how much energy was being spent just getting ready to vacuum.
A few things we learned along the way
Living with a self-operating vacuum did require a small adjustment:
- Wires need to be picked up before it runs
- Very low furniture needs a bit of clearance
- If it gets stuck, it may need to be lifted and moved (they’re usually around 7–8 pounds)
None of these were deal breakers for us, but they’re worth knowing ahead of time.
What stayed the same
This didn’t turn us into spotless-house people. It didn’t eliminate all cleaning.
What it did was remove one regular task that had quietly become harder than it needed to be.
And that turned out to be enough.
If vacuuming has started to feel heavier, literally or figuratively, it might help to know there are options now that don’t rely on strength or stamina. We didn’t know that for a long time.
Now we do.
Our old Deebot has been replaced by newer models. For those interested, this Eufy robot vacuum available on Amazon might be a place to start when researching these robot vacuums.