When I first moved in with my fiancé, we each fell into doing the household tasks that came naturally to us: He makes dinner almost every night; I make the bed almost every morning. When it comes to walking the dog, our work schedules determine who does what. But there was one thing no one wanted to do: vacuum. Neither of us wanted to invest the amount of time it takes to keep up with consistent vacuuming, but both of us wanted the other person to do it. I notice dust more than he does, so most of the time I ended up giving in and vacuuming while being angry about the other things I could be doing instead. It was the origin of a lot of our stupidest fights.
Any therapist could have told us this was unhealthy, but it took months of our living together to finally come up with a solution. We needed a robot vacuum. One of my coworkers had recently tested some high-end models from Roomba and Neato, and she advised me not to pay the steep prices. Although she hadn’t tested it, she steered me toward Eufy’s much more affordable robot vacuum instead. It has excellent Amazon reviews and, based on what she had learned from her extensive research, was more than capable. After watching a few YouTube videos of the Eufy inhaling crushed-up Cheetos, I went for it.
We probably would have spent a lot more time enjoying each other’s company if we’d bought this a lot earlier. It’s smart enough to avoid ledges and other obstacles. It has chunky, pressure-sensitive wheels, so it can roll over uneven surfaces like a tiny off-roading tank. It can tell if it’s on a carpet or a hard surface and adjust for the difference. And if it gets stuck somewhere, it lets out a series of alert beeps, then eventually turns off if no one comes to rescue it.
Although it’s designed to be ignored, for the first few weeks I didn’t ignore it at all. I stared at it lovingly as it did its work rolling underneath our couch and our bed devouring dust bunnies. I raved about it to friends and family, forgetting I had already told them how happy I was to have bought it. I even love how it’s not Alexa compatible. I’m not that into the whole smart-home trend, and the fact that the Eufy RoboVac 11S is controlled by a basic little remote (as opposed to an all-knowing and constantly listening corporation) makes me smile. Besides, I look at apps on my phone enough already.
But the thing I love most about this lil’ robot is the relief it has given me and my fiancé from bickering about crumbs and dust on the floor. We barely fight about chores anymore, and I’m actually excited by the thought of going home and letting my Eufy loose in the living room. Plus, my apartment has never been cleaner, which makes me happier to spend time there. It is by far, in my opinion, the best thing you could buy today.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best acne treatments, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, natural anxiety remedies, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
