Wednesday, January 28, 2026

The mopping Rover

Rover has been difficult getting to and from wherever he has been ordered to clean. He wasn't taking a direct path but wandering around under the bed in the spare room, his home base. In frustration at his antics, I picked him up and took him to the area to be cleaned and then ordered him to clean. That worked twice and he found the direct route home, but would not climb onto charging and emptying stand. I eventually put him up by hand and he began charging but of course as he didn't make the move himself, he didn't empty his bin.

For some reason Rover has corrected his path and now travels directly. You really have to work hard with Rover in the early days to get him right. The time I've spent on my phone app for Rover, the time I've spent watching him, the time I've spent with other Rover matters, I could have vacuumed myself, perhaps twice. However, we are on the upward. I always knew I bought a toy.

Rover mops the tiled areas. I've learnt to tell him to do all jobs twice and use extra water with added detergent on tiled areas. In this video you can see Rover's mopping arm come down. The underside of the arm is a mopping material, velcro connected to the arm. It has to be changed perhaps every six months or so. 


I wondered if Rover could sweep and mop the balcony? I measured Rover's height and the gap at the bottom of the glass, where Jass loves to stick her head out, and no. Rover would go to his death as he went under the glass. 



36 comments:

  1. OMG, I would use that as entertainment. I've always been fascinated with gadgets. Daughter gave me this automatic electronic bathroom bin recently and I can sit there for well.... and waggle my garbage over it and watch the jaw open and shut automatically. I am such a cheap date.
    XO
    WWW

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    1. WWW, it is entertainment for me. I would love your bin too.

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  2. That is cool. :) Just today my vacuum cleaner conked out. It smelled ready to burst into flame and is just a few months old. ~rolls eyes~ Oh, well, at least it didn't catch fire.

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    1. Under warranty then Darla. Ask for a refund rather than a replacement and buy a different one.

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  3. Rover wouldn't last long in our house. A certain person would have lost patience with him long before now.

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  4. Poor Rover if he ever escapes to the balcony! I have one, a Roborock, His name is Ralph and he only vacuums, no mopping. Without pets or littles my floors don't need a lot of mopping so it works for me. I've noticed he seems to be roaming more than in the beginning, I may need to read up and map him again. I've had it about a year I guess and it has been wonderful for my shoulder not having to push a heavy vac around.

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    1. Deb, while I can ask the lads to vacuum, and they do at times without being asked, when it was my duty, I did a couple of rooms each time with the stick vacuum cleaner. Vacuuming the whole place would kill my back. I'm glad you like yours.

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  5. I'm just not techy enough to own/program a Rover. Though, I wish someone or something would do my vacuuming and mopping for me;)

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    1. Sandra, it is quite easy really. I think I overthink such things and try to control, rather than let it get on with its job.

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  6. What does the Rover normally do when it runs into a carpet or rug?

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    1. Hels, it just cleans it, without mopping of course. It can climb onto a rug, not that I have any. Old person trip hazard.

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  7. It is almost unbelievable. A robot that vacuums. I have a cleaner paid for by My Age Care to do mine.

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    1. Diane, I am entitled to a cleaner but getting one under Commonwealth Home Support is close to impossible. I must try again.

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  8. I'd be too stressed out with that thing.

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    1. Kirk, as a retired person, I can make time to deal with Rover in my first world non starving life.

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  9. Oh dear. I decided long ago that I am not nearly as techy as I need to be to have something like this. Then you have to go and show me one that mops too.

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    1. You lie Debby. Of course you could manage an app to order an iRobot around.

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  10. Seems to me Rover is more trouble than he is worth. I have now decided to never get a Rover. I can still sweep my two rooms in less than ten minutes anyway.

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    1. Rover is great fun, River, and I am enjoying getting him on to a righteous path.

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  11. I did have a leaf mulcher's motor catch fire. I had to throw it out into the middle of the driveway. Home Depot would do nothing since its warranty had expired. Sadly I bought it on sale end of leaf season and didn't try it til about 11 months later when the leaves were falling again. I even showed them the video of it burning in my driveway. This gadget seems like a lot of work to maintain, Andrew, and direct. it should have wings that pop out if it takes a wrong turn out into thin air.

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    1. Strayer, while we have the same standard warranty periods here, if such an appliance died soon after the end of the warranty, you could take the case to a tribunal who would judge 'reasonable expectation of service of a motorised machine', and you would win.

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  12. I like rather simple things and prefer not to resort to an app. But that's just me.

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    1. Cloudia, we are all different but I will never get rid of my stick vacuum cleaner.

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  13. How do you know Rover is a he? could be a flouncy female fed up with meandering aimlessly round the floor.

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    1. Thema, a female robot would clean much more efficiently than Rover.

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  14. Rover is doing a good job, and of course it's a toy and time consuming for you being on your phone for ages, that's the way it goes these days with phones and gadgets, Andrew, but it's fun.

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    1. I agree Margaret, and I don't have to do Wordle or Sudokku to keep my brain active.

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  15. The first one we had, was described as cleaning in a "drunken sailor" pattern, it just bounced around aimlessly. The third generation is much better at following a pattern.

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    1. Drunken Sailor is an excellent descriptive name, TP. That's what Rover was like as he wandered around under the bed trying to find his way.

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  16. No robot cleaners in my house. I'm afraid they'd try to kill me in my sleep. 😀

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    1. Bob, even Rover climbing over my foot is unpleasant.

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  17. I've reached the conclusion that the only way to have a clean house is to have it completely empty of people, pets and furniture.

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    1. Seeing ankles and Jass does seem to disturb Rover. i do move some things away from Rover's cleaning area as ordered.

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