# Tried & tested : the robot vacuum cleaner by Rowenta…

1/ The product: This technological gem is a mini vacuum, which you can program from a distance by using an app (my smart force) on your mobile phone. Obviously, the Wi-Fi needs to be connected.  In terms of design, it’s really cute, and it’s small and round which allows it to move around easily. We were really quite impressed as it seems to manage to zip around by itself quite well (probably thanks to its camera and laser which allow it to avoid obstacles or people ).Autonomy is quite good : it can cover 120m2 and it can work at three different speeds (adapting depending on the surface). In terms of the noise, it’s very much within the normal range -80Decibels – so no louder than a normal vacuum cleaner. This also depends on which setting it’s on, it’s louder on the turbo setting, for example… Finally, there are two different versions of this vacuum cleaner, the standard one and a special animal edition, which has a special “animal care” brush… This is the one that we received – of course 😉

2/ Connectivity: The first time we used it, we connected it to the Wi-Fi at home and to our phones, and we gave it a nickname (this is really fun. We named ours “Albator”)…  Next, we saved our profile on the app, my smart force, answering questions about how many cats or dogs we have at home, how many people live in our house and whether we live in the town or the country, etc. which helped Albator to understand our cleaning needs. For us, it was the semi-intensive mode that we needed..

3/ Usage:  We programmed it so that it would vacuum the floor once a day. We have stairs, so we’d start by putting it on the first floor and launching the number one program via the application. When it had finished cleaning upstairs, we would bring it back down so that it could do the ground floor.  At the end of its cycle, it “goes home” by itself and sits back on its base, which is pretty discreet.

Albator the robot vs our pets ..

I have to say that I do prefer to be there when I start the cycle, just in case (as you never really know how animals are going to react)…

• The cats: The first few times we used the robot, Neela, our kitten, was quite intrigued and the other three were a bit stressed, though they didn’t run away like they usually do when we vacuum. They normally all hide in the closets or under the quilt. After a few times, the four cats were calmer (meaning they tolerate the robot as long as it doesn’t come toward them). But I must say they are much more relaxed than with a normal vacuum cleaner..
• The bunnies : With rabbits, you really have to be careful. They can have heart problems, especially those that are not ” stimulated” or that are left in a cages. Ours are mostly alert, and they aren’t really scared of the vacuum (except Noosa who hides straight away)… Overall, they don’t really mind Albator as long as it doesn’t get super close to them. It’s the same as the cats basically. For the first few times we used the robot near the rabbits, I was ready to step in if necessary but it went well in the end. Kiwi did widen his eyes and Noosa huddled up a bit but nothing very dramatic. As for Zarha on the first floor, not a peep… Despite everything, I would recommend that rabbit owners be careful when vacuuming (whichever model they use), especially with easily scared rabbits (often those who are not cage free or not used to other pets, noises and etc ).