Automated Housekeeping

According to Google, I’m the second laziest man on the web. I jokingly grabbed the Lazy Man name because I abhor housekeeping. It’s a chore which never ends. I hate the feeling that I’m not making an progress. So it got me thinking, What can I do to eliminate or at least reduce the housework? Fortunately, I was able to come up with a few ideas that reduce the housework:

• iRobot Roomba – The iRobot Roomba has been fantastic. We let it run around once a week. It scoots under tables and chair better than a conventional vacuum. While it’s cleaning, I’m free to do another task. If it seems expensive, stick with me for the rest of the article, it doesn’t have to be as pricey as it seems.
• iRobot Scooba – This is the equivalent of the iRobot Roomba for hard floors. It works equally well, too. Unfortunately it requires Scooba solution, which on Amazon is $10 a bottle. By ordering in bulk from the iRobot site, it can be bought for around $4 a bottle. A bottle lasts a long time since two ounces of solution can do a whole floor. However, I found that you can use an alternative solution. A little vinegar is all you need. It doesn’t smell great right after cleaning, but within an hour the smell is gone.
• Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner – At only $25, this is the cheapest of my automated housekeeping ideas. Simply press the button when you are done showering and the device blasts the walls of the shower and tub. We used to clean the bathroom once a week – now it’s closer to once every 6 weeks. Once again the Scrubbing Bubbles Cleaning Solution is a expensive at $4.50 for a 3-week supply. And once again, I’m going to give you a much cheaper method. We looked in our cleaning supplies and found a bottle of Zap. It’s concentrated, so it only takes 2 ounces of Zap every two weeks. Refilling the previous cleaner bottle is easier than you might think. The cap twists off and on with a little pressure.

I promised you a solution to the high price of the iRobots. You’ll notice that both of them retail over $500. Using the Craigslist trick I mentioned yesterday, we got ours for a combined cost of $180. The value we receive is huge. We’ve been able to postpone our search for a housekeeper indefinitely. I get to be Lazy and my wife doesn’t get mad at me.