Otto Where Are You?

My husband and I purchased a Roomba for ourselves for Christmas.

He had seen it advertised before Christmas on a morning talk show as a geeky, tekkie device that really did work.

It actually is perfect for our house, all one level, most of it wood flooring.

Our California grandchildren named him Otto.

After three different locations we finally found his docking home and he seems to enjoy it there, but we have yet found him returning to it on his own.

Originally we programmed him to start at 7 am.

I found that irritating as I couldn't hear my morning news and he just seemed to be underfoot all the time. So we changed it to 9 am. That works except we have discovered we have been gone lately at that hour and if he gets stuck on a rug or under a cabinet or on a cord, well, he can't finish his job and when we come home we have to search for him.

One flaw. He should come out when his name is called.

Then for him to REALLY clean there cannot be clutter in the way.

So just as you pick up before the housecleaner comes, you must pick up before Otto does his job.

He can move the bath rug out of the way, but today we found him in the master closet with the door closed. Evidently as he was cleaning he closed the door and due to his small size he could not reach the handle to open it.

Poor Otto. He's like a puppy or a small child. We have to keep our eye on him every second!

But he does pick up the lint and dirt. It is actually rather amazing. I'm still going to have to clean in addition to him, but it is not as frequently.

And he is rather quiet and efficient company.