(Click on the picture for more details or to enlarge the image)

Supplier: Lakeland  Guide price: £299.99

I want one of these ... you just leave it to clean the floor, whilst you go and do something else. I'll have to save up. It's not just for the kitchen, of course; you can clean the whole house ... except for the stairs ... but really useful for the kitchen, where a lot of crumbs and pet hairs and just plain dirt from outside, seems to accumulate.

Robot vacs have been around for a while but this is a new and improved version, not to be confused with cheaper and inferior products. If you've got any doubts, just go and have a look at the glowing reviews from Lakeland customers.

• The Roomba can tell when the room is clean and will return to base for re-charging (cleans for approx. 90 mins per charge)
• It has a timer, so that you can set it to clean when you're not at home.
• Has improved capability for picking up hair, debris, and dust
• An improved filter captures more dust and allergens, and a larger bin holds more debris.
• You can use a 'virtual wall' to confine the Roomba to one area and prevent it from falling downstairs.
• It can detect a carpet from a hard floor and adjust accordingly.

The Roomba isn't suitable for long shag pile carpets, for black carpets (poor thing senses a void and freezes!) ... or if you've got a forest of wires ... but one or two wires or carpet tassles shouldn't faze him. (Damn!  I was trying to avoid personalising the machine ... but I guess this is one appliance you'd just have to give a name!). He may also get stuck under low furniture - but there's always that virtual wall.

Dimensions (in mm): 300 (diam) x 100 (h)