Roomba

[MrsK]

Does anyone have one? Or something like it? Should I want one? I hate cleaning floors and I feel like I'm sweeping and vacuuming all the time.

[Thirteen]

Do dogs count?


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[oceanchild]

We got one last year, and I love it. We set it, it runs, we do other things.

Here are the things it isn't good at:
-being quiet (don't run it in the same room where you're trying to have a conversation)
-getting around clutter (you still have to pick up toys off the floor)
-baseboards (if you're the sort of person who cleans your baseboards)
-edges between different floor types (it kicks dust up against our high rugs and then doesn't catch it as it's going between the hardwoods and the rugs)
-edges of couches (it sometimes gets stuck partway under the couch)

What that means for me is that I do still get out the vacuum and the edging tools from time to time, but really not much at all. I think it's worth it. It also forces us to get the clutter up off the floor if we want to run it, so it's sort of motivating in that way.

My 2-year-old is also enthralled by it.

[medpedspouse]

What ^^^she said. It is sooo not quiet. Also, the little barrier thingies are a huge help...at least in our case. Otherwise, ours end up dying slow deaths while getting stuck in certain areas.

[oceanchild]

Yeah, we never try to do the whole house at once (and we have a single floor, so conceivably we could). We set up the barriers or close doors to keep it contained, and then empty it and charge it.

[MrsK]

Can you run it when you aren't at home? How does it deal with area rugs? (I've heard that it will avoid dark area rugs believing that they are drop offs.) How about under tables? What model did you get and how much should I expect to pay for it?

Seriously, I've considered renting a dog just to clean up after meals.....

[spotty_dog]

One thing to watch out for, is that I have heard so many horror stories from pet owners that if a pet poos on the rug, and you have the Roomba set to run automatically, you can have a painting project in your living room (and a destroyed Roomba). I would expect that toddlers and preschoolers are nearly as much a risk as pets of leaving such a surprise for your Roomba to find...

[oceanchild]

Can you run it when you aren't at home? How does it deal with area rugs? (I've heard that it will avoid dark area rugs believing that they are drop offs.) How about under tables? What model did you get and how much should I expect to pay for it?

Seriously, I've considered renting a dog just to clean up after meals.....

It's fine with big area rugs (except for the aforementioned leaving dust on the sides). I don't run it over bathroom rugs or other thin ones because it sometimes pulls them in. Under the table it sometimes spends an excessive amount of time going around chair legs and stuff, but it gets the area clean. We'll sometimes move the toddler chair to another room to give the Roomba easier access.

We have an 880, which DH got me as a gift. I think it cost around $500, which was a sale that made it comparable in price to the next model down.

You can run it while you aren't at home. I haven't tried because we have a security system with motion sensors, and I'm afraid it'll trip them. I've been meaning to do a test run to evaluate that, but I haven't gotten around to it.

[alotofyarn]

We have one and really liked it, although it got clogged with pet hair quickly. We don't use it anymore because the cleaning lady vacuums often enough for our preference. It was loud, and you can definitely set it to go when you're not home though.

[medpedspouse]

We have one and really liked it, although it got clogged with pet hair quickly. We don't use it anymore because the cleaning lady vacuums often enough for our preference. It was loud, and you can definitely set it to go when you're not home though.

Ours also got clogged with pet hair. HOWEVER, iRobot has come out with a new roller that is supposed to withstand the long pet hair that gets wound up on the ends...and did you know that iRobot takes trade-ins? I called them up one night and got this info but I have not followed through to order the piece.

[Auspicious]

I love cleaning robots. I've had a Neato xv21 (named Walter &#128521 for a little over 2.5 years and have definitely gotten my money's worth out of him. I love that it goes under the beds and sofas. It does take a little maintenance (new battery pack needed about once a year, and since we have long-haired little girls, every 3-4 runs I have to pop out the beater bar and snip the hair out of it with scissors), but it's still way easier than vacuuming and cheaper than a cleaning service. Anyway, I also hate doing floors, and I vote go for it.

(I also have a Braava 380t for damp mopping that earns its keep.)