iRobot vacuum cleaners

[DeLicious]

So, how does it deal with movable objects? If I were to use it in the dining room, obviously the chairs would constantly be in different places between cleanings... or in the living room, my daughter leaves toys strewn around. How does the roomba handle these?

Also, how do you confine it to one room (or two or three)? I.e., how do you keep it from having to do the entire house?

 

[DeLicious]

also, if anyone is interested (and is reading today), woot.com has the iRobot Scooba available for $199.99 (+$5 shipping).

comparative pricing:
retails $399.99 from iRobot
$299.95 from amazon.com
$279.99 from froogle

 

[rrockoff]

My remanufactured unit came with one virtual wall. I understand many of the retail units come with two virtual walls. The virtual wall sends a beam to block the roomba from crossing into a different area. you can also use the low tech approach and just put a barrier in the way such as a box.

Chairs - I turn mine upside down on the table like you see at resturants when they clean up after closing for the evening. This gives roomba plenty of space to get the job done.

Toys - Depending on the size roomba will either bump into them and turn in a different direction or if they are small enough they will be eaten by roomba. My sister-in-law has a roomba and young kids. They think the roomba is so neat they pickup their floor just so they can have the roomba clean their carpet. My kids are older...they can care less.

Rod

 

[Rupp]

You can also get these (non -scheduler) virtual walls off EBay for nearly nothing. I bought 3 extra for $5 each.

 

[Chakara]

DeLicious, just for clarification, Roomba does not "remember" anything. It has an algorithm that it uses to decide what to do next.

 

[Tymon]

Ok, so I came home tonight and Roomba had cleaned while we were at work today.
I went to empty her and she had picked up a Milk Dud!

She never ceases to amaze me.

Ty

 

[ano]

Just got a Scoopa from Woot, and its a big hit in my house. I do which you could by the cleaning solution in stores rather than just from the iRobot site however.

 

[Digger]

She never ceases to amaze me.

How can you tell the male from the female roomba's???? :huh:

If I can get one of each maybe they will multiply! (If we leave them alone enough)

 

[elcano]

Just got a Scoopa from Woot, and its a big hit in my house. I do which you could by the cleaning solution in stores rather than just from the iRobot site however.

I read somewere that you could use a vinegar solution instead of their cleaner.

 

[ano]

I've heard that, but I'm not sure how good that would smell. Plus, if I was to pick an alternative cleaner, I'm not sure I would pick vinegar. It might screw up the electronics. Plus, they many warnings that using anything except for their cleaner voids the warranty, of course.

 

[Digger]

Vinegar is acidic and very good for cleaning ceramic tile, glass etc. It might not be to friendly over time on plastics etc internal to the roomba.

Does anyone use the Scoomba on laminate flooring? Does it leave streaks or put to much solution down that it damages the floor? Does it go around area rugs (I would guess no).

 

[MeSteve]

Scooba specifically says NOT to use it on laminate, unsealed hardwood and unsealed stone flooring. It also says that vinegar/water mix can be used. There are also other cleaners that have been tested and work like Simple Green. Also, if you get the 5800 then the sensor that tests the cleaning solution has been removed. There is a site called www.roombareview.com that will answer all your questions. As for the amount of fluid, there is a wet streak behind it, but walking around in the kitchen while it was cleaning, my socks did not become too wet. As far as going around an area rug, if it is thick enough, it will steer around it. I have metal thresholds between the kithcen and livingroom that it hits and reverses direction. But, it is one of the rather thick thresholds if you ask me.

 

[HoustonFirefox]

I have had the Roomba Red and Roomba Discovery now for over a year and love them. I have four carpeted bedrooms in the house and the Roombas make quick work of them (especially together, in the same room, bumping into each other!).

Highly recommend!

Note: If they start acting crazy (going in circles, etc) then simply clean them and (important) blow them out with compressed air every now and then. It seems that dirt can sometimes get on the wheel encoders and confuse them.

Also: Don't forget the "wiggle-eys" like you see on stuffed animals. They are cheap at wal-mart and look funny as heck when the Roombas change direction. I also put a set of springy "wiggle-balls" sticking out of the top of them that ads even more character

 

[BraveSirRobbin]

Is the "Discovery" worth the extra price? Doesn't it just have the "return to base" feature over the "red" or does it perform better?

 

[KenM]

Hi all,

I just ran my new Roomba Discovery through my dining room and was quite amazed at the navigation ability. I pushed a table into a corner and placed a chair up against it, to form a double 'L' maze with a dead end. The thing navigated in and out of the maze three different times during the cleaning routine and didn't hardly even stutter (I had really believed it would get stuck when I created the maze).

The 'dirt detector' came on a couple of times and the thing spun around and did some extra cleaning in that spot. The 'virtual walls' stopped it about a foot sooner than I thought they would but that was easy enough to compensate for.

It cleaned easily as well as a good sweeping would have done but also got into obstructed (for people) places that would not normally get swept.

This is my first one of these so I cannot comment on the different models other than I was impressed enough by the performance to place a Scooba on order this morning.

Ken