So, anyone got an iRobot Roomba or other robot vacuum cleaner?

Had two of these over the years and the wife and I think they are great. Now firstly these are not a replacement for house work/proper vacuuming.

However our house has wooden/tiled floors and we also have a short haired dog that inevitably sheds hair; the Roomba comes out once a day and does its little tidy up that picks up 90%+ of the hair/dust/whatever on the floors.

Whenever it becomes full it lets us know and its simple to empty, and once in every while it needs an adhoc clean to remove any build up from the brushes etc (do different to any vacuum using brushes).

So yes it should be considered a luxury/nice to have item and we still use the main vacuum as part of a full clean up but if it saves 10 mins a day from doing a boring task then why not. :)
 
Ok, I have now used the Roomba (henceforth known as R2, or Richba, depending on my mood) for 3 days. Every day at 12pm my robot son has patrolled my apartment, his little brushes whirring merrily as he collects my household detritus. Not a word of complaint has thus far escaped his little robotic lips.

So, how has he performed?In a word: bloody great. I purposefully didn't do a proper hoover before I started using him (iRobot recommend to start froma fresh base of hooveredness-nessness), and he has not dissappointed.

Day 1 - The floors were noticeably cleaaner, but when I put my finger around I saw a few bits of dust and dirt in various places that he didn't have time to get back to before he had to recharge.

Day 2 - Floors were even noticeably cleaner, but still a bit of dust in corners, where again Richba didn't get chance to randomly pass before he needed to go to the charge-a-loo to do his business.

Day 3 - Came home and did a test. Wow, the floors are better than when I do a hoover and take good care. I mean really, even corners etc are free of dirt. I found on a few bits inside some really hard to reach nooks and crannies, but I am being really critical here.

Clearly not only does the Richba do his job, but he really benefits from multiple daily cleanings in order to maximise coverage during his scheduled runs. If I want him to do a specific room that I disallow during the scheduled cleaning (like my bedroom, too many wires due to my poor organizing, I need to tidy them up for it to be Richba safe) then I just plonk him inside and press the "clean" button, and after giving him a playful pat on the rump he then dutifully gets about his business.

I had read reviews so I was expecting it to be good, but honestly it's a ridiculously convenient thing to have, and will mean that my floors (all hardwood and lino) stay clean with minimum effort on my side. Plus, it will have the added benefit of making me keep my floors clean of clutter.

So far I am thinking this is money well spent. :D
 
Been thinking about getting one of these (Roomba). I notice people have mentioned about suction, but for most of the dust/dirt in my flat it doesn't need a lot of suction, fluff in carpets will be different but I can always use a conventional one on there when needed.

Edit: Wow, just seen the price of them!
 
Jokester said:
Been thinking about getting one of these (Roomba). I notice people have mentioned about suction, but for most of the dust/dirt in my flat it doesn't need a lot of suction, fluff in carpets will be different but I can always use a conventional one on there when needed.

Edit: Wow, just seen the price of them!
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Apparently it does very well on carpets up to medium pile, so just go for it! :)
 
I've actually got a neato xv-25 (the one that looks a bit like a moving SNES). Similar to a roomba but after reading lots of reviews the consensus was that it is a lot better in terms of manoeuvring around the place without bumping into things and is more efficient on larger spaces.

I find it does a great job, it helps that i'm in an open plan, hard floor flat though. The only issue i've had with it is with my bar stools which have a flat base - it tries to "ride up" the stools so you have to put boundary tape around them which is a pain. I've not figured out a better solution to this yet.

I've only been moved in for 6 months and the flat is still in a bit of a mess as I still have boxes and things lying around, so i haven't set it up on a regular schedule yet, but it certainly saves a lot of time not having to vacuum a 6m x 6m living room!
 
Well, I came home today and out of curiousity let Richba go in my bedroom and watched it do it's work (yes, really, it fascinates me like only a time and energy-saving gadget can). In the 30 mins it was doing the cleaning cycle it went into every conceivable place it could physically fit into. It looks so random the way it veers and bumps about, but no matter how much yu think "Hmm, it's missed a spot" it always ends up going to that place eventually. The logic it runs on, while chaotic, seems pretty damn thorough.

I hadn't had my bedroom hoovered in a couple of weeks and now the floors just really feel clean, no fluff on my socks or dust on my bare feet, and I can honestly say that it does a better job than I do with a hoover. Yes, there are parts behind some things that it just cannot reach due to obstacles and furniture, but for the 95% it covers, it really does the job.

Absolutely delighted with the purchase, and I really don't understand how anyone can come out with rubbish like "they are completely useless"or "oversized paper-weights" etc etc.

The facts are that after almost a week of daily use my hardwood and lino floors are visibly and to the touch cleaner than I have seen them in ages, and I would not say that if I genuinely didn't think so, and the proof is right before my eyes. Fantastic little machine, and I don't regret the purchase for a second. :)
 
Glaucus said:
No idea, but house alarm, do you really feel that unsafe. Who has a house alarm.
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My paranoid step dad installed lasers across his gate lol and cctv. He lives in a quiet village with about 1 or 0 recoded crimes a year which is usually 'disturbance'

Needless to say the cctv doesn't even work and the lasers kept getting set off by wildlife :-P
 
Jokester said:
Left it unsupervised to do a scheduled clean today, came home and it's dirt bucket was full and it had returned to it's dock.

Impressed!
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The first time roomba pooped and I had to change his plastic nappy I was similarly paternal. :D

Will be interested to see your thoughts after a week. Did you roombarise the floors in advance, and pick crap up off the floor so it could move unrestricted? I also highly reccommend flipping chairs on desks, restaurant-style, takes 30 secs of your time and will maximise coverage.

I wrote an Amazon review too I was so impressed http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-rev...iewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending :)
 
When I turned it on manually it did get stuck under one of my kitchen chairs , just wide enough to get in, but Arnie wasn't quit clever enough to get back out. But yeah I hoovered everywhere and made sure there was no clutter, so as an added benefit I'm keeping the place tidier as well with him in mind.
 
A robot room cleaner is a big investment and one that needs careful consideration, I suggest that everyone should first download "Robot Vacuum Simulator 2013" and test drive their preferred vacuum before purchase.

http://www.stolidus-simulations.com/robotvacuumsimulator2013/


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