iRobots

[kittywitty]

I have gotten to the point where I totally can NOT keep up with the hair (5 cats, 1 lab/bc mix dog who sheds worse than the cats combined). Before we had a tiny house that it took me 5 minutes to sweep. I can not even vacuum every day to make a difference here. It takes over an hour, breaks my poor pregnant back, and it's like some western with tumbleweeds everywhere.

I have old polyurethaned hardwood floors, two bathrooms with tile, one room with low pile carpet, and one room with laminate.

Do these iRobots work well with pets and kids (i.e. hair and playdough messes)? I was looking at the dirt dog or the Pet Series 532. This one looks older but more affordable than the 532.

I'm on a tight budget with a baby coming but no one will help me clean and I'm dying for a relief from the dust and hair. My allergies (dust especially) and OCD are killing me!

TIA!

[just_lily]

No advice, just very interested. We have two large dogs, including a double coated 100lb beast, plus kids running around all over the place spilling things. Dog hair tumbleweeds EVERYWHERE!

[Ola_]

We got a Roomba a couple of weeks ago and so far so good. Ours is from Costco because some reviews talk about them breaking after a year or so, and I think Costco's great return policy will come in handy if that happens. We got the current model that they have in the stores, I want to say it's the 550? It was $290 CDN, I'm sure it would be less in US $. It's not a pet model or anything though.

We had to run it quite a few times for the initial cleaning in our living room (I won't say how many cause it's embarrasing ) but basically we just kept emptying and recharching till the dirt compartment was not full after a run. We have carpet and 1 large short haired dog and 1 medium double-coated dog who sheds like crazy.

One of the thing I recall DH telling me (he did the research on this) is that the earlier versions didn't have automatic stair detection so you had to set up one of the electronic barriers. The one we have detects stairs on its own which is good cause we have a split-level home. It seems to switch between different surfaces without problem, i.e. in our entryway (hardwood) we have an area rug and it has no issues cleaning both the wood and the rug.

[kittywitty]

Thanks! I don't have a costco near me, but I'll have my mom check if she decides to join. She keeps talking about it.

I don't have stairs in my house, so that shouldn't be a problem. I hate vacuuming stairs!

[sunnysandiegan]

We have had a Roomba for several years now. Works GREAT!!!

It works on carpet, tile, linoleum, and cork flooring...all very well in our home. Ours is the green one that is an older model. We got it on woot.com for $154 (includes shipping). After a couple years, the battery died and we replaced it from Amazon. If you do get one, FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS for proper charging. We were not that careful and that is why the battery died. We follow the rules for the new battery and it is doing well. All of the Roombas have the stair / drop-off detection, except maybe the very first one. We use physical barriers to keep it confined (not for stairs) more often than the virtual wall to save batteries.

In the time we've owned ours, we've had two cats that shed like crazy during certain times of the year. The key is to run the Roomba often and empty after each area. It does a more thorough job when you confine it to a smaller space. If you run it often enough, then it doesn't matter as much how much space it needs to clean.

[kittywitty]

Our house is very open-plan. An older house, but no doors to separate the living/dining/library/kitchen. Will that be a problem, then?

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Our house is very open-plan. An older house, but no doors to separate the living/dining/library/kitchen. Will that be a problem, then?

No. You'll just learn how to block it off into smaller sections. Between physical items (we use an ottoman) and the virtual wall, you'll figure it out. The virtual wall can be set at different distances, so even large openings can be blocked off.

[just_lily]

Do the work against the walls? Most of the dog hair in my house collects against the wall and I am just worried that a round Roomba wouldn't pick it up against the straight wall.

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by just_lily

Do the work against the walls? Most of the dog hair in my house collects against the wall and I am just worried that a round Roomba wouldn't pick it up against the straight wall.

Yes. The Roomba performs in three basic patterns, but mixes them up randomly and gets the job done. It starts out going in an ever-widening circle, usually until it bumps into something (but not always). It also employs "wall-hugging" techniques. Then there is the "random" mode where it bounces illogically all over the place.

The Roomba has this little "brush arm" that swirls around partially under the Roomba and partially out from the round body. It basically grabs / sweeps debris from corners and edges underneath the Roomba to be sucked up.

It also has a rotary brush underneath like an ordinary vacuum, but something about the Roomba is different as it doesn't ruin hardwood or cork floors. The salesgirl at Lowes (where we purchased our cork flooring) explained that it is the heavy weight of most vacuums (specifically the ones with tiny wheels) that ruin hardwood and cork floors, not the brushes. I don't know the specifics. I just know our floors look great and the Roomba gets the credit.

The very tip of any 90 degree angle "inside" corner (very small area, half-inch or less) does not get perfectly clean. If there is actual debris, I either use a broom in the corners before running the Roomba or I mop with my rectangular flathead mop afterwards to take care of that issue. It is rare, except under a few specific circumstances. 1) When we first installed the cork flooring downstairs, all the sawing created a LOT of dust even though we wiped off the planks before bringing them inside. It was insane how much dust was around. 2) In the powder room where we keep the litter box, the pine-type litter gets into two corners if I don't run the Roomba in there a couple times a week. Drifts of cat hair, however, get swept under the Roomba by that little brush arm. 3) When DH accidentally dropped a cup of flour on the kitchen floor, the Roomba got up 99% of it in a normal kitchen cleaning. The corner where the flour was split required a bit more effort since it was light brown (whole wheat) and our cork is natural walnut/natural cherry color.

It is definitely a round peg trying to clean a square hole, but the sweeping brush arm and the wall-hugging and circling patterns overcome a vast majority of those issues. I wouldn't trade my Roomba for any other vacuum for our cork floors, which are exceedingly similar to engineered hardwood in care/maintenance/installation respects. I am rather picky about clean floors, too. I dislike any grit whatsoever under my bare feet and cannot stand pet hair drifts anywhere. I don't have to mop very often with the Roomba doing its vacuuming job.

[kittywitty]

You should sell Roombas.

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

You should sell Roombas.

I wonder if they'd give me a commission from all the people who have bought one after talking to me??? I have a handful of in person friends and neighbors who purchased after seeing my house and asking me a thousand questions...who knows how many online folks have seen my info and purchased....

I know some folks do NOT like the Roomba. Some say it doesn't clean well enough for their standards. (I run it more often and it does better than not cleaning. Perfectionists tend to give this reason and, no, it is not perfect. Nothing really is.) Others say it takes too much effort to clean it out between uses and charge it properly. (It takes less effort to clean the Roomba chamber than any other bagless vac. Charging can be a challenge until you figure out to just run it more often.) Another complaint is the cost. (Search out the deals, don't buy it retail.)

IMO, the bottom line is my floors are cleaner since we've owned the Roomba.

[mrsteapot]

Do you think it would handle German Shepherd fur? I really like the idea of turning one on and running it at night in the living areas and then in the bedrooms in the morning.

[sunnysandiegan]

Originally Posted by mrsteapot

Do you think it would handle German Shepherd fur? I really like the idea of turning one on and running it at night in the living areas and then in the bedrooms in the morning.

I don't see why not (re: dog fur). If the volume of dog fur is high, you'll need to confine the Roomba to a smaller area and empty the dust bin when it finishes and run it again in another small area.

Keep in mind, this is a vacuum cleaner. It isn't silent. It is louder on hard floors than carpet, just like any other vacuum.

[lucyem]

I bought a Roomba years ago when they first came out. 10+ years? Then replaced it 3 years ago when it finally died. I also have a scooba. I should point out I have 2 labs, 1 great pyrenees, 2 cats, 5 horses, 2 boys and no mudroom. I have a regular Roomba, not a pet version. I have not looked lately but if I were buying one again I would consider the shop vac version.

The Roomba is great as an every day quick vacuum. It basically keeps up with the daily dirt but you will still need a once a week major vacuum. I generally have to keep my eye on it and will have to clean out the brush 1-2xs during its run due to hair. The flatter your flooring the better. The more open your flooring the better. When we lived in an open concept house with all new hardwood it was fantastic!!! I am now in a 250 yr old colonial and the Roomba is useless in a few old wood floor rooms and it gets caught on room transitions. I find I use it mostly in the kitchen on the linoleum & short pile rug. Another small drawback is depending on your furniture it can get stuck. Seems like I am always having to drag it out from under a chair.

The Scooba I also used to love in my old house. Here I find it about useless. It is easier for me to take a rag and vinegar and wash my tiny kitchen floor then it is to pull out the Scooba. Whereas in my open concept new hardwood house it was amazing.

[kittywitty]

Do you mean the dirt dog or whatever as the shop vac version? It's supposed to be for garages, concrete floors, etc. but I saw a couple reviews of it working on carpet and hardwood no problem. Plus it's half the price...

[lucyem]

Originally Posted by kittywitty

Do you mean the dirt dog or whatever as the shop vac version? It's supposed to be for garages, concrete floors, etc. but I saw a couple reviews of it working on carpet and hardwood no problem. Plus it's half the price...

Yes that one. I read reviews of it by people who bought it for dealing with lots of pet hair and they preferred it.