topic Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA? in Community Chat

Anyone have a ROOMBA?

halfpint1 — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 18:42:06 GMT

Are they worth it and easy to use and clean out. I have cats. Regular vacs are getting hard to push. Thanks for any information.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Tinkrbl44 — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 18:49:34 GMT

@halfpint1 wrote:
Are they worth it and easy to use and clean out. I have cats. Regular vacs are getting hard to push. Thanks for any information.

@halfpint1

You probably can get a better handle on this if you google Roomba Reviews, or some version thereof. I believe it depends on how many pieces of furniture (chair legs etc) are on the floor of the rooms you'll have it vacuum.

My sister has had one for years and really loves it.

BTW, I read a statistic somewhere that approximately 80% of Roomba owners name their little guy. My sister named her Roomba "Sprocket" ... lol.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

gacat123 — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 18:52:12 GMT

I have had a Roomba 800 series from HSN for about a year. His name is MR.CARSON. I love my Roomba! The rollers are made of textured rubber and easy to clean. The older models have BRUSHES and are difficult to clean. I have no complaints, I did buy the extend warranty, this is basically a computer on wheels but have had no problems. The 800series has a larger collection bin than older models, I am amazed at how much CAT FUR is collected. I love it, the cats? they are very wary of Mr. Carson. LOL

CAT

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

shoekitty — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 19:03:39 GMT

My mother had one and I had one several years ago. I also had a scuba, which I loved, then my carpets were replaced with hardwood, and the vinyl with wood and tile. I had serious trouble with the battery's after 2 years use, and new ones were 60 bucks, I got a dupe battery and it never worked the same again.

i imagine the new ones work better on hardwood. I had mine when the roombas were all the rage, and they weren't so good on my medium gloss oak hardwood. There were fine scratches left on the hardwood clear coat.

They do work though, and really clean. Remember to pick up all foot stools and as much as you can and give the roomba a clear path. If the carpet is really dirty, you may need to change the dust bin during cleaning cycle. After a while I just did it so often it got the carpet cleaner and cleaner. I was really surprised.

i only have one small area in my home with carpet now, and I have housekeepers twice a month. It is hard to get a vacuum out with my back, so I tend to leave the crud on carpet til cleaners come. I know if I still had the roomba I might give it a spin a few times between cleanings

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Ceci — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 19:09:21 GMT

I'm embarrased to say that I have three. Obviously, I love them.

One is quite old and needs a battery. It only runs for about 10 minutes. The other two are 3yrs and 1yr. They run fine.

We had a large house in NY and I had one on each floor. Now we retired to Florida and our floors are all tile and hardwood. The newer models work better than the older. As mentioned, the brushes were replaced by rubber rollers so they do not get wrapped up with hair.

I still do good cleaning once a week, but the Roombas keep the floors clean in between. I couldn't image living without one.

I do feel they are too expensive, but they have lasted.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Mz iMac — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 19:15:39 GMT

My neighbor has one. She has 1 cat, hardware floors w/a few throw rugs.

Neighbor recently upgraded her Roomba to the 800 series & loves it. Paid next to nothing for the upgrade because she purchased her Roombas from BBB. Returned the old one & replaced w/the upgraded series. She says she does this everytime Roomba upgrades.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Libbylady — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 20:12:25 GMT

I have 3 Roombas, one is a "Dirt Dog" for the garage floor.

My husband got my first one as a gift after I had major surgery 10 years ago. I enjoyed watching it vac while I rested!

Fast forward to present day, adding 2 more, and I'm hooked! My newest one, "Lil Buddy" is the best of the bunch. He vacs about an hour, never falls down the stairs, and puts himself back when he's done. Maybe they will invent one that also empties itself, but for now, I'm in love.

We have had to purchase some new batteries over the years, and they are expensive. I did need to send one in for repair since nobody can work on them except the manufacturer. Roomba told me it was an expensive repair, and I purchased a new model at a reduced price. That probably was a "scam" but the newer one did a better job, so I bit the bullet.

I no longer think of my Roombas as luxuries. I cannot do the vacing I used to, and with 3 cats (1 is Persian) they are necessities!

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Teddie — Sun, 07 Aug 2016 23:29:11 GMT

Libbylady, I would love the Dirt Dog for the garage floor but I don't think they make them anymore. Lucky you for getting one. I have two of the regular Roombas.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

MacDUFF — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 00:39:36 GMT

@halfpint1

Cats love roombas...dogs, eh, not so much...

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Lipstickdiva — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 14:41:36 GMT

They intrigue me but I think my dog would destroy it. LOL

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Chicagoan — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 14:49:31 GMT

I have had 3 Roomba's and will never be without my "Rosie" (named after the Jetsons robot maid). My 3 grandkids are fasinated by Rosie... lol I have all hardwood floors with a area rug in the livingroom and under the kitchen table and Rosie does an awesome job. I schedule her to clean every morning before I even get out of bed! I don't have any pets anymore, but, I did have 2 Yorkies who have passed on, but, they did not shed like most breeds. My floors are always clean without me doing anything but to empty the dust bin.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

wadesmom — Mon, 08 Aug 2016 16:48:03 GMT

I love my Roomba and I have owned mine for 10 years. We did upgrade it to the aerovac system - parts are readily available through their website or on ebay. The battery will need to be replaced every few years. I would say to go for the real Roomba battery and not a generic replacement. There was a definite difference in life of the battery. I have the brushes and they do clog up with hair from my large dog, cat and my long hair but I clean the brushes when I empty the dirt cup after every use. I have hardwood floor, carpet, and tile. The Roomba does an amazing job. I would not be without it. I have recommended a Roomba to many friends and several people have purchased one on my suggestion and they seem to agree. BTW, her name is Geri - named in honor of a cleaning lady I used to have. They are not inexpensive to purchase or maintenance free but well worth it.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Bridgegal — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 00:25:50 GMT

We've had one for about 6 years so it's an older model. it does what it's supposed to do and we have no complaints in that area.

Because it has the brushes, it is very high maintenance. DH is the 'roomba' guy so he has to take it apart and clean brush after brush after brush. Then reassemble the thing. Then has to move stuff in the room and position the 'blockers'.

We basically only use it in our bedroom which has wood floors because in the main rooms it kept getting stuck under things.

We were so hopeful that we could use it everywhere but it didn't work out that way. Maybe a new one would.

OH we have two orange cats.

Re: Anyone have a ROOMBA?

Burnsite — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 00:41:28 GMT

I have a disabled friend who loves her Roomba; its name is "Babette."

I have a Roomba but it doesn't have a name. Mine works better on bare floors but does a good but light job on rugs. I have a Dyson for deep cleaning my area rugs, which are deep pile.

I also have a floor-washing Scooba. At first I thought it was a dud, but there is a bit of a learning curve. It works well now. I've learned that it prefers to begin in the center of the floor, not the edge. Does a good job on my tiled kitchen floor. I don't use it for the bathroom where the cat litter boxes are, though--I read a review that said the one thing Scooba can't handle is cat litter. Over time, it breaks them down.

Neither robot is a deep cleaner, but they keep things under control pretty well. I am glad to have mine.