Roomba 560 Review
I had fun reviewing the iRobot 560 Roomba Vacuuming Robot, Black and Silver (Kitchen) on Amazon today.
We have hardwood floors and throw rugs. I like reasonably clean floors on which I can walk barefoot or in socks with and not pick up large amounts of dust bunnies or pawprint dirt from our seven indoor/outdoor cats. The solution is to vacuum often, but I really dislike having to get out The Corded Beast and the broom and wield them for an hour.
Enter Roomba 560. Unwilling to spend for a new model, we found a re-manufactured version of the product with free shipping for just under $200, and added a two-year extra warranty for another $20.
After frequent bin-emptying and brush cleaning the first couple times through each room, Roomba has removed most of the initial drifts of dust bunnies and loose dirt. Roomba now cleans on average about 800 sq. feet/day - a couple large rooms or 3-4 smaller ones. The long-haired white cat can no longer keep up with the vaccuuming - my girlfriend now dresses for work when she gets up, instead of waiting until just before leaving the house to avoid clumps of white cat fur on her clothes.
Some dust bunnies fly when Roomba turns its back on them, and they blow to the far corners where it cannot reach, or sometimes on top of low shelves. At least they at least not in the way of my walking around. I suck them up about once/month with the big vacuum and hose attachment.
Dirty paw prints are more work, but in repeated passes it can get most of what I can brush up with a broom, and then I finish up after Roomba with a damp mopping every few days. With the frequent Roomba attention I feel comfortable walking around in stocking feet, or even barefoot when I'm willing to accept a little dirt that Roomba can't get.
My girlfriend and I both have long hair which breaks off and sticks to feet and hands, and again the key is to remove it before it gets out of hand or creates mats around the edges of the bathroom and bedroom floors. Roomba seems to be able to suck it up and deal with it... a little of the hair winds around the brushes but it cleans out easily, and Roomba will remind you to clean the brushes if it detects a problem.
I actually enjoy cleaning brushes after every few rooms and emptying the bin, much more than I enjoy getting out the big vacuum - this kind of fiddly work goes very quickly and seems fun - Quis maintainent ipsos mantaines?
Roomba can get over the front door threshold into the atrium, which is an inch lower, but it can't get over it coming the other way.... it's a little amusing to see it make and fail runs at it.
We've raised the overstuffed sofas and chairs about half an inch using caster coasters so Roomba can get under them all the way to the walls.
The cats have all come to accept Roomba. In fact, they seem a bit amused. They act like they don't entirely trust it, but they have figured out it cannot jump up to molest them - they are no longer leaving the room when it comes in and vacuums underneath their furnishing. Oh yeah, I need to vacuum the pillows and seats of the sofa where the cats leave drifts... someday.
I've thought about putting 'Roomba Supervisor' as my current job title on LinkedIn.com (Note: I'm technically a stay-at-home student at present). All in all Roomba has been a good life upgrade, and it's almost an amusing pet on its own.
We have hardwood floors and throw rugs. I like reasonably clean floors on which I can walk barefoot or in socks with and not pick up large amounts of dust bunnies or pawprint dirt from our seven indoor/outdoor cats. The solution is to vacuum often, but I really dislike having to get out The Corded Beast and the broom and wield them for an hour.
Enter Roomba 560. Unwilling to spend for a new model, we found a re-manufactured version of the product with free shipping for just under $200, and added a two-year extra warranty for another $20.
After frequent bin-emptying and brush cleaning the first couple times through each room, Roomba has removed most of the initial drifts of dust bunnies and loose dirt. Roomba now cleans on average about 800 sq. feet/day - a couple large rooms or 3-4 smaller ones. The long-haired white cat can no longer keep up with the vaccuuming - my girlfriend now dresses for work when she gets up, instead of waiting until just before leaving the house to avoid clumps of white cat fur on her clothes.
Some dust bunnies fly when Roomba turns its back on them, and they blow to the far corners where it cannot reach, or sometimes on top of low shelves. At least they at least not in the way of my walking around. I suck them up about once/month with the big vacuum and hose attachment.
Dirty paw prints are more work, but in repeated passes it can get most of what I can brush up with a broom, and then I finish up after Roomba with a damp mopping every few days. With the frequent Roomba attention I feel comfortable walking around in stocking feet, or even barefoot when I'm willing to accept a little dirt that Roomba can't get.
My girlfriend and I both have long hair which breaks off and sticks to feet and hands, and again the key is to remove it before it gets out of hand or creates mats around the edges of the bathroom and bedroom floors. Roomba seems to be able to suck it up and deal with it... a little of the hair winds around the brushes but it cleans out easily, and Roomba will remind you to clean the brushes if it detects a problem.
I actually enjoy cleaning brushes after every few rooms and emptying the bin, much more than I enjoy getting out the big vacuum - this kind of fiddly work goes very quickly and seems fun - Quis maintainent ipsos mantaines?
Roomba can get over the front door threshold into the atrium, which is an inch lower, but it can't get over it coming the other way.... it's a little amusing to see it make and fail runs at it.
We've raised the overstuffed sofas and chairs about half an inch using caster coasters so Roomba can get under them all the way to the walls.
The cats have all come to accept Roomba. In fact, they seem a bit amused. They act like they don't entirely trust it, but they have figured out it cannot jump up to molest them - they are no longer leaving the room when it comes in and vacuums underneath their furnishing. Oh yeah, I need to vacuum the pillows and seats of the sofa where the cats leave drifts... someday.
I've thought about putting 'Roomba Supervisor' as my current job title on LinkedIn.com (Note: I'm technically a stay-at-home student at present). All in all Roomba has been a good life upgrade, and it's almost an amusing pet on its own.