I bought a Roomba 550 last week and I have to say that I love it. Does it perform deep cleaning as good as an upright vacuum does? No, but it picks up pet hair and keeps the dust bunnies at bay between heavy cleanings.
If you’re not familiar with Roomba, it’s a Vacuum Cleaning Robot made by iRobot. It looks kind of like a flying saucer, with dimensions of about 17.5″ in diameter and 5.5″ high.
When you press the Clean button, it starts cleaning in a circular pattern in that spot and then gradually works out to a corner of the room. Then it vacuums along the perimeter of the room and starts criss-crossing the room diagonally.
The Roomba has a dirt sensor and spends multiple cycles wherever it detects more dirt. It takes about a half hour to clean an average sized room. The key to success is to clean one room at a time because the dust bin gets full. You can “define” a room using the two included Auto Virtual Walls to block off open doorways.
It takes about an hour to recharge the battery after you have cleaned a room. Then Roomba is ready to clean another room. I did this last weekend with great success. I cleaned the dining room, recharged the battery, cleaned the living room, recharged, etc. I proceeded through the whole house, one room at a time.
The Roomba negotiates hard floors, tile, and carpeting equally well. It is able to easily transition between hard floors and area rugs as well, so no worries.
OK, I admit it. I stood there and watched for 5 or 10 minutes the first time I used my Roomba. I was curious how it would negotiate doorways, around chair and table legs, and whether it would fall down the stairs. The answer is no! It cleaned the hallway without falling down the stairs. Yay!
The Roomba is one of those set it and forget it kinds of appliances. Set it cleaning a room and then go off with other chores or activities. It shuts itself off when it’s done cleaning that room. When you return to the room and find it off, then return it to the dock to recharge the batteries.
The Roomba 550 comes with everything you need to get started. It includes: 2 Auto Virtual Walls, 2 Extra Filters, and 2 Extra Bristle Brushes. It even includes 4 “C” cell batteries for the auto virtual walls.
My dog wasn’t sure what to think about it at first. But it’s not that loud and doesn’t move that fast, even though it’s about the same size as she is (she’s a beagle). She barked at it a bit at first, but now she just ignores it.
So if you have someone who’s “hard to buy for” on your Christmas list, check out the iRobot Roomba 550 Vacuum Cleaning Robot.