Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Meet Roomba

Although Roomba made his first appearance here on Monday, he's actually been an important part of our household for a long time. For those of you who asked, here are my thoughts:

I've had my Roomba for almost 4 years now, so the exact model probably isn't available anymore. He's a scheduler series and was purchased at Costco (I think he's most similar to this model). Pricey, yes. But we have Roomba instead of a vacuum, instead of in addition to one. And I think he's cute.

roomba moving
{roomba moving}


Why he works for us: We have a two bedroom apartment, one level, fully carpeted, no area rugs. He doesn't take up any closet space, which I love (he has a little dock that sits under the couch). He is low enough that he can go under all kinds of furniture that I wouldn't be able to get to with a regular vacuum, like our bed. Supposedly he works on hardwood floors, but I have no personal experience (sigh - hardwood floors would be heavenly) although he does okay on our linoleum in the kitchen. If you have area rugs, Roomba will get stuck on the edges and try to eat them sometimes. Not convenient.

Cons: Roomba is slow, compared to a human. He bumbles around and it takes him about 45 minutes to completely clean a room that a person could clean in 15 minutes. I don't care because I'm not lugging a vacuum around, so he can take as much time as he wants.

You have to clean him out each time you use him. This involves emptying the dustbin and (much more annoyingly) removing all the hair that's gotten caught in his brushes. He comes with a little grooming kit that makes this a little more fun.

Roomba's battery life is not as good as it could be. You end up needing a new battery almost every 2 years, which drives me crazy, but hasn't gotten me to give him up yet. Batteries cost about $35. You don't have to buy vacuum bags, so I guess there's that.

Sometimes he goes haywire and spins around in circles. So far, I've successfully revived him every time. It's usually because he has dirt on his sensors, apparently. An occasional thorough spritzing with compressed air clears the dust out of the cracks and prevents the craziness (or cures it, if you've waited too long).

Yes, I do talk about him like he's a pet. Bizarrely enough, Roomba is extremely personable. I frequently catch myself watching him while he works. When I'm standing at the kitchen counter and he comes into the room he sort of nudges at my feet to get around me and I find it endearing. It's not just me. Witness the amazing Parks and Rec clips of DJ Roomba right here. Now admit that you kind of want one.

29 comments:

  1. I would love one actually. My husband and I were discussing this last night, and came to the conclusion - maybe one day, not yet. I think I'd want to try one before buying, but thanks for the review, that's really helpful.

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  2. I think I was introduced to the Roomba from an Arrested Development episode :) I'm so glad he works so hard for you!

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  3. Haha I'm glad you mentioned DJ Roomba from Park and Rec! So funny! I told my hubby that I want a DJ Roomba for Christmas this year!

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  4. I have a Roomba and loved the fact that it went under beds and other furniture. But it scratched my hardwoods. Boo. He is in the closet now.

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  5. i have one...with tile floors and three fluffy dogs, it was a MUST. i love the little guy.

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  6. our vipp trash can is a he (and i'm solidly behind anthropomorphism as a general proposition), so i'm right there with you. your comments on the roomba's reaction to area rugs sort of confirms what i suspected, alas - perhaps i could convince the cats' zhu zhu hamster to start cleaning the floors?

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  7. You're adorable! I tend to personify things in my home too. My new Dyson has completely helped me get over the trauma of vacuuming!

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  8. DJ Roomba! Loved that episode!
    I've wanted one for a while. We have and hopefully will always have hardwood floors. My husband has allergies and rugs don't work well. They are so costly though - I don't know. Maybe I should take the plunge. :) Nice to meet your other pet!

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  9. Looks like a worthwhile investment! He seems so futuristic, doesn't he?

    (And the DJ Roomba episode of Parks and Rec was hilarious! One of my favorite shows.)

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  10. how you make a Roomba so darn cute and personable is beyond me, but now i completely want one!

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  11. the roomba seems like a good idea - but it also looks so small. do you have to empty it multiple times for serious cleans? that already happens with our dyson (which is unfortunately currently clogged from all the dog hair and gnawed wood splinters).

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  12. I am so glad to see this from someone who actually has one... I so want one! It has been on my wish list forever.... ended up with a (cheaper) upright instead. Maybe when it dies I'll get myself a vacuuming pet!

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  13. Super cute :)

    dayinthelifeofaskygurl.blogspot.com

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  14. @ Bluebelle - I would highly recommend testing Roomba out in your home before committing. When we bought ours at Costco, the guy who checked us out mentioned that people return them all the time because they aren't happy with them. Which made us nervous, but it's ending up being perfect for our apartment. I think a lot depends on your home and your needs.

    @ teresa-bug - Thanks for sharing! I was curious about whether Roomba might scratch hardwood. Too bad to hear that he does. Boo.

    @ Julia - It is small but it holds quite a bit of junk. I've never had to empty it multiple times during a single cleaning. Of course, we don't have dogs in our apartment (Circe is the family dog and she lives with my parents). But I have a lot of hair, which I am very aware of after cleaning out the vacuum brushes many times. I do empty Roomba after every single cleaning, even though they say you only have to do it every few cleanings.

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  15. Roomba saves earth! Nobody gets eaten while vacuuming!

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  16. I have the same relationship with my Roomba. My former boyfriend named him Rupert and everyone still calls him that.

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  17. Kitties like to ride around on top of them too. You can watch videos on Youtube. It's cute.

    http://thebusiestbee.blogspot.com/

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  18. i just recently purchased a roomba. and i love him! we have hardwood floors, area rugs and two furry dogs who love to tear their dog toys apart in about 2 seconds. so far, roomba has done a great job on all our floor types picking up dog hair, dust, small pieces of toy remnants, and even dog food. he even cleans in places (under the bed and couch)that i rarely cleaned. my dyson only comes out once a week now instead of [almost] everyday.

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  19. been following you for a little while now, but i think you've tipped the scale in my direction with purchasing a roomba. awesome!

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  20. I have a Roomba too, and talk about him like a pet!! :) (Okay, honestly, we pretend he's our child.) He works perfectly on hardwood floors! Annoyingly he does get hung up on certain things, and is not always the most quick & efficient way to clean (sometimes I have to break out the broom in the kitchen), but he's so cute. I even discovered that you can take the couch cushions off and let Roomba vacuum the couch!

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  21. so we call biscuit, our corgi, the roomba. for obvious reasons (low center of gravity, the sucking up of things off the floor, etc.)

    also, there are some rather small, rather affordable homesteads in the making with certain special people in mind...!
    xo

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  22. You solidified my decision. I am for sure going to get one :) I want/needd a little Roomba all for myself.

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  23. my friend cat chases hers but she still loves it

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  24. I totally want one and the only thing that's prohibited me from buying one is cost. I think they're incredibly cute and yes, for those of us living in apartments, excellent because they don't require any storage. And I absolutely hate vacuuming!

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  25. Lol, this made me smile
    http://justeventeux.blogspot.com/

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  26. Love this post! Our friends have a roomba and they even named her - Maria - and refer to her by name. Too funny!

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  27. this post has thoroughly cracked me up... and made me want to run out and buy a Roobma!

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  28. Ok, now you've seriously made me want one.

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