Truly off topic, anyone Roomba?

[2manytoyz]

No, not the dance.  I bought one of the robotic vacuums over the holidays.  Several other coworkers did too.  More people I talk to, the more I find have them.

Absolutely wonderful.  I'm cleaning the kitchen floor and dining room as I type this.  Boy, pushing that button sure was hard work!

I put some pics and a review online if anyone is interested: http://2manytoyz.com/roomba.html

...and yes, it will be used to clean the indoor/outdoor carpet I put in our camper after a camping trip!

Still living up to my handle.   :rolleyes:

[MommaMia]

Neat!  I just wonder what my cat might think of it, especially if I set it up and leave the house.  I think I would have to also set up the video camera to catch the fun!

[2manytoyz]

We have two cats.  Mine, the lazy one, initially sat in my Lazy Boy chair and watched "Rosie" amble through the living room.  All was cool until it bumped the chair... she was gone!  Now that we've had it for a little while, both cats will sit near it on the floor, and only move if there's an imminent collision.  They are no longer scared, but give it room.  My cat now sleeps in my chair, completely ignoring it, even when it bumps the chair.

From stories I've read, dogs go nuts at first.  Barking and following it around the house.  They too lose interest after a period of time.

[campingboaters]

I had a friend asking about these things.  I figured they were just the latest "gadget". Thanks for the review!  
 
Of course, it would NEVER work in my house with two kids that can't seem to pick up the MILLIONS of small pieces to their toys.  I spend more time picking everything up than I every do vacuuming.  

[Dayton Dave]

I think these things are cool.  

But my kids would have to have their chore charts changed.  They don't need any more excuses not to have things to do.  Life is to easy on them as it is.  If it kept me from having to vacuum, then that would be another story....  I would buy one in a minute.

Besides, my house does not seem to have that much open floor space.

[B-flat]

Yeah, right?  ......Like when are they going to invent robots to come in and move the sofa and bed and stuff so the roomba can vac under all that? :rolleyes:

[NightOwl]

Nancy, I saw it demonstrated and it has a very low profile so that it easily goes under tables, chairs and sofas with very little clearance.

Robert, I am a toy-collecter, too, first saw the Roomba demonstrated about a year ago and and have been fascinated by the idea of it ever since.  Please keep us informed about how you like it as you continue to use it.  Do you have carpeted as well as hard surface floors?  Do you use it all over the house?  does it ever get plugged up if something unusual gets left on the floor?  How large are the particles it picks up?

  Show me a woman who does not HATE vaccuming and I will show you a woman who is long overdue to be locked in a room with soft sides!

[2manytoyz]

Nancy, I saw it demonstrated and it has a very low profile so that it easily goes under tables, chairs and sofas with very little clearance.

Robert, I am a toy-collecter, too, first saw the Roomba demonstrated about a year ago and and have been fascinated by the idea of it ever since.  Please keep us informed about how you like it as you continue to use it.  Do you have carpeted as well as hard surface floors?  Do you use it all over the house?  does it ever get plugged up if something unusual gets left on the floor?  How large are the particles it picks up?

  Show me a woman who does not HATE vaccuming and I will show you a woman who is long overdue to be locked in a room with soft sides!

NightOwl,

It does zip under the beds and other low areas.  Dust bunnies scream at the sight of a Roomba, for they know there time is near!  

My house is mostly carpeted, as shown on my webpage.  However, the kitchen has a vinyl floor, the bathrooms are tile, and the boys bedroom is Pergo simulated hardwood.  Since we live in FL, sand is always a big issue on hard floors.  The brush/vacuum combination does a very thorough job and cleans the floor thoroughly.  Can't feel or see and dirt/sand when it's through.

It works very well on dry cat food and kitty litter, as reported by other users.  My cats have a pet door, consequently, no cat food inside, and they use mother nature's litter box.  It easily gobbles up M&Ms, pieces of landscaping mulch, pieces of potato chips, etc.

I use my Roomba in every room in the house.  One battery is good for about an hour on carpet, which is enough to take care of my living room, dining room (also carpeted), and the kitchen.  The optional fast charger takes 2 1/2 hours.  I have the fast charger and a second battery.  That does most of our house.  I vacuum at least every other day.

Our boys are only 2 1/2 & 4 1/2.  Neither are old enough to wrestle our full sized upright vacuum, so that chore belongs to mom & dad in the forseeable future.  We do make them pick up ALL their toys every night from ALL rooms.  Keeps the house neat, and makes the Roomba happy.  When the boys don't want to pick up their toys, TV goes off, and dad grabs a garbage bag.  Suddenly, they get the inspiration they needed to clean up!

Anything now stored under beds are in Rubbermaid boxes.  Only takes a few seconds to set them on the bed while the floor is being cleaned.

Overall, we keep the house neater than ever.  The boys still explode their toybox everyday, but they know the drill.  They may not get to vacuum, but there's always weed pulling, floor mopping, taking out the garbage, washing mom's car...  

[B-flat]

Is there a way to keep it from eating my M&Ms?  Just kidding.  This sounds like a great little vac.  Do you also use another vac at times, just to be sure it is getting up everything?

[2manytoyz]

Is there a way to keep it from eating my M&Ms?  Just kidding.  This sounds like a great little vac.  Do you also use another vac at times, just to be sure it is getting up everything?

Yea, keep yer kids out of your stash of candy!  I swear the 2 year old gets as much on the floor as he does in his gullet.  The wife says: "it's okay, the Roomba will get it".  As long as it's crunchy stuff, I set it free.  The mushy stuff would be a mess in the bristles, yuk.

I still have our big Hoover.  Roomba is excellent for daily cleaning, but it doesn't do a deep cleaning (stuff you can't see), like a 13 Amp full sized unit will.  Roomba is also round (ya little puck) and can't do corners.  The upright has a snorkle for such challenges.

We also have a Hoover carpet steamer.  Vacuuming only goes so far.  Even when it looks clean, the muddy water in the steamer collection bucket tells me otherwise.

Next house will be all hard floors.  Carpet is nice, but it's never really clean to me.  We generally don't wear our shoes in the house, but I'm generally the only one following the rule.  

If you have carpet, and have pets, your jaw will drop after seeing how much hair and lint it picks up everytime, even after you used the big vacuum.  Gross, now I feel like I need to wash my hands again (bad habit I got from the wife).

[Miller Tyme]

Wouldn't work at our house--the dog would wander off with it.:J