Do the Roomba vacuum cleaners really work?

Yes! I have a Roomba, and I love it. It works very well on rugs and carpet, but it excels on bare floors. For hardwood and tiles, Roomba does a much better job than my canister vacuum cleaner. It’s especially good for dog and cat hair.

I have one of the early models. It’s just the basics, which is all I need. The newer, fancier versions cost a fortune because they can be pre-programmed or operated remotely, and because they automatically return to their docking stations to recharge. None of those things is necessary. In fact, the programming and WiFi connection seem impractical; I do need to do some minor prep work, such as putting window blind cords out of reach, before I use Roomba, and that wouldn’t happen remotely.

Wow. Thanks! I’ve Googled and some seem really reasonably priced. I’m just afraid I’d trip on it.

trip over it?

Funnily enough i just read a story today on FB about a Roomba that was set to work automatically at night. The dog pooped one night and the Roomba went over it and spewed poop all over the house! A cautionary tale.

Like @Love_my_doggie, I too have an older model without all the bells and whistles. It does a great job and is quite the work horse. I do have only hardwood floors though.

I take it apart and clean it every third use or so. It’s easy to do and I have found replacement parts (filter, spinning brushes) on Amazon for cheap.

I named my Roomba “Mildrid”.

@janbb
So, which of the two was shot out in the back?

If you go here: http://www.irobot.com/For-the-Home/Vacuuming/Roomba/Help-Me-Choose-1.aspx

you can take a little quiz to see which model is recommended.

Thanks @cookieman. How much crap does it hold? My biggest problem is that Dakota sheds copious amounts of fur. I have a Shark now, and I have to empty the canister twice when I do just this 1000 sq ft on the ground floor.

Jesus! I took the quiz choosing the most basic options and they want to sell me one for $700! No way Jose!

Yes, they get the big stuff and cat/dog hair. Keep your Compact or Rainbow handy for the deep cleaning of carpets and upholstery.

A friend says she gets broken ones on Craigs List and fixes them.