IRobot: A Review of the Roomba

I consider vacuuming a form of exercise. I have a tendency not to change the bag on our upright machine as often as I should, so the vacuum is actually heavy most of the time, generating more exercise. Burning approximately 238 calories per hour, vacuuming uses many of the muscle groups in the legs and arms.

"Brrrrr....", the wrong-answer buzzer sounds. Realty check. Vacuuming is really not exercise. It's good to get up off the couch, but moving an upright vacuum around does not equal a cardio class or a good walk around the block.

So, dismissing the practical application of vacuuming as exercise, I debated vacuuming at all - couldn't I make more effective use of my time? I decided to see what options were out there for someone else to vacuum my house. We couldn't afford a live-in maid (besides myself), or even a maid service to come to the house every month. When I won a Roomba in a contest two years ago, I re-vamped my entire thought process surrounding vacuuming.

Yes, we need to vacuum. We all need to clean our floors if we want to live in a clean, civilized environment. I live in a house with a husband, kids, one dog, and two cats. The dust bunnies and fur balls would rise up and revolt if I didn't vacuum during the week.

We called our new Roomba "Bob". The name seemed to fit somehow. After taking Bob out of the box, we plugged Bob in the charger, since he had to power up for twelve hours. When the light on his top turned from red to green, we were in business.

Bob was designed to clean one room at a time. The Roomba came with an infrared receiver that you can put on the floor in an open area. The receiver shoots out an infrared beam, creating kind of a laser wall for Bob. Not wanting to limit Bob's cleaning travels, we didn't use the receiver, but let him roam the house. This reduced his in-room effectiveness, but it was fun to watch the animals wonder where Bob was going to be next. Bob has a brush on his underside that is quite efficient at picking up dirt. He scoops the dirt up into a receptacle in the unit. When this receptacle is full, all you have to do is empty it into the trash.

I started Bob out in the living room, and he started up with a whirl, making all sorts of turns and circles. Apparently there is some method to his madness, because he picks up almost all the dirt in the room. Bob bounces gently off of furniture, walls, and even feet, then goes on to another area of the room. Amazingly, Bob can sense stairways, and will avoid them. If Bob gets stuck on something, such as a thick area rug or a cord, he bleats out an annoying sound which brings me running. It's not that difficult to untangle his brushes, and send him back on his way.

One of the best things I like about Bob is that he cleans under furniture without complaining. I don't like to even look under furniture, much less clean there, so Bob's cleaning is a God-send.

Accessories are available for the Roomba, including wall docking stations, and extra infrared receivers.

Bob is not without his problems. The bleating sound when he is stuck can be quite annoying, which I suppose is the point. His motor is quite loud - it's difficult to carry on a conversation or watch TV while he's working in the same room. If he picks up a string, it can get maddeningly twisted around his brush.

Bob is a basic Roomba model - the most recent models have many more bells and whistles. You can get one with a remote control (I suppose you can lay on the couch while commanding the unit where to go). The lasers are more effective now, as the units can return to their docking stations automatically.

But I'm going to keep Bob for now. He still cleans under furniture for me, never complaining. That's priceless.