Your time is valuable. If you don’t have much time to spare with housekeeping or just plain detest it, iRobot can help you save time and effort with the Roomba Vacuuming Robot and Scooba Mopping Robot. They aren’t not quite “Rosie” the robotic maid from the Jetsons cartoon, but they can help you spend more time with the things you really love doing.

Cat Rides Roomba

Some pets are going to run from the Roomba. Others decide to make the best of it, like this cat who gets a free ride on the Roomba.

Roomba Pros And Cons

The Pros: Roomba can get to surfaces that are hard to reach with an ordinary sweeper, like under beds, chairs and desks. My Roomba really picks up the dirt and I once even found a quarter in it! You can also set it to sweep at certain times and days of the week when you aren’t going to be around. Comes with a one-year warranty, two virtual walls to keep it contained in a specific area, and a charger.

The Cons: Doesn’t always do so well with corners. Hair and threads get tangled up in the brushes, which then have to be cleaned. I had to send it to the factory twice on separate occasions when its brains got scrambled. (Warranty saved me some money there.) But this was an older model and they may have improved that for the newer ones. Am currently on my second Roomba after the first one finally quit on me after two good years.

The Latest Roomba Model

Scooba Pros And Cons

In the reviews, people either loved or hated this little robot. It depends on what you want in a robot: The tiny version will mop but not sweep, so keeping a Roomba handy is a good idea. It’s good for bathroom cleaning because it will get behind your toilet. The bigger version will sweep as well as mop and is best suited for wide open kitchen floors.

The pros: Can maintain your linoleum floors in a clean condition if you’ve mopped just before its first use. The small version doesn’t take up a lot of space and can just be put in a corner when not in use. The big version does everything your kitchen floor needs: sweeps, mops, and squeegees. People who are too busy or not inclined to do much housework generally like that this saves them some time. One person commented that the big version handled an intense cleaning job that would have been a hassle to handle with a mop and recommended adding a teaspoon of peppermint, vanilla or almond extract to leave your floor smelling extra nice.

The cons: Some people did complain that the small version seemed like a stripped-down version of the iRobot Scooba, the battery didn’t last as long or it needed maintenance within only a few weeks of receiving it, or it came with confusing or contradictory instructions. There were a few gripes about the Scooba leaving water on their floor but the traditional mop and bucket will probably do the same thing.