iRobot Roomba 530 Robotic Vacuum Review

When my Roomba Sage died earlier this month and iRobot refused to help us because it was 3 months out of warranty, my husband went out and bought me one of their newest models, the Roomba 530 Vacuuming Robot.  I was angry and ready to swear off iRobot products for life.  That being said, I'm really happy that he knew me well enough to go out and buy me a new one. 

Like all of the Roombas, this is a small, circular device that automatically moves throughout a room, vacuuming up dirt and other debris.  It has three travel patterns: spiral, zig-zag, and wall creeping.  The Roomba 530 alternates the patterns to cover all of the spaces in the room about 4 times per cleaning session.  There is a beater brush to lift up dirt and then another to push it into the collection bin.  This Roomba also has a brush that spins along the side to grab stuff that has accumulated in the corners and push it out in front of the robot to be picked up. 

A typical cleaning cycle lasts for about 30 minutes when you confine your Roomba vacuuming robot to just one room.  The battery lasts for much longer than those 30 minutes and, in fact, has enough juice to clean at least 3 rooms.  I usually empty the collection bin about mid-way per room because I live with several cats and parrots who leave fur and feathers all over the place.  In my experience, Roombas work better when the dirt bins are less than half-full. 

I am very happy with the iRobot Roomba 530 Vacuuming Robot.  It does an excellent job of cleaning my hardwood floors, vinyl floors, and area rugs.  At $300, this isn't an inexpensive little gadget, but I find it well worth the expense.  In my house, I need to vacuum every day... and scoop litter boxes, change cage papers, wipe down cages, feed the animals, etc.  The Roomba 530 does some of the dirty work which leaves me free to do the rest.  Recommended.