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iRobot Roomba 550 Bagless Robotic Vacuum
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MuttReport's Review
The best vacuum for busy families.
Appreciative of clever design, Not a neat freak, hate vacuuming, happy to play with my kids, a multiple pet owner, Experienced Parent, a homeowner, loving this product
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| Cons |
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DEC
17
2007
iRobot Roomba 550 Bagless Robotic Vacuum —
In a home with four kids, three dogs and various shades of white carpet throughout, it is virtually impossible to keep the carpets looking clean and fresh on a daily basis. The roomba has been doing just that for over a month now. It does need a little suprevision. The machine will stop and tell you it needs its brushes cleaned when there is a lot of pet hair - but with daily use this happens infrequently. It also occasionally goes under a peice of furniture and gets stuck coming back out. (Though in a month of daily use, this has happened only twice on a sofa with a particularly low profile.) Roomba does pick up very small toy peices, but they are easily retrieved from the bagless dirt bin. It goes around larger "clutter".The lighthouse and virtual wall units work well as virtual walls, but don't seem to be effective when in use as a lighthouse. This is not a big deal though, since Roomba will cover the entire area it has access too even without the lighthouses. For large areas with open floor plans it is a good idea to have two or more virtual walls so Roomba can do smaller areas more effectively.
Roomba wil dock itself fairly consistently when it is done or the battery is low. It does sometimes die before it finds its base again however. Once on the base it recharges quickly enough to be used several times (or in several areas) a day.
Overall, the Roomba 500 series does a great job of cleaning. It is easy to empty the bin and clean the brushes, which must be done after every use in homes with heavy pet hair. The ease of use makes it ideal for daily or even twice daily cleaning. It does require some supervision as it can get stuck or stop because of too much pet hair on the brushes. Even with its drawbacks, the Roomba 500 series is well worth the money. It makes it possible for even very busy people with very dirty homes to have really clean carpets all the time.
iRobot Roomba 550 Bagless Robotic Vacuum is recommended by MuttReport
Comments about MuttReport’s Review
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