IROBOT Roomba & Scooba Tech Reviews
iROBOT has created a cleaning marvel in their latest creations called Roomba and Scooba. They each have completely different functions but operate in the same way. These automatic units are great to add to your cleaning force when you do not have the time to scrub your hardwood floors or vacuum every square inch in your home or office.
Each unit has a unique system called “aware”. This system has many sensors that allow the units to constantly change course and avoid obstacles over 60 times per second. This allows the Roomba and Scooba to cover every square inch of your carpet and hardwood floors without missing anything.
The best thing about these little critters is that there is zero programming needed. The system is smart enough to learn the dimensions of every room in your home along with where obstacles like furniture and stairs are automatically.
The Scooba is designed to clean and scrub any type of floor in your kitchen from hardwood floors to tile and grout. Scooba has a four part cleaning routine that preps, scrubs, washes and dries automatically. It first preps your floor by picking up any loose dirt and crumbs. Once the prep cycle is complete, it washes the floor using a Clorox cleaning solution. Next, it scrubs the floor removing more dirt and finishes by drying and removing the cleaning solution. A single tank of this cleaning formula will cover about 200 square feet. A single battery charge will last around an hour and a half while cleaning 500 square feet of floor. There is also a digital display to show you the status of the Scooba.
The Scooba is larger than you may think; it weighs just over 15 pounds and is 5 inches tall, 17 inches wide and almost 2 feet long. The Scooba does come with a rechargeable battery, power supply, measuring cup, 8 ounces of cleaning solution, 1 virtual wall and a 1-year warranty. The virtual wall can block off parts of the floor you do not want the Scooba to clean. The Scooba retails for around $350.
The Roomba is almost identical except it has a different purpose. This unit will vacuum anything from carpets to hardwoods in your home or office. It has a stair avoidance system and works great transitioning to different surfaces. Roomba has 3 cleaning modes including clean, spot and max. The battery lasts for 2 hours and will fully recharge in less than 3 hours. You can set up the unit to clean at a specific time every day or weekly. You can even schedule the virtual wall units so they activate when the Roomba beings to pick up dirt and other debris.
The physical dimensions and retail price are about the same between the Roomba and the Scooba. Expect to find the following to come with the Roomba, remote control, 2 Roomba filters, replacement Bristle and Beater Brush, battery, fast charger, home base, 2 virtual walls and a 1 one year warranty.
Both units work great and do an amazing job. You may find that they work better than you own vacuum cleaner and mop. The only negative that I could find is the cleaning solution that the Scooba uses can be quite strong. If you are sensitive to strong aromas than make sure to see the Scooba in action before buying one. You could get around this by scheduling the Scooba during a time you are not at home. Outside of the strong smelling cleaning solution, these units work great and your home will never be dirty again.
