Life with a Roomba

[MIGrandma]

With Roomba, if it’s small or graduated, she will be able to go up or down, but if not, she won’t fall (she won’t fall down stairs).

The step, which is full-length of the room - not just the size of a stair-step, is about 6" so not small or graduated.

So, is there some kind of sensor that alerts it that there is a step/stairs so it doesn't fall down them?

 

[usnuzuloose]

Ohhhh Good Idea!

I saw one on the kohls ad but no price. Darn it

 

[mjkacmom]

The step, which is full-length of the room - not just the size of a stair-step, is about 6" so not small or graduated.

So, is there some kind of sensor that alerts it that there is a step/stairs so it doesn't fall down them?

Yes, it goes right to the edge and then turns around.

 

[design_mom]

My 2 dogs (a Lab and a Standard Poodle) aren't afraid of the Roomba exactly, but if it comes near them they will look at it reproachfully and move. Like "don't you know I'm higher on the totem pole than you are? Why are you bothering me?"

I have a love-hate relationship with Roomba. I love the *idea* of it, but I end up having to babysit it a lot more than I want to. It does fine with the area rug. It does fine with the stairs. It does a great job getting along the baseboards and under the cabinets. However, we have a few spots where it gets stuck. I have a lamp table that has a sloped pedestal base on it. It tries to climb that base multiple times per cycle. We also have a transition piece between our hardwood floor and carpet. It can get marooned on that, and there's a chair in our family room that has a base piece that it can get stuck on. I have to un-stick it often enough that I feel like kicking it by the end. Sometimes I think it would have been easier just to get the traditional vacuum out. (But it is hard to get under the furniture with the traditional vac... and for the most part, Roomba does a nice job with that.)

 

[Aimeedyan]

We have one - not a Roomba but a Deebot - and it's amazing with the dog hair on the hardwood floors. My 3 dogs are typically scared of the real vacuum but not the Deebot. I guess because he's so quiet? Sometimes they refuse to even move when it comes towards them - they just stare it down LOL

We bought a house with dark wood floors - it's become a lifesaver. Those floors show everything!

 

[NFLDERS]

I see Shark has a similar one now, saw it advertised on TV a couple days ago. I wouldn't mind having one, but it's a step down from our office into the family room and if I tried using it in the office it would probably just keep falling off the step. Unless they have a floor level change sensor or something? Not sure they do. But it would be nice to turn it on and just let it do its thing.

Mine has 2 motion like sensors that work much like deflectors the Roomba won't go past them.

 

[NFLDERS]

Off topic a little, but my coworker (my actualy coworker, not an urban legend kind of thing) has a Roomba. She left her dog for a few hours to go shopping and left the Roomba. There had been no issues before (with either dog or Roomba). Well, the dog was apparently sick and could not hold it like he usually can. When she came home, there was dog excrement all over the floor.

I'd never recommendd leaving a pet home alone with one that's running!

 

[NFLDERS]

We have one - not a Roomba but a Deebot - and it's amazing with the dog hair on the hardwood floors. My 3 dogs are typically scared of the real vacuum but not the Deebot. I guess because he's so quiet? Sometimes they refuse to even move when it comes towards them - they just stare it down LOL

We bought a house with dark wood floors - it's become a lifesaver. Those floors show everything!

Especially white retriever fur!

 

[tigercat]

I got one free and I end up making sure everything is picked up and we are able to take our chairs out on the deck. The only place it has problems with is the 2 pc bathroom. If it gets in there it has a hard time getting out. I just close that door and sweep it. It is really small so not really a bother. I do have a sensor that I can use upstairs so that it doesn't fall down the stairs. I love it and it gets pet hair up a lot easier than sweeping. As well because of an injury on my arm and my fibromyalgia sweeping and vacuuming was something I just can not do.

My cat is terrified of the vacuum but is fine with the Roomba. He just looks at it and will casually move if it comes near him.
tigercat

 

[Pugsly]

We love our Roomba. Our dogs bark at it - like they want to play with it. Right after we had our alarm system installed, the Roomba went off on its rounds and set the alarm off. LOL.

We’ve given the mopping one to one of the kids (whose 1st floor is 90% tile) and they said it’s not that good. They love the ‘regular’ one though.

 

[mjkacmom]

I got one free and I end up making sure everything is picked up and we are able to take our chairs out on the deck. The only place it has problems with is the 2 pc bathroom. If it gets in there it has a hard time getting out. I just close that door and sweep it. It is really small so not really a bother. I do have a sensor that I can use upstairs so that it doesn't fall down the stairs. I love it and it gets pet hair up a lot easier than sweeping. As well because of an injury on my arm and my fibromyalgia sweeping and vacuuming was something I just can not do.

My cat is terrified of the vacuum but is fine with the Roomba. He just looks at it and will casually move if it comes near him.
tigercat

You do t need to use the separate sensor, it won’t go down the stairs. I’ve never used mine.

 

[Prose]

We love our Roomba, but it doesn't love our area rug. The rug has geometric shapes divided by thick black lines about 2" across. Every day we'd find our Roomba stopped on the rug with an error flashing. We thought maybe the rug was too thick, but after a little research found that the stair sensor thinks the black lines are empty space and stops.

This isn't our rug, but very similar and the same problem....

 

[BrandyJenner]

Oh geez. same here. waiting for black friday deals for roomba. I love it. I'm wishing on getting one of the 800 series. I read that the most recent ones, (900 series) are too costly when in fact the cleaning can be matched by the older models.