I have a Roomba and I love it. I'm slightly disabled, and the Roomba is a big help.

Thanks mclarke. Does it also pick up pet hair?

I second what mclarke said. I wouldn't want to be without my Roomba. It's more of a floor sweeper than vacuum. Works great on my hardwood floors, does an adequate job on area rugs. I run mine in a different part of my downstairs at least every other day and his dirt resevoir and rollers are always full as I have kids and pets. It's not heavy, so your Mom should be able to pick Roomba up to clean him out, a 5 minute process. Then use the regular vacuum as needed on area rugs and for the carpeted areas. I also use Roomba to sweep up the tile in my bathroom which takes all of 10 minutes or so.

livvyandbella, I have a beagle who loves to roll on my family room area rug. Roomba does a decent job getting up the animal hair, but certainly not as well as a regular vacuum which is why once a month, I run a regular vacuum over the rug. Roomba helps me stretch out my need for the regular vacuum. It will do a fantastic job getting up animal hair from hardwood or tile.

I have 3 (one lives in the bird room)of the 500 series and they do a good job on both hardwood and my frieze carpet. I have a long haired dog and I definitely have to clean the vacuum each time it runs. If there is a lot of pet/human hair then you may have to clean it in the middle of its cycle. Too much hair can wind around the ends of the roller/beater bars and interfere with the bearings on the ends.

Cords need to be moved out of the way as well as small dog toys......it will try to eat both. The first time it runs you'll discover the areas it will tend to get caught in, such as between the edge of a rug and a corner, or chair/sofas that sit too low. If your Mother is willing to make these adjustments then she'll probably enjoy owning one.

I have the Roomba brand and they're cheaper than the Neato that Ellen gave away. The Neato is much smarter but I haven't read reviews on how well it cleans carpet or how easy it is to clean out. If one of mine dies I'll probably try a Neato.

I don't have a robotic vacuum, but both my sisters do. They like them, but use them only for supplementary cleaning. Still, a robotic vac could be worthwhile if it meant that your mother wouldn't have to lug out the main vac, or have a house cleaner in, as often. Obviously, they work best in rooms that are clutter- and obstacle-free.

I'd be concerned, though, that a robotic vac could pose a tripping hazard, especially if your mother is unsteady on her feet or has poor eyesight or slow reflexes. Also, bear in mind that some older people don't like change. If your mother has been living on her own and doing housework up to the age of 91, I'm guessing that she's in terrific shape.

I don't have one but have read where people say rhoomba's don't seem to last more than 1.5 to 2 years.
Cats seem to LOVE them. There must be a hundred video's on you tube of cats riding them.

This on is my particular favorite

Here is a link that might be useful: Alien cat on spaceship robovacuum

marys........they'll last for years but they have to be maintained. You can buy upgraded parts (not from the Roomba company) and it's usually the battery that dies after 1.5 years. A battery is an easy replacement but many owners never think to replace the battery!

There is a site for Roomba devotees and the guys there can solve pretty much any problem that may pop up.

My cat hasn't climbed on yet but she loves watching it run!

Here is a link that might be useful: Robot chat

Thank you for all your information. It is of great help! That Robot chat site also very good. I think I will order her one, I think she will love it, especially for under furniture.

I just got a Roomba for Christmas. Yesterday it went into the office and closed the door behind itself and couldn't get out! We have only run it a couple of times - still trying to figure out the best way to use it. My husband wants to let it clean the whole upstairs area every day, but I think that maybe we should have it do a different area every day.

BTW, when I say upstairs, that is our main living area - about 1800 sq ft with living, dining, kitchen, master bedroom, bath, guest bath and office - we also have a walkout basement with 2 bedrooms, a bath and family room.

terriks,
The Roomba can't clean that large an area on a single battery cycle. The typical NiCd battery will clean three 100 sq ft rooms and a NiMH battery can clean up to four 150 sq ft rooms. The thicker your carpet and the more obstacles the Roomba has to work around, the less coverage you'll get from the battery.

I have large rooms so my Roomba averages 1 room per charge. What I do (to clean other areas of the house) is buy an extra charging base and set it up as a secondary charge area. I let Roomba start from the secondary base, then when it finishes the room it goes back to that base. I either leave it there or pick it up and put it back on the primary base.

Ellen gave away a MINT today. It's for hard surfaces and uses a Swiffer cloth attachment - wet or dry. I am thinking of getting one for the white dog hair and dust that accumulate daily on our hardwood floors. I could also use it in the bathrooms to clean hair off of the tile floors.

One thing that I would be worried about is it hitting something with grit that could scratch all over my wood floors. I've already done that to my new stainless steel gas cooktop. :-( Didn't know that something gritty was on the surface when I was cleaning with a wet paper towel. Left long scratches across the grain of the steel. :(

Here is a link that might be useful: MINT

No opinions on the MINT?

I have money burning a hole in my pocket. lol My kids gave me a camera for Christmas, when I really didn't need a new one. I like my Sony. It has a view finder and you cannot find small point and shoot cameras with an eye view finder, anymore.

Anyway, I need to find something to spend that money on so that the children will be happy. Maybe I should just get a new T.V. for my study. My ancient set is getting darker and darker. I have it set to the highest bright. Must be the picture tube.

I'd never seen the MINT until you posted the link NHB. Like you, I'd be very concerned about grit getting under the cleaner and me not changing the cloth often enough. It's amazing the small bits of grit we track in or that come in on my dog's pads and unfortunately, I don't dust mop my floors every day!

If you've got money to burn and want a floor cleaner, I'd put in into the new NEATO......plus, we need some personal feedback here on how well they work! : )

Otherwise.........go for the new TV!

Amazing timing-just this morning the Miami Herald ran an article on the Roomba vs. the Neato. Link is below.

I've never seriously considered an automatic vacuum, but this discussion certainly is tempting me. We have all hardwood floors, except for tile in bathrooms and florida room. And with 2 cats and 2 long haired women...hair balls are definitely an issue.

Ann

Here is a link that might be useful: Roomba and Neato comparison

That's a fairly accurate review but I have to question her price comparisons. Roomba can be purchased for a lot less if one looks for sales. I bought my 560 at Best Buy, on sale, for less than $300.
The 570 Roomba is higher in price because it includes a remote, something the Neato doesn't have, and something I've never had a need for. But, for someone that is disabled, I can see the benefits of having a remote.

As for the issue of the Roomba running into furniture and getting scuffed, the Roomba usually slows down when it senses a wall or furniture so it doesn't bump them going at full speed. For added protection, one can always add a strip of adhesive backed velcro (the looped side) to the edges of the Roomba for more padding.

The best thing Roomba does, IMO, is how well it cleans around the feet of furniture!

My mother got the Neato for Christmas and it is still in the box. Need to get there to figure it out. Will let you know how she likes it.

My mom just bought one and they love it!!! Much improved now. They talk about it like it's a person and even named her "Suzette" they so funny! She raves bout it and has completely eliminated all her vacuuming. If you have a Costco membership they only cost about $279.00!

Here is a link that might be useful: Health insurance quotes

My DH bought me one for my birthday (2?) years ago..He purchased it from Roomba and it was the 590? series. It came with a programable thing and several towers. He paid nearly $500 for it. The first few months, it had numerous problems (cant remember all of them but in general the brushes had issues and the battery would not hold a charge, also it would crash into the furniture when it was supposed to have sensors etc to avoid that. It was under warranty (very very limited warranty time wise) but they sent one part of the main brush thingie and a new battery.

not too much later, something else went wrong with it, but now it was no longer under warranty so I had to purchase replacement parts. After talking to the customer service people, she conveyed that when the brush housing stopped working the first time or had issues, that the whole thing should have been replaced because by now it was completely damaged (so the replacement part was only a $40 bandaid)

somehow, she managed to get permission to send me a whole new unit. This "NEW" unit would barely clean one room before pooping out. (the other one was designed to clean up to 3 rooms in one run and it usually came close unless I had too many obstacles for it). It is now not being used at all.

I will say when it was working that it was handy for pet hair (houseful of cats and dogs) but it always had trouble transitioning from hardwood floors to rugs, and as such would half way "clean" itself off on its way up and over the edge of the rugs, leaving clumps of cat fur behind.

If I had to do it over again, I would absolutely NOT spend $500 on it, but IF I could have gotten a decent one second hand, then I'd probably use it every now and then.

I dont know if it was this forum or elsewhere but this topic has been discussed before and I do recall that someone had purchased one from some particular place that offered a lifetime warranty, knowing the multiple issues mine has always had, I'd DEFINITELY buy it from them over any other vendor, if I had a do over. I do not recall the place though.

I bought mine refurbished from ottercreektrading and it was something like $220 or so a few months ago. Works great and has cut down on my floor cleaning time by 3/4. I used to sweep multiple times a day and hated to vacuum, but ours picks up the slack and I touch a broom every other day now and rarely a vacuum. It also helps to keep the boys' little stuff, like Legos, off the floor because they know he will eat it without a second thought.
We named ours too, (Rickroll) and he is our very neat pet ;)

luckytiff02 - What brand did your mom get and what's up with the "Health insurance quotes" link that you supplied?

annz - I said I had SOME money to burn. I don't have that much! lol I can get the MINT from BBB with a 20% off coupon and pay $159. That's about what the camera refund was. The more I read here, the more I think it's not a good idea. Of course, if I get a T.V., It will cost more than that. Maybe I'll just get one of those rechargeable hand held electric brooms for quick cleaning of dog hair.

I have two of them but they hardly ever run because they are so darn loud. I work at home and and there's no way I can have all that noise in the background when talking to a client or simply trying to concentrate. They are great for getting under beds and other places where it's hard to reach. Speaking of beds, mine usually run out of battery life right in the middle, underneath the bed!