Roombas were introduced to the American market in 2002.  Since then, over 2.5 million units have been sold.  The company has also been working on several new models and is constantly improving their technology.  But there’s this big question:  Do Roombas really work?

Roombas are nifty little machines that scour living spaces and vacuum dirt off the floor.   The machines work without the help of a person and have special censors around the room to define their boundaries.  They’re efficient and reliable and do the entire house cleaning while the homeowners are away.

These machines appear to be amazing little gadgets.  While they perform wonderfully on flat, hardwood floors, they also work extremely well with rooms that have rugs.  Consumers have reported that area rugs are no problem for a Roomba and it can easily go from a hardwood surface to the rug.  Even rugs with fringed edges prove easy for a Roomba to handle.  Roomba’s are safe for antiques, too.

Operation of a Roomba is quite simple.  For second generations, the unit consists of three buttons: “clean”, “spot” and “max”.  For third generations, the Roomba has all but the “max” button.  The button was replaced by “dock”, in which the Roomba will dock with its homebase.  The Roomba can come with a Scheduler accessory.  This tool allows the Roomba to clean automatically according to the time the owner specified.

When “clean”, “spot” or “max” are pressed, the machine begins cleaning the room.  Roomba has bumpers around the disc to detect walls and furniture.  The owner can also specify Virtual Walls so that the Roomba will stop at certain places.  The machine has four infrared sensors that prevent it from falling off ledges, making it easy to clean upstairs.  If a particular area  is dirtier than others, the Roomba has extra sensors that tell it to focus on the dirty spot longer.

After the Roomba has cleaned for an already programmed time, it will stop and sing out a triumphant song.  Second and third generations will then locate their homebase and try to return to it.  From there, the owner should remove the dustbin and empty the dirt in a trash can.

For rugs, the third generation Roomba has a release mechanism in the brush deck that will prevent the machine from going over tassels.  It cleans them, instead.

A roomba is small enough that they can venture under a bed without problems.  However, if the unit doesn’t sense a floor, becomes stuck or it has decided it is in a narrow space, the Roomba will stop and play a saddened tune for it to be found.  Third generation machines now have an infrared bumper that senses when it is about to collide with an object.

A Roomba is useful in all homes.  Whether you’re in an apartment, small house or big house, this gadget can prove useful.  Owners do not have to worry about moving furniture away or constantly watching the machine.

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