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Do you have the pet-hair Roomba?

Sueb20
9 years ago

No matter what I do, I have at least a sprinkling of dog hair on all my floors on the first floor of my house. My sheddingest dog is white and my floors are brown hardwood, and especially with the changing light these days (and increased shedding for spring), I'm seeing it more than ever. I have a small rechargeable vacuum that sits by the back door so I (in theory) can use it frequently, but I'm lazy plus 2 of my 3 dogs go crazy and chase the vacuum when I use it. I've been reading mostly very positive reviews of the Roomba on Amazon (the least expensive "pet" model -- I think it's model 630?) and really considering it even though I wonder if my dogs will attack it! (I have a feeling the reason they go nuts over the vacuum now is because they think it's attacking me...maybe if a small vacuum is not attached to me they won't worry as much? Or, they'll just get used to it because it will be used more frequently?)

Anyway, just wondering if anyone here has had experience with this little robot!

Comments (11)

  • deegw
    9 years ago

    I like my roomba. It's automatic but not care free. For me, using it is like having the cleaning lady come to the house. I have to pick up so it can do the job.

    It's great on dog hair and cleans places I miss when I vacuum. My skittish dog is afraid of it and runs away any time it gets near her. I imagine your dogs probably won't like it too much.

    The noise is an issue for me. When I am vacuuming, I don't mind vacuum noise but I am always relieved when the roomba is done.

    It also needs regular cleaning. The wheels and brush are fairly small and hair winds up in them and the unit doesn't clean as well. I take it apart every other time I use it and free up all the trapped hair. My daughters both have very long hair so ymmv.

    This post was edited by deee on Sun, Apr 20, 14 at 10:06

  • graywings123
    9 years ago

    A friend of mine who does a lot of research before buying says to consider the Neato products rather than the Roombas.

  • sis3
    9 years ago

    I love my Roomba! I dog sit frequently and rely on the Roomba to keep the floors gleaming. We have dark hardwood floors so he, yes, my Roomba is a he, is kept busy. That is the beauty of robots, they don't get tired! I love the way he disappears under beds and furniture, cleaning all those hard to reach places. The dogs were excited by the robot at first but now they mostly ignore him.

    I bought my pet hair Roomba from Costco. Great price and unbeatable return policy!

  • funnygirl
    9 years ago

    My sister has two big dogs and loves her Roomba!

  • maire_cate
    9 years ago

    I posted this last year when someone else asked the same question. ............

    My lab just ignores the Roomba. She likes to lay on the throw rug and totally ignores it when it bumps into her. The only problem we had was that she learned to touch the big green ON/OFF button with her nose while it's running and then it turns off. I had to cover the button with a piece of black plastic so that she doesn't see it.

    If you want a good laugh just go on you Tube and google Roomba and dogs or cats...there are some really funny videos to watch.

    As for the Roomba..... It works really well on tile. It works OK on carpets. Just know that it isn't going to remove dirt that's down between the carpet fibers. The surface will look fine- it will pick up dog hair, threads and other noticeable dirt but it doesn't have the suction power or strong brushes to thoroughly clean rugs.

    My model is a 700 series. The other issue I have - and it might not be a problem for you - is that my kitchen floor is ceramic and my throw rugs are fairly thick. As it vacuums the little sweeper brush sweeps the dirt onto the floor and the Roomba leaves a perimeter of dirt around the area rugs. One wheel of the Roomba is on the tile and the other is slightly higher on the rug and the Roomba doesn't have a strong enough suction to suck up the dirt. So I now roll up all my throw rugs so that the Roomba can do the entire floor.

    It does take significantly longer for the Roomba to vacuum than if you simply ran the sweeper yourself. It isn't very quiet and the noise can get annoying if you're sitting in the same room. You can always turn it on and leave the room or better yet - leave the house.

    It is handy at getting under beds. I place it in the bedroom, shut the door and let it vacuum away.

    I have to remember to roll up my one throw rug that has long, thin fringe or the small sweeper foot on the Roomba will get tangled it in.

    You do need to clean it regularly - the dirt bin is small and fills quickly and you also have to clean the brushes, wheels and air filters.

  • Sueb20
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks for all the info. I think it's probably worth a try and see if my dogs try to "kill" it or not. (For the record, these are lazy bulldogs, and chasing a vacuum is probably the biggest excitement in their lives outside of their chew toys.)

    I'll have to see if my local Costco has it. If I have to return it, probably would be easier than Amazon.

  • justgotabme
    9 years ago

    I would love to have one of these little guys, but with four long haired cats I'm sure it couldn't keep up with them unless I run it constantly. I can only imagine how much fun they'd have chasing it though. LOL Our little Tommy cat (8#s) is small enough to sit on it like I've seen on Youtube, but if any of the others (16 to 22#s) tried, I'm sure the motor would burn up trying to move under their weight.

  • kswl2
    9 years ago

    The Neato looks like a better option than the roomba, I am going to look into that for the basement brick floors!

  • andreak100
    9 years ago

    justgotabme - that the WHOLE idea...you *can* run it all the time. It's likely to be run more often than you get out the vacuum and run it. Get one, you'll be glad you did :)

  • justgotabme
    9 years ago

    Thank you Andrea. I watched a review on Youtube and have asked my hubby what he thinks.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Neato vs Roomba

  • kswl2
    9 years ago

    I just ordered the Neato for our basement floors. What I read (far too much) on message boards and review sites convinced me to buy the mid range, or least expensive for our needs. The cost of more expensive models tends to be due to additional filters and beater brushes and things like that.

    Will report back when it is here and running. New housekeeper skeptical of entire idea but I think I have convinced her that this is MUCH better than sweeping those floors....less work for her and less dust in the air and on furniture.