iRobot 5900 Scooba Robotic Cleaner

I purchased Scooba because I have three dogs and hardwood floors throughout my house. Shedding is a bigger issue when you have hardwood floors. I hardly noticed hair accumulating on the rugs as long as I vacuumed at least once a week but now, after a day or two, hair is clearly visible on the steps. I also have a dog door, so they're constantly running in and out and there's often a trail of muddy paw prints marking their paths. With the Scooba vac, I can set it up in a room and virtually forget about it. It doesn't spray a large amount of water so I find that I don't have to keep the dogs out of the room it's cleaning (like I do if I'm mopping). When it enters the drying phase, it really does leave the floors almost completely dry. The best thing about it, however, is that you can be doing something else while Scooba takes care of your floors. Now, for what I don't like... If you think you can turn on your Scooba before leaving for work and come home to clean floors, you may be disappointed! My Scooba tends to get stuck under the front of my refrigerator and dishwasher and also on one of my floor registers and on the transition strip at the top of my steps. I'd have to buy a few more virtual walls to keep it from the problem areas if I want it to run truly unattended. Then there's the battery charge... My unit will clean maybe two and a half rooms before the battery needs to be recharged. Don't get me wrong though... The benefits of the Scooba vac definitely outweigh these issues. One final note for others with multiple dogs -- After each use, make sure you rinse your Scooba unit thoroughly. That means that water poured into the dirty tank has to come out through the bottom. You'll want to do this several times and you should also send water through the bottom and make sure it comes through the dirty tank. Although I always rinsed my unit, I didn't do it thoroughly and it wound up getting clogged with hair. I knew something was wrong because the filter was remaining too clean after each wash cycle. Customer Service told me it was normal but I knew it wasn't... It took several pipe cleaners and lots of patience to dislodge the clog but it's been working perfectly since then.

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I gave this a 5 because it's a fine machine and I don't want to disparage iRobot at all. But, I do want to let others know that Scooba's frustrating to use on our irregular 'Indian slate' floors with wide grout between the tiles. A couple other reviewers mention it can't be run unattended, and some others love it because it can. I'm betting the ones who can let it run overnite or while they're shopping have perfectly smooth floors and this is the best application for the little robot. At first I didn't mind nudging it every now and then when it would lose traction when both wheels hit low spots and it's unable to kick itself around. But after several washings that got old, and the hassle factor was too great, so it's easier to get out the boat brush and scrub the floor. I should mention that using less solution, about 3/4 the way to the line on the little measuring cup, gives better results and it doesn't slip as easily -- using too much solution in the water definitely lessens the traction. It really is effective, blows a high-speed jet of air along a 'gasket' that sweeps dog hair & dirt into the dirty water tank, puts down minimum cleaning solution, scrubs with a hi-rpm brush, then sucks up most of the water, all in one pass. I'm hoping the next model will have bigger wheels and more clearance -- if they can build a battlefield robot I bet they can handle Indian Slate floors sooner or later, too. As it is now, it can't negotiate floor irregularities of an 1/8 inch or less, and it sometimes hangs when both wheels try to cross the grout line at the same time. If you've got vinyl, hardwood, or other smooth surface it should do fine. iRobot sells the cleaning solution on-line, free shipping, for less than other ebayers and they've got reasonable prices for the parts that wear. I'm getting a Roomba next...

I own a Roomba and love it. Unlike Roomba, which goes about it's business with almost no hassle, Scooba seems to need quite a bit of attention.

I have a large area of newly installed tile flooring in my home. Scooba works best when the area to be cleaned is divided up into rather small, approximately 8x10, sections. If I allow furniture to remain in the area Scooba often becomes stuck under a table edge or chair. In the kitchen it becomes wedged under my dishwasher. In it's attempts to free itself it sems to often wedge itself more tightly. It even occasionally becomes stuck along straight wall edges, grinding along and continuously bumping into the same spot over and over and not turning away. It got itself hung up on a pretty thick throw rug that I had expected it to detect, and often comes to a complete stop when it encounters the edge of my carpeted area. In other words, it does not run entirely unattended. When it gets itself into trouble it beeps and usually shows a number in it's window to indicate the problem.

The real issue with the need to get it out of trouble is that when you have to "fix" a problem it requires that you pick up the unit, set it down in an unrestricted area, and restart it. The directions that come with the unit state that it must be left to completely finish it's cycle of vaccuming, washing, rinsing, and drying before it is shut off. Of course, when it becomes stuck it stops somewhere in the cycle, leaving a large streak of wet floor which you must rinse and dry by hand, because following the restart the unit does not remember where it was in the cycle and starts from the beginning.

It navigates the tile floor quite well, only occasionally getting it's front wheel hung up in a grout line. A simple nudge fixes that problem nicely.

There is a considerable ammount of disassembly involved in cleaning the unit after use and removing the battery to place it on the charger. A lot more than with Roomba, which is happy with an emptied dustbin, and drives itself onto the charging base. Of course Scooba does multiple functions and is a more complex unit.

I am impressed with the battery life. It seems to run forever, only needing emptied and refilled as the clean water is used up and the dirty water tank is filled. Recharging only takes a few hours.

It does a great job of cleaning the floor. I am always shocked at the color of the water in the dirty water tank. When it does not get hung up it leaves the area clean and only slightly damp in spots.

The issues I have outlined are minor in comparison to the major benefit of having clean floors. I would never go back to washing floors on my hands and knees.

I have only owned my Scooba for a few weeks and find that I am becomming more comfortable with it and less concerned when it runs into a snag, I just pick it up and fix it and send it back on it's way. A quick wipe up in the corners and in areas too tight for Scooba to fit is all I need to keep my floors nice and clean. It sure beats doing it by hand.

I gave it a "4" rating because of the navigation problems, I would rate it a "5" if I were only rating it's cleaning ability.

I got the scooba after falling in love with my roomba. The scooba is a floorwashing robot from the company Irobot. I paid 1/3 the price for a brand new Soomba. Shipping shouldn't be too high I'd say about 25-30 USD.

Setting up my scooba was easy. The seller did have an oops with one of the wheels but was able to buy me a new wheel right from Irobot's website and have it shipped to me. I plugged the battery-pack into the charger after waiting the recommended time I put in the colorox cleaning solution (make sure the colorox cleaing solution ahead of time its sold at most appliance stores Sears is where I got mine) filled up the tank with luke warm water and set the scooba in the middle of the floor and off it went. It did what it said it would and that was to mop the floor. It didn't leave a big wet mess behind it cause it vaccumes up after itself. A plus it did clean up the high traffic area and the results were great! A draw back is I had to refill the cleaning tank or empty the dirty tank at least once, which ment I had to tip toe to get it. Another downside is it does not do corners well. I had to go back and clearn corners myself. There is some maintance to the scooba, which is rinsing off a few parts and they snap on and off easy.

I recommend buying a non-refurbished model on ebay cause you can still register it on the Irobot website. I registered one of my roombas and the site was able to tell me that it had infact been refurbished, so register it before you leave the seller feedback.

Scooba has come out with a new line that are supose to have larger tanks to clean more sqft and has a longer battery. I am waiting for some of those to come onto ebay. I do recommend buying an extra battery off Irobot website or on ebay. It saved me time when cleaning more then one room.

Overall for the ebay price and the time it saves you I highly recommend a scooba. I plan on buying more and people always freak out when they come by and Im sitting relaxing and they see my roomba and scooba off cleaning for me. My kids even like helping to set them up. You can buy cute skins for the machines and parts and upgrades are easy to buy right off Irobot website or even on ebay.

It does a great job of washing the floor, but, as warned, does not get edges and corners. Doesn't do well if given too much of an area to cover at one time. My floor tiles aren't perfectly aligned, and it bumps off the imperfections and heads off in another direction, but manages to pick up the missed section when it's heading in the other direction.

I like it well enough that I am considering buying one for my 85 yo mom who has macular degeneration and thinks her floor is clean when it isn't!

What a great invention! This floor cleaner does a better job than a mop. Sometimes a mop leaves a residue in the corner so you have to rinse and go over but not this. You turn it on, it goes to work, and it cleans your floor spotless. It gets those dirty spots that are hard to get, too. It can't get into the corners very well but it tries hard.
Another bonus is that it vacuums dirt up as well. Then you can put the rinsing agent in and have it mop for you. If at first the check tank light comes on--have a turkey baster handy and blow some air in it to move the solution along to the right spot inside the machine. The company has an additional website which is full of info. If time is worth money to you--this is worth the price!

At first I loved my iRobot Scooba 5900, purchased last November on eBay, BUT that was very short-lived. iRobot's warranty is BOGUS. I registered my product on the iRobot web page, and subsequently purchased wash solution and spare parts from their web page - no problem. Out of the box, one of the Virtual Walls never worked. I contacted iRobot Customer Service and their response:

"Sorry, BUT - The iRobot Limited Warranty only covers products purchased from authorized dealers. Individual sellers on eBay are considered 'third-party retailers' and are not authorized to sell iRobot products with a warranty". Further, "If you go to the following link, the warranty states 'This Scooba brand product, as supplied and distributed by iRobot Corporation, and delivered as manufactured, in the carton to the original customer purchaser, is warranted by iRobot Corporation against manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship for the qualifying limited warranty period....".

Nowhere does their warranty state that if you purchase from eBay and/or Amazon, etc. that you are hosed.

Next to go after only a few months use was the battery pack - the Scooba ran about 5 minutes and stopped not matter how many hours/days the battery pack was charged. After much internet searching I learned that this was apparently a common glitch and iRobot now had a software upgrade, called an OSMO, available to fix the programming error that was causing the battery pack failure.

Again, because my Scooba came via eBay the cost of the battery $70 was mine - even though the cause was bad programming by iRobot. In less than 8 months I have spent almost $400 and countless wasted hours trying to get this piece of ---- to work.

I considered a Roomba for my other floors, but not now!!

I love this product. It is very easy and fast to use. I set it up before I go to bed and have a clean floor when I wake up. I use it once a week to keep my hard floors always looking good. I never had time to mop enough and I hated mopping. This works great for me.

I love my Scooba! It has a scrubbing brush that gets the floors cleaner than I can with just a mop. The only thing it really can't do is get in corners but for the bulk of the mopping it does an excellent job. My Scooba is also supposed to run for about 45 minutes before it needs to be charged but mine has gone for over 2 hours before. I always have to stop it before it's run out of charge. Really cuts down on the amount of work I have to do!

This robot does a great job. Occasionally it will get on the carpet but it gets right off. We use Scooba about 2-3 times a week. Our floor stays a lot cleaner now days. We have about 500 sf of hardwoods and Scooba uses 2 tanks to get the job done. We love out iRobots.

Truley Excellent! This thing Rocks! I mean who would'nt want a robot to clean up after you. I like it much better than my upright.

The only reason the scooba doesn't get an excellent is because it doesn't go behind the toilet! If it did that I would probably marry it!

If I could I would marry the iRobot 5900 Scooba Robotic Wet/Dry Vacuum. This vacuum is wonderful. I can leave the house to go play outside with my daughter, and know that my vacuum chore is being accomplished. This vacuum picks up the little crumbs thrown on the floor by my daughter, and the dirt brought in by my dog. I would recommend everyone to have one of these vacuums.

Unless you really like cleaning your own floors, on hands and knees - this is the balljoint-nuts.

Couple years back, I bought Roomba, mostly as a novelty - expecting it to be one of those items that end up in the closet, at the bottom - under all the other stuff, but I was wrong.

In fact we use it all the time, and the amount of stuff that thing will pick up is just amazing - especially considering how small it is.

That good experience led me to purchase Scooba. Same concept - a bit bigger, heavier battery as well as more advanced, with 'dual tanks' for clean and dirty water - and a vacuuming feature!
Pretty clever construction I must say, crammed into a very small unit.

We no longer have a bucket in the house. Those tiny areas, like corners - around edges of furniture etc. where Scooba can not reach, are small enough to wipe off with a kitchen towel - or it's equivalent.
Another added benefit, is that for the machine to be effective, you have to move clutter out of it's way, so in time we've gotten into the habit of not leaving stuff on the floor.

On the downside is noise. It is too noisy to run in a room, if you want to talk or watch TV, but if I'm alone I might run it.
On tile floor with large groutlines - like on Saltillo tile, it leaves water behind in the groutlines, and there is likely very little cleaning happening there - but the rest gets cleaned pretty good.

I don't like to have to use a particular brand cleaning-solution, and they recommend to use that, vinegar or water. Only water causes the water to bead up on my floor, and the machine leaves behind far too much water. Vinegar is OK, but I'm not too keen on the smell.
My own experiments with small amounts of dishwashing fluid, works fine. Remember small amounts.
Too much and it'll be foaming and spinning in it.

There is a sensor picking up the rotation of the front wheel, and it gets stuck every couple months, from ingesting hair - in our house. When it happens, the machine becomes erratic.
It's relatively simple to correct, but I would imagine future models might have a better solution for that particular wheel. Some people might not be comfortable with a little bit of 'taking apart - and putting back together' type stuff. All it need is a butter-knife or so, t gently pry the wheel off, but still.
Long hair is inherently difficult for little rotating devices.

I look forward to the future generations. These machines are fantastic, and as relatively new as they are, there is room to improve.
As an entry-level floor cleaner, and to see if such a device if for you, I think it's a fine choice.

They do need a bit of care, such as cleaning the brush etc. from hair and sand, and whatever finds it's way from outside to your living-room floor, and of course - emptying dirty water, and filling up with clean.

Boy, you'd be amazed what kind of dirty water comes out of it after it's done, and you might have thought your floor was pretty clean, already. I'm sold on it, and can not imagine going back to the bucket.
I'd buy it again.

I was so impressed with my Roomba vacuum cleaner that I purchased a Scooba. So now my beloved "R1C1" (my Roomba's name) has a mate in "R2C2" (the Scooba). In all seriousness, this is a fabulous item. The Roomba was great but you still have to watch a little for things like the tassles on rugs (actually I watch very little and usually my Roomba does Ok with them; sometimes I fold them under the rug to keep R1C1 from swallowing them). But since you use the Scooba on bare floors there is even less watching. I own a student rental house in a college town and recently, when my tenants moved out, I used both R1 and R2 to get the place ready for the next group of students. The whole house was bare. So I got R1 started in one room vacuuming and when that was finished got R2 started mopping. While R2 was mopping I got R1 vacuuming in a different room... and so on. I din't realize I could clean as many rooms as I did out of one battery charge in each device. While all of that was going on I worked on repairs. Amazing: vacuuming, mopping, repairing all at the same time! I didn't even call a cleaning company this year to help me to get the house ready for the next tenants. The thing is, this item is not only convenient, it also happens to do an extraordinary job in cleaning. You wouldn't think so because it does not use much water. But it is great. The students who rent my property very rarely wash the floors, so by the end of their lease they are in bad shape, both the hardwood floors and the kitchen linoleum or vinyl (or whatever it is; in addition I use the Scooba on a sealed cork floor in my own home). And the Scooba just went to work and got them looking beautiful(well... one floor I did have to mop twice; it was just a mess). I am so impressed I am now looking for a great price on ebay and I will buy one for my 80 year old mother-in-law, who still wants to clean her own place, but is having trouble. So, the bottom line is, get rid of your Swiffer (or save it for the little corners that Scooba won't get into); the Scooba really is easy and does a better job. I am convinced that some day every household will have at least one of these.

My wife loves this thing! her son also has one and raves about it!

Wish price was lower and wish you could use other cleaning solutions besides vinigar and their special cleaner. GET THE 5900 NOT THE 5800!

I love it. It does a great job of cleaning the kitchen floor. I saw it at a friends house and went home and bought it. The only negative I can think of is the floor is still a little wet after cleaning.

I bought the scooba because I already have a roomba vac and love it. This is great -- it runs about 45 minutes and picks up dirt, washes and dries the floor -- it is very cool. It works best in larger spaces but I use it in the kitchen too (my kitchen is small) - it just runs for 45 minutes no matter the size of the space. Mine came with special soap but the directions suggest vinegar too. I use vinegar and it works great! Love it!

I purchased the Scooba because the Roomba I bought last year has been a great time saver, and my house is actually cleaner. The Scooba has lived up to the expectations set by the Roomba. I have two dogs that go in and out through the pet door constantly. The tile floors are often covered with paw tracks. I turn the Scooba loose before I head to the store. When I get back the floor is clean and dry. The only touchup required is in the corners and right next to the baseboards. Now, if the robot would just clean itself, it would be perfect. That little chore is still mine, but it's minor compared to the old days of mops, buckets, and drying time. Scooba is a great product. I recommend it highly to those who don't enjoy housework.

I love my Scoooba! It does an excellent job. I have two little ones and had a hard time keeping up with the food and dirt. I run my Scooba every 2-3 days. My husband at first was angry that I bought it but now says its pretty great-plus he gets out of doing the floors for me! I make sure to clean it after use every time I use it and have it plugged in at all times. I hope to get Roomba under the Christmas tree!! I plan on buying one for my mom plus recommend it to everyone.

At first it worked great. Within two weeks it was streaking the floor and not picking up the water as well. I bought it as a re-manufactured. After 3 months and out of warranty it started to vear right more and more. At six months the battery will not function more than 5 mins. Irobot will not cover the battery or the cleaner. So I have a pricey piece of junk that can't do the job. I noticed the parts have also worn down very fast in 6 months to the point of replacement. I only used this machine once a week in two rooms. Certainly a drainer of money out of the wallet.

Works great on hardwood floors. Would not reccomend for tile floor that are uneven or large grout lines. the solution collects in the grout lines and the scooba is unable to pick up the liquid. But for hardwood floors I highly reccomend. Also detects stairs very well

I hoped that the Scooba would be a timesaver, but it takes as much time to prepare the area as it would to mop. Rugs with tassles need to be moved and walls set up to keep it from getting stuck on transitions and under the dishwasher. Then everything needs to moved back. It often gets caught on the corners of thick throw runs and stops cleaning until it's moved again. It also leaves streaks on my walnut-stained hardwood floors regardless of whether I use white vinegar or the Clorox solution. The tank fills too quickly and then the battery dies before the room is finished. I recently hand-washed my floors to see if a buildup of residue was responsible for the streaks and was amazed at how good the floors looked. I ran the Scooba the next day and ended up with streaks everywhere. I'd rather buy a $20 mop and spend 15 minutes cleaning than the 45 minutes of babysitting required for each Scooba cycle.