Entered CNET Catalog: 12/20/2005
SKU: 5900
Manufacturer: iRobot
Manufacturer description
Can you prep, wash, scrub and dry your floors all at once? With Scooba you can. iRobot Scooba Floor Washing Robot is an innovative and easy-to-use product that will change the way you clean hard floors. Make mopping a distant memory. With Scooba, you will never have to touch a dirty mop and bucket again. Scooba is an intelligent and effective Floor Washing Robot. Scooba uses a four stage cleaning system to prep, wash, scrub, and dry floors all by itself. Scooba features iRobot's AWARE Robot Intelligence Systems. AWARE uses dozens of sensors to monitor the robot's environment, and adjusts its behavior up to 67 times per second, ensuring that Scooba cleans effectively, intelligently and safely. Scooba will clean a standard size kitchen on a single tank full of cleaning solution. Cleans under furniture, tables and hard-to-reach places Simple to operate: fill tank, press clean and empty tank when finished Stair Avoidance System A single tank cleans up to 200 sq. ft. and passes over an area an average of 4 times 4 stage cleaning process in a single pass: -Preps by picking up loose sand, crumbs and dirt -Washes using clean Clorox cleaning solution where mops just spread the dirt around -Scrubs your floor removing dirt and grime -Dries by picking up the dirty solution leaving the floor clean and dry ACCESSORIES iRobot Scooba Floor Washing Robot 8 oz bottle of Clorox solution Measuring Cup Charging Brick Charging Base Battery 1 Virtual Wall (requires 2 D Batteries not included) OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES Clorox Scooba Cleaning Solution - 5 Pk Clorox Scooba Cleaning Solution - 3 Pk Scooba Replacement Brush Scooba Cleaning Head Scooba Filter Scooba Replenish Kit Scooba Replacement Tank Assembly Scooba Battery Scooba Battery Charger Scooba Power Supply Scooba Wetsuit Scooba Virtual WallUser opinions
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User Rating: 
2/10
Defective charge circuit will destroy battery
Pros: Will make you appreciate what a good mop and pail of water can do
Cons: Short battery life, Doesn't clean corners or edge of floor
My advise, go out an buy a good mop, and forget about this product. You can use that money to buy something more useful, and avoid the hassle of fooling with iRobot's customer service. You'll also save the expense of another battery when yours fails after a few uses.
User Rating: 
3/10
Scooba, better off at bottom of oceans
Pros: works for a while
Cons: fun gadget to watch when it worked.
User Rating: 
9/10
Terrific robot - I feel like George Jetson now.
Pros: Cleans great - no worries
Cons: Somewhat loud in a small house
User Rating: 
4/10
Have had several issues & can't get any customer service.
Pros: When it works, it's great!
Cons: Virtual walls stopped working in 1st 6 mths-no response. Battery issues-no response. Now liquid doesn't come out at all & still no response.
User Rating: 9/10
Perfect compliment to the Roomba
Pros: Simplicity
Cons: Picking which one to buy
User Rating: 
8/10
Really Cool and effective
Pros: Cleans very well, good with kitchen tiles and stuck on messes.
Cons: Sometimes doesn't go over spots enough, have to clean/empty alot of things after cleaning.
It runs well, and it is pretty good at scrubbing the floors. But due to its algorithm, it sometimes misses a spot here and there, and I have to go back and use the spot clean, or if I am feeling lazy, I will just run it again.
It runs pretty quite, and the dirty water shows how well it does clean, even if the floors don't appear that dirty.
However, it sometimes can be a pain when your in a hurry to empty the tank, the tubing, the filter, and make sure you don't spill anything back onto the floor in the process. There is one small thing that gets water caught in it, and sometimes if you take the tank out weird, it will just drop dirty water all over the floor.
All in all this unit is a pretty good floor cleaner and keeps our usually very dirty floors relatively clean. If you can get a good price on it, it is well worth it. Plus if you get a few discount coupons, you can get 10 bottles of cleaning solution for about 30 dollars shipped(which will last you quite a while).
User Rating: 9/10
Get-It right now
Pros: This "Robot" is awesome. It cleans the floors so well and is very easy to use and maintain. You don't need to watch it either you could just watch t.v. or go to work while this little baby cleans.
Cons: The only promblems I noticed is it doesn't do corners well, and it takes a descent amount of time to clean one area because it doesn't have any programed route or something like that.
User Rating: 
10/10
the perfect tile cleaner
Pros: vacuum and mopper in one
Cons: doesn't return to charger on its own
My husband laughed when I ran out and bought a Scooba to protect our new investment. He's not laughing anymore. It's been about five weeks and the tile hasn't changed a bit, because we run the Scooba almost every night -- it's a vacuum and mopper in one, plus it doesn't leave any dirty water behind on the tile, so it's essentially the perfect tile cleaner.
The only drawback is that, unlike some of the Roombas, it doesn't return to its charger. But I think that's a good thing: you wouldn't want a tank of dirty water/cleaner sitting in the corner too long.
User Rating: 9/10
Probably one of the best invention since the vacuum cleaner was invented.
Pros: It effectively clean and washes most type of hard floorings
Cons: It can get a bit noisy and need special cleaning solutions
Oh I just spoke to iRobot Tech support and was told some good news. Now I can share this news with you Scooba fans. You can actually use "white vinegar" instead of their special clorox solution if you are too stingy to buy. But it has to be white vinegar and nothing else. Otherwise your warranty might be void. White Vinegar is fine. Same 2 oz per full tank like the clorox solution.
Wish I had known earlier. Wasted my monies buying those clorox at $7 per bottle plus shipping charges!
User Rating: 8/10
Great first product of its type
Pros: Cleans better than a mop
Cons: Can't replace elbow grease; several sample defects.
But like I said, when it works, it cleans well. Just don't expect it to pick up scuffs and seriously adherent stains that would strain your own upper arm muscles to remove, and be ready to come running when it wedges itself under a cabinet and can't get loose. And it can wedge itself VERY firmly!
I'm looking forward to future iterations, not to mention new models such as the "Wooba" window washing robot, the "Loomba" laundry-doin' robot, and the "Tooba" toilet plunging robot.
User Rating: 10/10
Gives My Wife More Time to Do Other Things
Pros: No Hands Required and Easy to Use
Cons: Scares the Dog
User Rating: 10/10
It's Actually More Efficient Than a Mop
Pros: vacuuming, washing, scrubbing, suctioning
Cons: can take a bit of time
First, it's a vacuum. Just like its cousin, the Roomba, the Scooba sucks up all the dirt and crumbs, etc., that it encounters. This already is more efficient than a person with a mop. Mops don't do anything with dirt and crumbs except push them around. Once the vacuuming is done, the Scooba squirts its own specially formulated Clorox cleaning solution onto the floor (however, you do have the option of using just water if you feel like your floors need to be treated very gently). Then the brushes at the bottom of the Scooba do the scrubbing work -- again, this is pretty gentle compared to the way a person can damage a floor by scrubbing it too hard.
The last part is what makes the Scooba much more efficient than a person with a mop. If you were mopping your floor, you'd have to leave now and wait for the floor to dry. What would you have accomplished? The same dirt and grime would be there after the floor dried; all you'd have done is spread it out over the entire surface area. The Scooba is really different in that it sucks up the now-dirty cleaning solution into its tank, and so the dirt and grime are completely removed from your floor, which is what you really wanted in the first place. All you have to do is empty the dirty solution from the tank into a sink. You'll see the solution is pretty brown at this point; that's the dirt and grime that have been on your floor all this time.
What's most impressive is that it does all four of these steps -- vacuuming, washing, scrubbing, and suctioning -- in one pass over the floor. It might take a little bit longer for the Scooba to cover an entire area, but in the end your floors are much cleaner than before, all while you were relaxing or doing something else.
User Rating: 9/10
Pleasantly Surprised
Pros: No Elbow Grease Needed
Cons: A Little Boisterous
User Rating: 
6/10
It does NOT force you to use Clorox solution
Pros:
Cons:
electronic conductivity necessary to activate Scooba?s tank sensors.
iRobot does not recommend using other cleaning solutions with Scooba,
but you may use a dilute vinegar and water solution. You should mix
2oz. of vinegar with a full tank of water to create the conductivity
necessary to activate Scooba?s tank sensors.
People that use Scooba frequently put warm tap water with some vinegar into their Scooba and use the clorox every couple of cleaning cycles.
User Rating: 9/10
Love it!!!!
Pros: It cleans while I loaf, does a great job with tile floors
Cons: It doesn't pick up tough dried food stains
User Rating: 6/10
Scooba F O R C E S You To Use Clorox Solution
Pros: Nice Cleaning Job
Cons: Very smelly solution. Can't use it in our house. On well...
I had assumed I could just use water w/ the product - who cares about voiding the warranty - my right. Well, there is a sensor that detects for the product. Not only that, it is quite accurate. I tried 1/4 recommended, 1/2, 2/3, but would only work with the exact specified amount. Got a "check tank" error otherwise.
Really sucks!
