You know the line, “Parting is such sweet sorrow”? Well, we’d like to challenge Shakespeare on this matter. In fact, we’d argue that there’s nothing sorrowful about bidding adieu to the days of your robot vacuum careening all over the house like it’s discovered your liquor cabinet. Out with the old, in with the new: The Roomba Vac Essential tackles your floors in neat rows, thanks to its Smart Navigation features. Think more precision, less bumper cars. It’s almost 50% off at Amazon, just in time for that spring cleaning you can’t wait to get started on (wink). At least it’ll make freshening up your home feel like less of a chore!
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You’ll get up to two hours of cleaning on a single charge. That’s more than enough for all but the messiest of floors, but don’t worry — if it isn’t done when the charge runs out, this little robovac will pick up where it left off after some rest.
Why is this a good deal? 💰
We love any deal on appliances that save us time, but this is close to the lowest price ever for this Roomba (it’s only dipped lower once), making it an extra-sweet steal. A discount like this one is unexpected — and unlikely to be beaten in the foreseeable future.
Why do I need this? 🤔
We could all use more time in our days, right? The Roomba Vac Essential handles tedious vacuuming so you can do more of what you really want to do: Sit back with your feet up.
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Seriously, though: It has a three-stage cleaning system that’s effective at picking up debris on nearly any surface. It starts with a spinning, edge-sweeping brush that pulls in dirt from the periphery, while the V-shaped brush in the center agitates stuck-on dirt from hardwood and loosens dust from carpets.
We touched on this a bit earlier, but it also cleans in neat rows: up, over, down, repeat. It also has sensors to avoid running into furniture or tumbling down the stairs. This newer design also allows it to fit under furniture that previous robovacs couldn’t, and the aforementioned brush lets it get alongside tight spots, like the edge of a wall or the bed.
The downside to that low profile, of course, is that there’s no self-emptying base, but it can hold a substantial amount of dirt before you need to intervene. You can also tell it to target specific areas, and it can spot-clean individual locations for up to two minutes at a time.
When it’s finished cleaning, the Essential will return home to its dock. It’ll also head back to base if its battery runs low, but will resume the job once it’s juiced back up.
Housekeepers sure look a lot different these days. (Amazon)
What reviewers say 💬
More than 34,000 reviewers say their floors are less grimy, thanks to their new robotic sidekick.
Pros 👍
According to some fans, just owning a Roomba brings a bit more order to your home. “Our floors are much cleaner now that we run this machine every few days,” wrote one cleanly customer who said the Essential offers just “the right amount of robot.” They continued, “Because we have it, we are mindful of cords, cat toys and other items on the floor that could tangle it up, so its presence also kind of enforces a level of tidiness.”
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Other reviewers spoke at length about how efficient the Roomba is. “I don’t have to hurt my back anymore bending down. It’s worth it,” said this stand-up guy. “My floors are clean, and I don’t have to work or lift a finger.”
“I have two dogs, one with white hair, who also love to dig in the backyard. Our back door is left open for them to come and go as they please. As you can imagine, this results in a lot of hair and dirt on our dark hardwood floors,” explained a pet parent. “Bought this thing on a whim because I was tired of constantly vacuuming and still seeing hair on the floor. … My only regret is not buying one sooner.”
Cons 👎
As you might expect, this robovac is not exactly quiet. “It’s a little loud, but cleans well,” said a mostly satisfied customer — a downside that was echoed by multiple reviewers.
As mentioned earlier, this machine is not maintenance-free. “You will have to clean out [the] Roomba about once a month depending on how often you use it,” noted an on-top-of-it owner. “It is important to take some of the parts off and clean them and clean her sensors off. I clean her about once a month after running her about three times a week.”
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Choose from three levels of suction, depending on whether you need a quick pickup or a more thorough, in-depth clean.
And when it comes to wiping up wet messes, how about this handy helper?
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This isn’t your average floor-cleaning duo: For starters, it practically cleans itself, thanks to its nifty wash chamber and wringing system. Plus, it has a 360-degree mophead for getting into corners and crevices along with an extendable handle that’ll keep you from having to bend or crouch. Oh, and you’ll also get three reusable microfiber mop pads.
Check out our full Joymoop Mop review for more.
Save $8 with coupon
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
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The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
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