iRobot Scooba 230 Floor Washing Robot

The cheap version of Scooba (Scooba 230) is so simple you wouldn't think it would work well but it does. All it does is lay down a bit of water with detergent in it and scoot along sucking it back up. There are soft bristles on the bottom that glide along the floor but no scrubber. It will take a few passes to clean the floor the first time if your floor is anything like mine was, but amazingly it got the whole thing clean, including the spot under my dog food bowl, which included a thick patina of dried on goop that was, well... embarrassing. Scooba is adorable and incredibly easy to use. It seems to work fine with about 1 ml of liquid laundry detergent added, though I suppose I might gum it up in the long run. Its only imperfection is that the charger is very slow, as others have mentioned. I doubt it will work well on grout or very uneven tiles, but I don't know how to explain the other terrible reviews. Perhaps they forgot to put it on the floor? It seems fairly idiot proof, but yes, it is 6.5" wide and 3.5" high, so if you expect it fit into spaces smaller than that, you should consider reading the description before purchasing. :-)

This is a great product. Small enough to get around in small areas. Amazing the amount of cleaning this little things does. Helps me out a great deal.

I bought this used through Amazon. Sounds like a lot of iRobot products are buggy, but I've had two successfully purchases or used devices (iRobot Scooba 230 and a Roomba) through highly rated third-party sellers. I run the Roomba first, then the Scooba. Used on both vinyl flooring and tile and had no problems. Kicked up lint from the grout lines one time I used it, but I just waited until the floor dried and ran the Roomba through again. For bathroom maintenance, a roomba, scooba, Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner (about $20) and Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Cleaner (the gel stamp ones for about $6), leaving Toilet Duck style toilet cleaner in the shower grout lines and on the top of the tub surround, along with washing a vinyl shower curtain in the washer with vinegar, baking soda, detergent and 2 towels has cut down on a TON of work. In the kitchen, it works fine, but is slightly too high to get under my cabinets. The rest of my apartment is pretty amateuristically constructed, so it wouldn't surprise me if they are non-standard. I just run it in the rest of the room and go over the parts under the edge with antibacterial wipes. Ceramic stove drip pans that you can clean in a self-cleaning oven or dishwasher are also helpful to cut down on cleaning. This does have brushes, but they are small and it's not really designed as a heavy duty scrubber. Works fine for me. If you are running it frequently, you're probably not going to need heavy duty scrubbing very often anyway. Worst case scenario, you mop with a scrubber sponge head occasionally and use this to keep the floor clean the rest of the time. I haven't been using the iRobot brand cleaner - just vinegar and water as suggested in another review.

I have to be honest, I pretty much knew this product was a bust even before I purchased it by reading what seems like 100 reviews.. I added it to my amazon basket.. Sat for a month or so, deleated it, then went for it again. It got here really quick, and in Alaska that does not happen often, ever actually. I was very happy with the seller. My first thought when I actually saw the 230 was 'hmmmm that's not going to fit behind my toilets!!' And you know what? It didn't. And im pretty sure I have standard throwns sooo..? Idk. I watched it randomly scurry about on the floor wetting all the slate tile pretty heavily.. Got stuck within the first 5 minutes on my heater vent.. I propped it up as I'd read on another review, then started it back on it's way. It spent most of its time in one corner going back and forth & barely even touched the other side & didn't even go on the left side of my toilet which has about 2 ft space so I know it could have gotten in. I was extra disappointed when it ended a 20 min cycle & my floors were left soaking wet.. Not a little damp, SERIOUSLY drenched, the equivalent of my three young humans having a great typical bath. No good at all. I let the floor dry on its own to see how long it would take & it was about 45 mins before dry-ish.. Still sticky with the solution -uggh .. Gross- THEN there's the fact that when I went to check the results via the slop tank... It had barely picked up any water at all. Pfft.. Not happy. I thought maybe it was our flooring so I set it up in another bathroom.. The kids bathroom -EWWW- !! Boys never make it in.. Never. Anyways, it's lenolium.. Same deal, soaking wet floor.. Very small amount of fluid picked up & my floors were sticky gross in the end. I own a neato & a mint plus .. LOVE LOVE LOVVVVE!!! I think I'm just going to stick with these two.. I don't really need anything else anyways (: I just love robots.. Peroid. So the idea of yet another was fun, but honestly not nesisary. Iv sent it back & am hoping it all goes well. My opinion.. It's not going to perform well enough to justify even 1/10 the price... Just get down there & clean it.. It sucks, it's gross, booo!! But at least you will know it's being done right. I would not recomend this product to anyone.. At all.. Ever.

Problems: I received my Scooba 230 just one week ago, and since then I had never gotten it to successfully run through a cleaning cycle without it stopping, and giving me an error (error code 1), despite nothing appearing to be wrong. Oddly waiting a few hours and trying again was the only thing that would make it work again, but only for a few minutes...then again the error would occur. Replacement: After thoroughly following instructions on their support website and still persistently encountering error code 1, I contacted iRobot support via email. They promptly replied and asked me to call regarding a replacement. I called and they said they would replace my Scooba 230 with a Braava Floor Mopping Robot, along with a reservoir pad. They didn't specify which version on the call, but I later saw it was the Braava 320 in an email confirmation. In their representative's words, if I look online and read about the Braava, I can see that the Braava is "much better than the Scooba." Scooba 230 vs Replacement Price Difference: I asked technical support whether I could get a partial refund since the price difference between Scooba 230 and Braava 320 is roughly $70. They reiterated that best they could do is provide me with the Braava 320 as a replacement along with a reservoir pad (about $40). My other option was to return it to Amazon for a refund, and to purchase another product. However, considering the reservoir pad included in the replacement, I decided to let go of the remaining $30 difference, which may have partially gone to shipping costs anyway if I had returned and purchased another product. I just want my floors to be cleaned! Despite all my issues, for the short time it actually functioned properly, it did actually do a decent job of cleaning my small kitchen and bathroom. I would assume if you had a Scooba 230 that worked properly, it would work fairly well. However in hindsight, I wish I had read a review like the one I am writing, in which case I would've just gone with the Braava line.

First point...It doesn't scrub a full floor by itself. Not enough time on the unit to finish a kitchen / bkfst area. Add a Braava and it does ok. The two different methods - random walk and system method gets most of the crud and works as a good addition. I use it exclusively in a bathroom and for that it works well by itself. One bathroom. After that the batter charge is shot and needs a day's recharging. Best use - use on bathrooms one day each, then as a helper on the kitchen/bkfst area with the Braava. Broke down after 2 years. Unrepairable.

he has a few faults, but for my small apartment, he works great. The only complaint is that once or twice in my bathroom he lost traction on the 1" x 1" tile floor.

Can leave to clean the floor whilst I am out, small areas at a time. Battery lasts for 1.5 cycles.