Second Chance iRobot Roomba Combo Essential Y011040

The iRobot Roomba Combo Essential is a handy cleaning aid. Because he cleaned my floors while I was at work, I always came home to a clean house. So I vacuumed less often.

Systematic cleaning
The robot makes its rounds through my house in strips. This way he drives over every part of my floor, without skipping any spots. Nice, because that way I know my floor will be properly clean. The v-shaped brush on the bottom of the robot rotates. I can tell it lifts dirt off the floor so well. He also takes my carpet neatly. The side brush moves along the skirting boards, so that no dust remains there. I adjust the suction level via the app, so I determine how thoroughly the robot vacuums. If I see that my floor is dirtier than normal, I easily choose the highest suction setting.

Mopping function
The robot has a removable water reservoir. If I want to use the mopping function, I first fill the water reservoir under the tap. I easily click the supplied mop cloth under the robot. The robot now pulls the wet mop cloth over the floor, which makes it clean just that little bit better. For example, I see that he removes more dust from the floor, so that the floor shines again. The mop will not remove real stains because it does not scrub the floor.

Easy app
I set up the robot via the iRobot Home app. I also receive a cleaning report here, so that I can see exactly what the robot is cleaning. The app is very simple, making it easy for me to use the robot. No extensive technical settings. As a handy extra, I also receive suggestions for cleaning routines here. The robot then takes the hay fever season into account, for example. Handy if you have allergies.

Handy for that
I find the robot a useful helper in the household, but it does not prevent me from doing any work at all. For example, the robot does not recognize objects. So I empty the floor first, so that it doesn't run over shoes or cables. The robot also does not have an automatic emptying station, so I empty the dust container myself when it is full. The robot does have a competitive price. So I think it is logical that it has less smart functions than other robot vacuum cleaners.

I have been thinking about buying a robot vacuum cleaner for a while now, because vacuuming is not my favorite chore. With a little one on the way, it seemed ideal to have such a device in the house. That is why it was good that I was given the opportunity to test this robot vacuum cleaner.

The installation goes smoothly via a QR code, with which you can easily download the app. The app guides you through all the steps, and as soon as the vacuum cleaner is connected to the internet, it can get started. I started with the option 'vacuum everywhere', and the vacuum cleaner started immediately. Because the house could use a thorough cleaning, I moved some furniture, such as chairs and small tables, to the side so that the vacuum cleaner could reach everywhere. While I did something else, the robot did the work for me. After the entire house was cleaned, I ended the session via the app. It was nice to see on a map in the app where the vacuum cleaner had been. The next day I tried the 'vacuum and mop everywhere' function. To do this, fill the water reservoir and attach the mop. The house was then neatly vacuumed and mopped.

I discovered that the Roomba Combo Essential is an entry-level model. I asked about this via a message to iRobot, to which I quickly received a good answer. Unlike other models, this robot cannot clean per room, zone or object. For my own use, I would consider choosing a model that does have these functions. Other useful options include 'dirt detect', which cleans dirtier areas more intensively, and automatic adjustment to different floor types, such as carpet and hard floors.

All in all, I am satisfied with this vacuum cleaner. The price-quality ratio is good; you get a slightly simpler model for a lower price, but it does its job well, both when vacuuming and mopping.