This morning I was working on my Saturday chores and thinking about a story for this website. My Roomba vacuum cleaner systematically cleaned my floor as I loaded the dishwasher. Roomba is made by iRobot and is now my new best friend. Cleaning floors has always been a chore I avoided, and recently while pushing an upright vacuum cleaner this thought went through my head, “I can’t do this anymore”. So I took the plunge and ordered a Roomba 510 robot vacuum cleaner. I’ve never regretted it.

The phone rang and I spoke briefly with a friend. As we talked I smelled something, you know, that smelly something that indicates someone has had an accident. I hung up and went looking. It didn’t take me long to locate the source. As a young kitten, TeeTramp was introduced to our resident matron, Miss Kitty. Miss Kitty liked being an only child and did not take kindly to the new addition to our family. She attacked Tee Tramp, and the young kitten was so afraid, she wet herself and the floor. So now, whenever she can’t get outside, she returns there to do her business.

Sure enough, there is was, and it was smeared. I thought she couldn’t get past the Roomba to go outside (our cats sleep inside and spend their days outside), had decided to do her business behind the chair, and when the Roomba came by, it surprised her and she hightailed it out of there, smearing cat poop in the process. I got the cleaning supplies and went to work.

The Roomba continued his rounds, running about 45 minutes. When he finished I decided I should check, just in case any poop was on it. When I turned it over, the smell overwhelmed me. Yes, there was poop on it.

I spent the next hour cleaning the Roomba. There was poop behind the brushes. There was poop on the edge cleaner. There was poop on the bumper. TeeTramp didn’t smear that mess, Roomba did! The iRobot website provided valuable information as I visited the forums in search of advice on how to dismantle and reassemble the Roomba. I found all the information I needed there. The parts of the Roomba, the brushes and edge cleaner, that could be replaced, I threw away. The rest were washed with soapy water.

No harm was done to the Roomba, it continues to be my best friend but it may soon have to share that honor with my newest friend, the iRobot Scooba. Yes, another robot except this one mops! My husband says they need to make a Dustba and a Windowba, the sooner the better.