Any product that completely automates a dreaded chore is a winner in our book, and the Scooba is just such a tool. Part of the iRobot family of innovative cleaning robots, which includes the well-known Roomba, the Scooba is an independently operating floor-washing robot that lightly vacuums before employing special cleaning brushes and a sprayer to wash and scrub linoleum, tile and other hard, sealed floor surfaces.

The 5800 is the most basic Scooba model, and it consists of a rather simple-looking round disk 14.6 inches in diameter and 3.45 inches tall. The blue plastic housing encloses a sophisticated cleaning apparatus, which includes two water tanks, a rotating spiral cleaning brush, a squeegee and the vacuum.

As sophisticated as the Scooba 5800 is, this gadget is surprisingly easy to operate. There are two touchpad controls, one to activate the power and one to start the cleaning cycle. Simply push the power button and then the clean button, and the unit lights up and goes to work. Internal sensors allow the Scooba to maneuver around furniture, table legs and other obstacles, and its cliff sensors make sure it doesn't tumble down a flight of stairs. The unit also employs an intelligent cleaning pattern to determine the best path for cleaning an entire floor space. If the Scooba cannot maneuver out of an area, it alerts you with an audible beep and a light that says, "I'm stuck." A quick adjustment sends it on its way.

While it is operating, the Scooba 5800 is about as noisy as a vacuum, so you may want to leave the room. If there is a problem like an empty clean water tank, a full dirty water tank or an improperly attached component, the unit alerts you with a series of beeps and warning lights. Because the warning message lights are a bit vague, you sometimes have to guess what's wrong. For example, the "Check Tank" light may mean anything from an empty water tank to the completion of the cleaning cycle.

Before first use, the Scooba 5800 must be charged for at least 4 hours, although you should keep it plugged in overnight to fully charge the battery. One nice feature is the detachable water tanks, which lets you carry the clean or dirty tank (or both) to the sink for easy filling or emptying. Each tank holds about 4 cups of liquid, as well as a small amount of cleaning solution. The Scooba is designed to work with Clorox cleaning solution, vinegar or just plain water.

We were skeptical that the Scooba would actually get our floors clean, but the unit actually did a very good job that was better than we could achieve with a once-over with a damp mop. The Scooba did miss a few spots around the edges of the room, but then so does an average floor mop. The real benefit was the hands-free, set-it-and-forget-it cleaning action.

One tank of cleaning solution is enough for the Scooba 5800 to clean rooms up to 250 square feet, and a full cleaning cycle takes about 45 minutes. Oddly shaped rooms or larger rooms may require two cleaning cycles. The Scooba comes with a "Virtual Wall," an electronic box that sends a beam of light over a designated area (such as a doorway) to block the unit's path. Cleaning the Scooba is a bit of a nuisance, as a number of the parts have to be removed, rinsed and reinserted. However, with the time you'll save by letting this gadget do your mopping for you, the iRobot Scooba 5800 proves to be well worth it.


Pros: Completely automatic cleaning cycle, rechargeable battery
Cons: Noisy, can't maneuver in tight spaces, cleaning unit is a pain

Warranty
1 year, limited