'The right amount of robot': Zap up this Roomba while it's at a record-low $149

Come January, many of us are inspired to give our homes a refresh for the new year — and with a new year comes new habits, like saying goodbye to the days of your robovac careening all over the house like it's discovered your liquor cabinet. The Roomba Vac Essential tackles your floors in neat rows, thanks to its Smart Navigation features. Think more precision, less bumper cars. It's over $100 off at Amazon, bringing the price down to an all-time low.

• Related: The best robot vacuum and mop to keep your house clean

Amazon

iRobot Roomba Vac Essential

$149$250

Save $101 | Lowest price ever

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. 

Save $101 | Lowest price ever

$149 at Amazon

Why is it a good deal? 💰

We love any deal on appliances that save us time, but this is the lowest price ever for this Roomba (it's 40% off) making it an extra-sweet steal. A discount like this one is unexpected — and unlikely to be beaten. It didn't even drop any lower for Black Friday!

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.

Seriously, though: It has a three-stage cleaning system that is effective at picking up debris on nearly any surface. It starts with a spinning, edge-sweeping brush that pulls in dirt from around the robovac, 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 lets it fit under furniture that previous robovacs couldn't reach, 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.

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," said one buyer who declared 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."

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 upright fan. "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," said a third shopper. "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. This little machine, which I named BMO, has reduced my vacuuming time by at least 60%. I was actually really surprised at how well it works. I've run BMO every day since I got it and only had to vacuum twice since then, and only really had to get the hard-to-reach places."

Cons 👎

As you might expect, it's not exactly quiet. "It's a little loud, but cleans well," said this buyer — a downside that was echoed by multiple reviewers.

As we mentioned earlier, this machine is not no-maintenance. "You will have to clean out [the] Roomba about once a month depending on how often you use it," said this 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."

Amazon

iRobot Roomba Vac Essential

$149$250

Save $101 | Lowest price ever

Choose from three levels of suction, depending on whether you need a quick pickup or a more thorough, in-depth clean. 

Save $101 | Lowest price ever

$149 at Amazon

And when it comes to wiping up wet messes...

Amazon

Joymoop Mop and Bucket With Wringer Set

$32$40

Save $8 with coupon

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

$32 at Amazon

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.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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