I have Scooba which is one of those fun little floor-washing robots. You just fill up the tank with water and the appropriate amount of cleaner, turn it on, and then let it zip around the room washing, scrubbing, and squeegee-ing the floor. There are only a couple of cleaning products that you can use in your Scooba: white vinegar or Clorox Scooba Hard Floor Cleaner. I've used both of them over the past year and have to say that I prefer the Clorox cleaner.

About This Product
This hard floor cleaner is made by Clorox specifically for use in iRobot's Scooba floor-washing robots. It does not contain bleach and is safe for use on tile, vinyl, and sealed hardwood. The bottle also states that Clorox Scooba Hard Floor Cleaner is safe to use in homes with pets.

According to the bottle, each tank of water that you use in the robot requires 2 ounces of this cleaner, but the measuring cup included with Scooba has 1.5 ounces marked off as the correct amount of product to use. A bottle of Clorox Scooba Hard Floor Cleaner contains 32 fluid ounces so you'll get at least 16 cleaning cycles out of each one and possibly more if you use only 1.5 ounces per tank.

Using This Product
As I mentioned earlier, it's very easy to use this cleaner. You just add the appropriate amount of liquid to Scooba's clean water tank, fill it up the rest of the way with warm water, and then turn the robot on. It spends about 45 minutes cleaning the floor which leaves you free to do something else. When the cleaning cycle is complete, the floors are left clean and streak-free. This product has a pleasant "clean" fragrance that spreads throughout the room as the Scooba runs and lingers for at least an hour after use.

I've used both the Clorox Scooba Hard Floor Cleaner and white vinegar in my Scooba. (Those are the only two things you can use in the robot without voiding the warranty.) While both of them worked well and left the floors squeaky-clean, the vinegar stunk up the whole house. Because I don't enjoy the aroma of salad dressing, I've stuck to using this Clorox cleaner for the past several months.

Cost and Availability
This item is costly, especially compared to a 99-cent gallon of white vinegar. The cost for one 32 fluid ounce bottle of Clorox Scooba Hard Floor Cleaner is $6.99. If you buy the 5-pack, the cost per bottle drops to $5. You also can buy a 9-pack which brings the cost closer to $4 per bottle.

I have had some difficulty in finding this cleaner locally. It used to be stocked in Target and Kohl's but I haven't seen it sold anywhere around here in months. I finally had to order some (I picked the 9-pack) directly from the iRobot company web site.

Overall Opinion
I really like this product. When used in conjuction with my Scooba, floors are left clean, shiny, and streak-free. It leaves a pleasant fresh scent behind which lingers for about an hour after use. It is expensive and can be difficult to find, but I still prefer using Clorox Scooba Hard Floor Cleaner instead of plain white vinegar.


Related Reviews:
Scooba 5800
Scooba 350
Scooba Caddy
Roomba Sage For Pets
iRobot.com



Recommended: Yes