DIY Life

If you've been reading DIY Life for a while, you know that I really love my Roomba. Well, now my loyalties are divided because I recently met Roomba's floor-washing cousin, the Scooba.

For the uninitiated, Roombas and Scoobas are robots that vacuum and wash your floor, respectively. I was skeptical that either device would do a particularly good job, but I'm happy to have been proven wrong. To keep my Scooba happily cleaning my floors for a long time, I baby it just like I do my Roomba. If you've got a Scooba, here's how to keep it in tip-top shape.

• The owner's manual recommends that you never use anything but plain water, diluted household vinegar, or the cleaning solution specifically designed for iRobot products. More than just a gimmick to sell more cleaning fluid, it's actually smart advice. Strong products like bleach or harsh chemicals will cause your Roomba's sensitive parts to break down quickly, and the rubber gaskets and seals aren't made to withstand strong cleaning products.

• Before you run your Scooba, make sure to move as many objects out of its way as you can. Although it has a spiffy rubber bumper to absorb shocks as it nudges up against furniture or walls, it's still probably best to move that life-size steel porcupine out of the way. Of course, don't forget to move any area rugs up and out of reach unless you want them to get an unplanned scrubbing.

• Even though the Scooba is designed to vacuum up dust and hair before washing the floor, a quick swipe with a broom or hand-vac ahead of washing will get any larger bits of debris that could clog the mechanism or lodge in the wheels.

• Clean the Scooba thoroughly after each use. Remove the tank, empty and rinse the dirty water chamber and vacuum port, and pull any hair and debris off the brush. Be sure to dry the surface of the unit well before plugging it back into the charger.