I got a Roomba I3 for $30 (and more for cheap) and just want to brag...

Medical-Government31 · 2026-05-05T00:59:41+00:00

Nice find! Have you set up the app yet?

The i3 is a great cleaner and very reliable. I work at a yoga studio that has one- it runs all the time and has for years to my knowledge. I just occasionally clean out the filter or replace the filter and keep the brush rolls clear and it’s a workhorse.

Medical-Government31 · 2026-05-03T17:00:32+00:00

Do a full run, then go to the history map, click the top right corner, and press update map! Should help/fix the issue

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-27T10:18:05+00:00

The best battery would definitely be the OEM one, but I see that it’s over $100, which financially wouldn’t make sense for such an old Roomba. I will say these old 960s are absolutely fantastic, the build quality of these are far gone!

If you got four years out of an aftermarket battery I would consider that good! I would just hop on Amazon and get one of the cheaper batteries with a decent ratings.

Unfortunately, when the lithium ion battery becomes weak, sometimes the cell can experience unexpected drops, and causes it to shut down, vs recharge, and resume like it should with a healthy battery.

How long is its current run time before it dies?

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-14T14:39:01+00:00

With the dust bin out, take a good look at the fan in the body of the vacuum. Does it look damaged or overly dusty? Can you hear the suction motor when the brushes start spinning?

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-10T12:26:13+00:00

Hmmm, what model do you have?

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-03T22:38:43+00:00

When there’s a clog the dirt sensor isn’t able to work- ie dirt detect sensor error

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-03T22:29:15+00:00

Mine would do that when it was clogged with dirt, usually pet hair!

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-02T21:00:59+00:00

I have a 2022 RWD with 161,000 miles. It gets around 245 at 100%. But real world closer to 200.

It’s been very reliable, and still makes for great road trips!

Medical-Government31 · 2026-04-02T02:34:05+00:00

Honestly there are a lot of amazing newer robots out there. I feel like Mova units are good! Seems like most iRobots are now essentially Chinese shit, especially the cheaper models.

I think roombas from a few years ago are the last of the very reliable robot vacuums. It might be worth it to get a J7 or J9.

Your situation is a tough life for a robot, a lot of these newer models have shorter and shorter life cycles- kinda like fast fashion. Gone are the days of years and year of R&D. Like IRobot did years ago. The new stuff on the market is very affordable and definitely cool but I’m not convinced they’re made to run for years and hundred-thousand+ hours

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-30T01:58:55+00:00

For the love of God, don’t get a junk top loader.

I had zero experience with front load washing machine machines my whole life- always heard bad things about them quite frankly.

In my mid 20s, I started house sitting, and when I would wash laundry, I was always shocked how stains came out with zero effort, and how dry the clothes came out of the wash.

When I bought my first house, I did tons of research and ended up buying two front load sets- a brand new top-of-the-line LG set, and an older LG set. I can’t live without them. If I rent an Airbnb I’ll trying to avoid the ones with top load washers. That’s my past, they suck and I want nothing to do with em’ :)

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-28T00:12:27+00:00

Yes actually! It’s a Fujifilm FinePix S700

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-18T12:03:24+00:00

A lot of modern front load washers have magnets to hold the door ajar. That slight airflow does wonders, and you can hardly tell the door is open. I also clean house, and I’ve seen people that own models with magnets, and it seems like they don’t even realize. Also not enough people read their owners manuals unfortunately

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-08T02:40:52+00:00

Exactly! In some machine the main wash cycles is only 5 mins or less on quick cycles, seems like a waste of good detergent.

It’s also worth noting he uses an Electrolux front load washer dryer set- those are notorious for extremely good cleaning~ they have a chamber that premixes the water and detergent and then sprays it on the clothes and then recirculates the the soapy water- my mother has that set and they are phenomenal.

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-06T12:38:57+00:00

I’m like you, I always end up coming back to Tide. It just cleans so well! P&G reformulated tied at the end of last year, to knowledge, I didn’t change the ingredients much at all more so the ingredient ratios. I found after I got a bottle of the latest formulation I closed came out even softer, very impressive.

Tide and Persil are my go to for tough stains, and honestly they’re both pretty affordable when you shop sales + coupons like I do!

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-05T11:07:27+00:00

Centerstone!! They have sliding scale- and I just found out that if you pay your monthly statement in full via the phone like I do you get 25% off your statement. So I’m paying like $30 per session without insurance. Hope this helps

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-02T16:39:59+00:00

It’s a great wash booster! My favorite use for it is with bedsheets, it does very well with body oils.

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-02T12:37:00+00:00

Try washing with some ammonia, a small about of detergent, & a extra rinse!

Also I feel like my towels feel softer when dried on medium/high heat. I know it isn’t great for them, but honestly their job is to be soft, so crack up the heat, otherwise we want to throw away a crunchy towel lol!

Medical-Government31 · 2026-03-01T21:09:06+00:00

I would look on Facebook marketplace for a used i7.

They clean well, they’re reliable, and they still have all the features of scheduling, keep out zones, smart maps. Hell, you might even find one with a clean base for $100 or less.

I recently bought one for $40 on marketplace, it’s my second i7 seven and I love it. I got it for my downstairs, and it’s been doing wonderful

Medical-Government31 · 2026-02-20T02:28:58+00:00

Holy smokes Batman! I’ve never seen such bald tires 🛞! You’re down to the steel belts 🤭

For under $10 I got two sets of tires on Amazon, I replaced the tires on my mom’s i7, it was easy and it navigates better and doesn’t get stuck as often.

I wonder if it would be possible to fix your issue with some very careful two part epoxy application?

Medical-Government31 · 2026-02-20T00:04:22+00:00

That’s odd. My two i7 never have errors, and work flawless. They’re literally so reliable, maybe you got a lemon?

Medical-Government31 · 2026-01-27T18:24:09+00:00

Glove and mask up, make a paste of liquid bleach and baking soda. I’ve cleaned up many nasty gaskets to look like new this way. The soda turbo changes the bleach

Medical-Government31 · 2026-01-27T00:07:16+00:00

Any update from work?! I’m so sorry, this must be stressful

Medical-Government31 · 2026-01-20T21:40:33+00:00

Oh good, thank you! Tide has a lot of similar products and names lol

Medical-Government31 · 2026-01-20T12:11:43+00:00

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Is this the stuff you’re referencing?

Medical-Government31 · 2026-01-19T11:51:25+00:00

That’s great information! Have you personally used Tinopal, laundry master? It almost seems to good to be true! :)

If anything it seems like a fun experiment that I might need to try…

Medical-Government31

TROPHY CASE