Product Review: iRobot Braava Authentic Replacement Parts - Braava jet 200 Series Wet Mopping Pads

 

These are the wet pads for the Braava 200 series of robot mops from iRobot. Meaning, when one of these pads is on the mop it will spray more water on the floor and make more passe of the room. Basically, it is the pad that will make the robot do the deepest cleaning job. There is a bit of a scented solution of some kind on the bottom of the pad that gives off a scent as the robot mops up the water. I am not sure if it contributes anything more than just scent or it if actually helps clean the floor.

The mop knows which type of pad is attached based on the perforations in the "card" (for those old enough to remember the punch cards that were used for computer programming years ago, it is like that) that slips into the base of the mop to attach the pad. Depending on how large a room you are mopping you may have to use more than one pad and one cleaning cycle to get the entire room clean. You do want to make sure that if there are any bigger lint balls or more than just a minimal amount of dust or dirt on the floor that you use a vacuum and/or one of the dry pads (which is like a Swiffer sheet), otherwise this will just push them around. These are best used if your floor just needs relatively light cleaning (for example, if you clean them once or twice a week on a regular basis) or in relatively low-traffic areas that have a hard surface floor.

Product Review: Whitmor Set of 2-10 x 10 x 10 inches-Turquoise Collapsible Cubes

 

I got these to keep my pantry organized. They are great for packets (things like taco seasoning, dry mixes, etc.), bagged items like chips, or other things that you want to keep together but do not really sit well on a shelf or in a cupboard. They are reasonably sized so they do not take up a ton of space (as long as your shelves are at least 10" deep) and are simple to set up (just unfold them and put the support across the bottom). I definitely recommend them as an inexpensive storage solution for a pantry or a closet.

Product Review: Bonsaii Cross-Cut Paper Shredder

 

I have a lower-end shredder that can handle doing one or two things at a time, for short periods of time (like credit card applications that come nearly every day in the mail), but also had a back-log of paperwork that I did not need any longer, but would take days in that shredder, and would undoubtedly cause it to get stuck and clogged. I was able to get through about half of it in less than an hour using this.

I like that it has a self-contained bin that holds a good amount of shredded paper. It does come with one bag that you can to line the bin, but I found it is easier just to empty the bin into a bag when it is full. This is because if the bin is not pushed in place all the way, it will not shred. The power light will just blink when you turn it on, but it will not do anything until the bin is pushed all the way in, and when you put a bag inside it, it tends to cause the bin not to sit correctly. Plus, I found that as it got more full, the clippings would push the back of the bag down so you would get some in the bag and some between the bag and the bin, and it would cause a big mess trying to get the bag out.

The instructions say that you can feed up to 18 sheets at a time into the shredder, but It did get stuck with a thicker envelope (which I do not think was as thick as 18 sheets of paper) causing me to put it in reverse (which worked just fine) to get it out. So, now I stick to about 3-4 sheets at a time and it has not got stuck since then. I also put a couple of old credit cards through it, and it handled them just fine. One nice feature is that it cross-cuts the paper and does not just spit out long strips which can sometimes stick together and leave information visible to anyone with the patience enough to go through it. So, it is nearly impossible to get anything useful from the shredded remains. And, it is a much more cost-efficient option than bringing a bunch of paper to a company that shreds in bulk. It is a good idea to get some of the shredder lubricating sheets as I have found those help keep this in good working order. I definitely recommend this.

Product Review: iRobot Braava Jet 200 Series Damp Sweeping Pads

 

These are the damp pads for the Braava 200 series of robot mops from iRobot. Meaning, when one of these pads is on the mop it will spray some water on the floor and make a couple passes, but does not do as "deep" a cleaning as it does with the wet pad. There is a bit of a scented solution of some kind on the bottom of the pad that gives off a scent as the robot mops up the water. I am not sure if it contributes anything more than scent or if it actually helps clean, however.

The mop knows which type of pad is attached based on the perforations in the "card" (for those old enough to remember the punch cards that were used for computer programming years ago, it is like that) that slips into the base of the mop to attach the pad. It is akin to a Swiffer dusting sheet. Depending on how large a room you are mopping you may have to use more than one pad and one cleaning cycle to get the entire room clean. You do want to make sure that if there are any bigger lint balls or more than just a minimal amount of dust or dirt on the floor, you use a vacuum and/or a dry pad (which is like a Swiffer sheet), otherwise, this will just push them around. These are best used if your floor just needs relatively light cleaning (for example, if you clean them once or twice a week on a regular basis) or in relatively low-traffic areas that have a hard surface floor.

Product Review: iRobot Braava Jet 200 Series Dry Sweeping Pads

 

These are the dry pads for the Braava 200 series of robot mops from iRobot. Meaning, when one of these pads is on the mop it will just sweep the floor (like using a Swiffer dusting cloth) and will not spray any water. The mop knows which type of pad is attached based on the perforations in the "card" (for those old enough to remember the punch cards that were used for computer programming years ago, it is like that) that slips into the base of the mop to attach the pad. 

Depending on how large a room you are sweeping you may have to use more than one pad and one cleaning cycle to get everything up. Also, it is good for dust and lint on the floor, but it will not get up big particles, just put them around. So, you may have to make a pass with a vacuum to get bigger things up.