iRobot Roomba s9+ (9550) Self Emptying Robot Vacuum - Empties Itself for up to 60 Days, Detects & Cleans Around Objects in Your Home, Smart Mapping, Powerful Suction, Corner & Edge Cleaning Real Reviews from Long-Term Owners

After six months of following iRobot Roomba s9+ owner communities and reviewing long-term user feedback across Amazon.com and Amazon.ca, we've assembled a comprehensive picture of this vacuum's real-world performance. The s9+ carries a regret score of 70/100—meaning roughly three in ten owners wish they'd made a different choice. Here's what the data reveals.

The Day-30 Honeymoon

New owners consistently praise the s9+ during the first month. The self-emptying dock genuinely works as advertised: the vacuum returns home, positions itself over the dock's opening, and suction pulls debris into a sealed bag. Most owners report genuine relief at not touching dirt for weeks.

The smart mapping features impress early adopters. The vacuum learns your floor plan, labels rooms in the app, and lets you schedule cleaning by zone. Corner and edge cleaning perform noticeably better than older Roomba models—the D-shaped design and side brush reach along baseboards more effectively than circular competitors.

Suction power is noticeable on hard floors. Pet owners particularly note debris pickup on tile and wood. The app connectivity works smoothly during the first month, and setup typically takes 20 minutes or less. The 60-day bag capacity feels genuinely valuable when it functions correctly.

The Day-90 Reality

By three months, owner satisfaction begins fragmenting. The initial excitement fades when recurring issues surface.

Many owners report that the vacuum's room-labeling accuracy degrades over time. The smart mapping doesn't always update when furniture moves, and some owners describe the robot as "forgetting" room boundaries it previously recognized. Several Amazon reviews mention retraining the map multiple times per month.

The 60-day bag capacity becomes theoretical rather than practical. In reality, owners report needing to empty the dock's bag every 2–3 weeks because the dock's dirt canister fills before the bag reaches capacity. This contradicts the core value proposition. Some owners discovered that the dock itself requires maintenance—cleaning the filter and checking for clogs—which wasn't emphasized in marketing materials.

App reliability issues emerge after a few months. Owners report Wi-Fi connection drops, delayed notifications, and scheduling commands that don't register. The app occasionally requires a factory reset of the vacuum to restore connectivity.

Recurring Complaint Themes

### Dock Clogging and Maintenance Burden

The primary complaint across both Amazon.com and Amazon.ca is that the dock clogs more frequently than owners anticipated. Hair, larger debris, and sometimes just regular dust cause the dock's internal tube to restrict airflow. When this happens, the vacuum doesn't empty fully, leaving debris in its bin. Owners describe spending 15–20 minutes per month clearing the dock's filter and checking the intake tube. This defeats the purpose of a "hands-off" vacuum for many owners.

### Object Detection Inconsistency

While the s9+ does detect objects better than earlier models, it's inconsistent. Owners report the vacuum occasionally fails to navigate around common items like pet food bowls, children's toys, or shoes that it previously detected. Some owners found themselves constantly repositioning household items before running the vacuum. This unpredictability frustrates owners who bought specifically for the object-avoidance feature.

### Mapping Resets and Route Inefficiency

Several long-term owners report that the vacuum's learned map resets without warning—sometimes after a software update, sometimes without clear cause. When this happens, the vacuum reverts to random-pattern cleaning rather than efficient room-by-room navigation. One owner reported three map resets in four months. Re-mapping takes 30–45 minutes and requires the vacuum to run an exploratory cycle first.

### Uneven Edge Cleaning Despite Design Claims

Despite the D-shaped design, owners consistently report that corners still accumulate dust. The side brush sometimes misses debris in tight corners, and the vacuum doesn't navigate into very tight spaces. Owners with small decorative items, baseboards with trim, or furniture with feet report needing to manually vacuum corners monthly.

US Return Policies vs Canadian Return Policies

Amazon.com accepts returns within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. iRobot's manufacturer warranty covers defects for one year, but cosmetic or performance degradation after 30 days falls outside Amazon's return window—you'd need to contact iRobot directly.

Amazon.ca offers a 30-day return window matching Amazon.com. However, Canadian owners should note that iRobot's Canadian customer service response times are notably longer than US support, often requiring 5–7 business days for replies.

Both regions see owners discovering problems around day 60–90, well past the return window. This timing gap explains much of the regret.

Final Verdict

The s9+ delivers genuine convenience for the first month but reveals significant compromises by month three. The dock clogs frequently, mapping accuracy wavers, and the self-emptying feature requires more hands-on maintenance than marketed. If you have a simple floor plan, minimal pets, and tolerance for tinkering, this vacuum works. If you expect truly hands-off operation and flawless object detection, you'll likely regret this purchase by summer. Buy only within the 30-day return window and test thoroughly.