Smart Gadgets for Cleaning Your Home

Ask any homeowner what their most dreaded task is, and the reply is most likely related to cleaning. It’s just such a time-killing hassle, not to mention it is never-ending work. As soon as you’ve finished all of the cleaning tasks for a home, it will be time to start all over within just a few days. Exhausting!

Now, some people like cleaning. They find it meditative, relaxing, or even satisfying. But I’ll bet there’s at least one cleaning task that even those type of people aren’t too fond of. So whether you’re of the former or latter mentality, there’s likely to be a high-tech gadget to make your life easier.

Vacuuming and Mopping Floors

iRobot’s Roomba has been around for more than 16 years, so the vacuuming robot is nothing new. However, each new model is more advanced than the last. The latest model has Wi-Fi connectivity, a proprietary Smart Mapping technology that allows control over which rooms are cleaned and when, and it even empties itself. There is ample competition offering a range of features and prices, so do your research.

Even more labor intensive than vacuuming is mopping, and fortunately iRobot’s got a solution for that, too! Braava has different models, depending on your needs. One is for smaller rooms, like kitchens and bathrooms, another model is for multiple rooms or larger spaces up to 1000ft2. iLife has a robot vacuum/mop hybrid cleaner with an interchangeable dustbin and water tank. Unfortunately, it lacks features like app control, voice control, and mapping, so you’ll have to decide if those are important to you.

Window Cleaning

There are little hand prints perpetually covering my sliding glass door. I wipe them away, but within a day they are back. So thank goodness for window cleaning robots that use suction to stay vertical and make window cleaning a breeze, because you only have to press a button! There aren’t a lot of models on the market yet, and the best rated one is Ecovacs’ Winbot.

Smart Dishwashers

Dishwashers have been a common appliance since the 1970s, and technological advances since then have definitely not ignored that particular machine. One of the biggest advances in dishwashers was increase energy and water efficiency. Now, smart dishwashers that are connected to Wi-Fi and controllable through apps and hubs are easy to buy. In fact, there are too many on the market to recommend a particular one, but the brands dominating that marketplace are GE, Samsung, and LG. With these new smart dishwashers, every aspect of the wash can be adjusted, controlled and monitored for optimal results.

Smart Washing Machines and Dryers

Washing machines with Wi-Fi connectivity offer an impressive degree of control, along with energy and water savings. The companies dominating the smart washer and dryer market are GE and Samsung.

Pool Cleaner

Not everyone has a pool, and therefore not everyone has the chore of cleaning the pool. For those who do, there are a number of pool cleaning robots on the market. Maytronics is exclusively focused on pool cleaners and is the maker of the Dolphin. There are 45 residential models available to cover a wide variety of needs and circumstances. Solar-Breeze makes a robotic pool skimmer that is solar powered. It catches 90-95% of debris before it sinks to the pool floor, and reduces the need for running the pool pump or using chemicals. Due to those reduced costs, it pays for itself within six months. Impressive! It is both planet- and wallet-friendly.

iRobot also makes a pool-cleaning robot. Mirra cleans the pool’s surface and water, removing debris and algae, pollen, and bacteria as small as two microns. It scrubs the pool floor and walls, and requires no installation, hoses, or booster pumps.

Grill Cleaner

Cleaning a grill is without a doubt the worst part of grilling. It’s messy, laborious, and definitely not what you want to be doing after cooking and enjoying some delicious food. Grillbot is simple to use — just press the start button and close the grill lid. To clean the Grillbot, remove the three brushes, wash them the dishwasher or rinse with hot, soapy water, and wipe down the body of the robot before replacing the brushes. Of all the products mentioned in this article, this is the easiest one to use, and is a great gift idea for someone who loves to grill. Genius.