Clever Clean: Finding Devices to Do Your Chores

The following is a contribution from another author.

The idea of a smart home is something which has been going around for decades. Since the dawn of computers, people have been working to create home automation systems which can handle tasks ranging from basic actions, like turning on lights, to things which are much more complicated, like cooking entire meals. Of course, though, up until recently, these tools have been reserved for those with incredibly deep pockets. To give you an idea of the scope of these options in the modern world, this post will be exploring some of the best devices available to take chores out of your hands, putting them into the capable care of robots and machines.

Vacuuming

In popular culture, Roombas have made a huge splash, making the idea of automated vacuuming into something which a lot of people really like. Early examples of machines like this were very limited in their functionality, though, simply drifting around rooms and using basic sensors to get themselves around. Along with this, they would also come with a great deal of cost. This has made it hard for a lot of people to buy into them, especially when they live in homes with multiple floors which could kill their robotic vacuum if it simply made a wrong move. Electronic devices don’t like to fall down stairs.

Today’s examples of these devices are very different, though. Using Internet connections, coupled with very sensitive GPS systems, they are able to navigate around a home with true purpose. They limit their power usage by optimizing their routes around the home, while also being able to charge themselves when they have run out of juice, taking practically all of the work out of your hands. Best of all, though, is that some of the options out there can even traverse complex obstacles, like stairs. Dyson have one of the leading devices in this category, but you can also find them from more budget-oriented companies.

Window Cleaning

Cleaning windows is an easy job when you live in a single-story home. Once you add extra floors, though, the whole task becomes a great deal more daunting, and a lot of people aren’t able to bring themselves to do it. Trying to carry heavy buckets, long rods, and all of the other tools you need up a ladder each week is a dangerous process. Of course, you could pay someone to come and do the work for you. But, this will eventually cost a small fortune, especially if you have the work done on a regular basis. Up until recently, there weren’t really any options available to make this easier.

Thankfully, this has all changed, and having to take the manual approach to your windows is a thing of the past. Using a combination of suction and clever chemicals, window cleaning robots are starting to become more and more popular. Much like an automated vacuum cleaner, these devices can navigate their way around your windows all by themselves. You will need to be there to move them from pane to pane, but they will do the rest, leaving you with incredibly clean windows which are free from streaks. Achieving these sorts of results without the help of a professional used to be utterly impossible.

The Dishes

Cleaning the dishes is a very common bone of contention in homes with more than one person, especially when a family is living together. No one likes to do this job, even when there isn’t much to do, and this makes it worth looking for ways to have it handled for you. Dishwashers have been around for a very long time. Nowadays, though, they are much more affordable than ever before, along with being much more effective than they have been in the past. This makes it nice and easy for families to rely on these devices, even when they have had trouble with them in the past.

Of course, not everyone has room in their home for a large appliance like this. Instead, if you live somewhere small, you will probably be looking for ways to minimize the space electronics take up, rather than finding new ones to add to the chaos. In this case, an automatic dish scrubber could be a much better option. With a device like this, you need only hold each plate, and the machine at your disposal will handle the rest. This can often have better results than doing it all by hand, making the whole job much faster, without forcing you to modify your home to make room for something massive.

Clothes Washing

Over the last hundred years or so, the way that people wash their clothing has come an awful long way. Long gone are the days of hand washing each and every garment, with washing machines being found in practically every home, and those who don’t own these machines themselves having access to businesses which can handle the work for them. There is always room for advancement in a field like this, though, and this is where the automated side of things comes in. While the machines of decades gone by could wash your clothing for you, today’s examples can do a lot more.

Most notably, a huge portion of the washing machines on today’s market have built-in condenser dryers. This means that, once a wash is finished, they are able to do most of the drying needed for the clothing to be worn right away. Instead of having to hang garments up or transfer them to a new machine, you just start the process off and it will do all of the work for you. Some of the more complex devices on the market have additional features on top of this, too. You can find machines which can determine which materials are being washed, how to account for the hardness of the water they are using, and even give you a phone notification once their job is completed.

Smell Removal

No one likes the idea of living in a smelly home. In fact, to make sure that their places smell good, a lot of people will go to extreme lengths to cover up the unpleasant scents which come as a part of human living. There are loads of chemicals which can help with this, with the most sophisticated of them all promising to not only cover smells, but to actually get rid of them when they are used. While this may sound far-fetched, claims like this can’t be made without some evidence behind them. Of course, though, in the modern world, having to get up and spray around your rooms is far from smart.

Nowadays, to get around the effort involved with keeping the air fresh, a lot of companies have come out with devices which can automatically dispense scents for you. Since the advent of smartphones, these have been getting more and more complex, and some can even be controlled directly from your other devices. Some people like to take a more natural approach, though. Finding the best fragrance diffuser for your home isn’t just about price, and a lot of companies have been releasing products which use oils instead of the harsh chemicals found in normal sprays. This enables you to create a natural scent in your home, without any effort.

Grocery Shopping

Finally, as the last area in this post, it’s time to think about grocery shopping, and the time which can be thrown into this sort of work if you’re not careful. Going to a physical store to buy your food, hygiene products, and other essentials is practically antiquated, thanks to services like Amazon. With their recently launched Dash Buttons, you can have food delivered to you with the simple click of a button. Of course, you have to pay for the food you order this way, making it essential that you monitor the prices of the goods you are purchasing to avoid spending more than you expect to.

Pressing a button isn’t exactly space-aged, though. Other than the fact that they connect to the internet, there isn’t much special about a Dash Button, and some companies have been going even further with automated grocery shopping. Smart fridges from the likes of companies like LG and Sony have been making a huge splash in the celebrity world. Not only can they monitor the freshness of food for you, but they can also order new items before you run out, keeping a constant supply of food and drinks in your fridge at any given time. This is perfect for families which get through loads of essentials, but don’t have time to spend hours at the store.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling excited about the prospect of slowly taking out all of life’s little chores. Having robots around your home may seem like a sci-fi fantasy. Nowadays, though, times are changing, and this sort of market is only set to get bigger, with more and more people throwing their hard earned cash at new ways to get jobs done.