Home appliances to hack your cleaning + organising skills that would make Monica Geller envious!

COVID-19 has turned all of us into homebodies – irrespective of whether we were originally one or not. Since we spend most of our time at home, our mind automatically hones in on maintaining and taking the best care of our home. At least it does for me, once I wrap up my work! And a couple of innovative and unique home appliances can really help us with this. If you’re in a mood to Marie Kondo your home, or simply want to complete your chores easily and efficiently, these handy appliances will perfectly assist you in doing so. From a washer + dehumidifier that doesn’t steam up your house and effortlessly merges with it, to an intriguing toaster-inspired dishwasher – we have curated a whole range of nifty gadgets that promise to be the ultimate sidekick during your cleaning expeditions at home. Enjoy!

Laundry is one of the most disliked chores and so it is no surprise to me that many of us just let the clothes be in the basket till we run out of fresh underwear. It may not be stinky or filthy, but it is certainly not the most hygienic practice because you are lettings the bacteria from the clothes spill into the air around you. Also, if you don’t air out your washing machine after using it, it can lead to molds and malfunctioning of the appliance. Keeping all these details in mind, designer Kikang Kim created Drawsher which is a sanitary machine that functions as a laundry basket and a washing machine. You’ll notice that it also looks good unlike any washing machine you’ve seen before, and that is because Kim has based the design on a modern dresser that optimizes space and blends well with your interiors. Drawsher ups your laundry game functionally and aesthetically – say goodbye to hours of sorting clothes, dealing with excessive humidity when it runs a cycle, smelly mold, and appliance upkeep.

Robotic vacuums are not new news but Everybot Edge is a home appliance that works for both wet and dry cleaning of hard floors. And if you want to feel like you’ve put in some work then simply switch to the handheld mode and get into the crevices. One of the most interesting features is that this vacuum maneuvers without wheels. It runs on two round, rotating microfibre pads, which are driven by two separate motors; so the robot cleans the floor while moving – similar to when I stepped on two kitchen towels and walked around the space-eating snacks while telling my mom I was cleaning. The best part is you don’t need a dry pad and a wet pad (like Swiffers) because the two containers in the vacuum constantly supply the pads with water. Call this robotic vacuum Hannah Montana because it is the best of both worlds.

A team of Seoul-based designers has conceptualized and designed a modular WFH appliance called Fot to help get those chores and rituals done during the workday. They developed Fot so that once that final work project is submitted, the workday is done, including housework. Fot comes in four parts and leans on a modular design to function as a charging station, vacuum cleaner, air diffuser, timer, and mood operator. Whenever a user chooses to step away from WFH duties to begin some household chores, Fot can turn into a free-roaming vacuum cleaner operated wirelessly with the ring-shaped remote. Similar to walking a dog with a leash, users only have to hold and steer the remote to indicate where they’d like the vacuum module to clean. Alternatively, Fot can be used as a meditative air diffuser simply by placing the ring-shaped remote on top of the diffuser module to activate the module’s mist function.

addition_modular_refrigerators_layout

addition_modular_refrigerators_1

Designed to be a sustainable appliance, the Addition by Heewoong Chai is a multi-type refrigerator system that up-sizes on demand. This fridge makes clever use of being modular by allowing you to add components like a water purifier, oven, etc. making it a holistic solution in the kitchen. What I love about the design is the clever use of technology via an app, to help control key features like temperature vs content and status on the food item stored – for example, expiry date, freshness, etc. In essence, each module can be temperature controlled individually, thus creating various customized zones for the food within. Another cool inclusion is the ability to change the door orientation – what I mean by this is that you can change the hinges to open the fridge from the left or the right side.

The Hide Washing Machine, as its name suggests, features a hiding door that helps it occupy a little less space when in use. In the event that your washing machine’s door ends up blocking a pathway if opened, or colliding with a pillar/wall/door, the Hide allows you to simply circumvent that problem by tucking the door right into the machine’s body. This results in a marginally wider machine, but here’s where user behavior comes into play… people usually buy machines after comparing measurements with their laundry rooms, but they don’t always account for the washing machine’s door and how it opens. The Hide’s door opens like any normal one, but then immediately slides into itself, freeing up your passageway so you can walk around and go about your laundry.

The Dishwasher. The must-have kitchen appliance for the time-conscious and lazy home-occupiers alike. However, justifying the loss of valuable space and the increase in water-bill that comes with them is sometimes a little tricky… especially when you live in a place that is on the smaller side! This was the motive that led to the creation of Toasher, the portable dishwasher for limited living spaces. Toasher utilizes a method of interaction that has been lifted from another kitchen appliance, the toaster. The dirty items are lowered into the stainless steel tank, where an ultrasonic transducer agitates the dirt and separates it from the dishes. Add-ons elevate Toasher’s functionality even further; with the modular peg-board that can be attached to the rear of the unit, to expanding the amount of storage that it can hold, and allowing it to be used as an item of furniture as well as just a kitchen appliance!

Heaters usually make the air in any room dry and arid which can cause dry eyes, sore throat, and colds – not the best when you are sick, getting chills and all you want to do is feel the warmth. Heattle creates a balance by maintaining the humidity in the air at a recommended 40-60% which is healthier for you and also keeps the room warm for a longer period of time thus saving energy (we all know how the electric bill shoots up in winter)! The inspiration for its form was the visual of a warm kettle on a cold winter day and Heattle manages to radiate that exact emotion through its design. It not only heats the room but also creates an emotional connection to the product itself. The three settings of Heattle are Warming, Heating, and Humidify. Warm keeps your room warm without the hot wind. Heating adopts a high-efficiency PTC ceramic wire which lets it heat much faster without any pre-heating time. It also reduces dryness because it heats the cold air without burning oxygen. Humidify provides heated humidification without any bacterial concerns.

S2VICTOR designed a collection of intact IoT home appliances, called Animal Land, to resemble different animals, bringing in some lighthearted fun into this seemingly endless pandemic. In order to convey an ecosystem’s natural and simple life cycles, the Animal Land collection consists of a giraffe-shaped router, a whale-shaped diffuser, and a home speaker shaped to resemble a turtle. All three of the home appliances are connected with one another through smart home technology and can be separately managed with an accompanying app.

UVClean is a simple and innovative design that can help reduce the germs we come in contact with! While you wash your hands, the appliance will also disinfect your phone so all that scrubbing and precautions you are taking do not go to waste. Appliances like UVClean can help people feel safe in public places again as we adjust to life during and after this pandemic. Designers had to make sure that the product can be seamlessly integrated into the contactless environment while taking the new hygiene standards seriously. Simply put your smartphone in the capsule while you wash your hands and UVClean will disinfect it. After washing your hands you can dry them on the sides of the appliance before taking your phone out. The appliance also uses a HEPA filter inside.

mizzle_smart_microgreen_grower_08

mizzle_smart_microgreen_grower_layout

Supporting you in your eating-clean habit is the Mizzle, a smart aeroponic appliance that helps you grow microgreens. This smart cultivator comes with three compartments, one for the germination process (a little dark and humid place), and two for the growth and harvesting process. What I like about the design is that it not only grows the greens for you efficiently but also makes the cultivation process engaging and exciting for the user. You can track the progress via an app on the mobile and also get alerts with regards to water levels in the tank. Going the extra mile, the app also helps you with recipes that help you make use of the microgreens. New seed pads and additional trays can also be bought, to expand your garden.

Home appliances to Marie Kondo your home that work better than the usual cleaning hacks!

If there’s one thing that COVID-19 has taught us (though there are plenty), it’s that maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, and sanitizing everything and anything in sight is a must! Sanitizers, face masks, and shields are now irreplaceable accessories that must be a part of your everyday carry. Forget your phone, but not your little bottle of hand sanitizer! A perk of this newly developed mandatory habit is that the innovation of cleaning products and gadgets are at an all-time high! There’s a cleaning product for almost every need and situation, whether it’s a case for your mask that also sanitizes it, or self disinfecting bedsheets that automatically clean themselves! It’s sanitary heaven for all the cleanliness neat freaks, Monica Gellars, and Marie Kondos out there! And we’ve curated the best and most efficient of these appliances to ensure that your home, your surroundings and you can be as clean and clear as possible!

The humble vacuum cleaner is now considered commonplace within our homes, as it is seen as a necessity as opposed to a luxury. However, this doesn’t stop it from carrying a rather unimaginative and uninspiring form. Until now that is – the Drip handheld vacuum cleaner puts aesthetics first. Drip flaunts a sculptural form that oozes sophistication, from the bold, powerful stance that the form creates, through to the distinctive finish that elegantly conceals the electronic nature of the product, making it more of a piece of art than a domestic appliance. The absence of a handle not only allows for a clean, sleek design but also alters how the product is used, adding to its uniqueness and bringing a sense of intrigue. This is certainly a device that you will want to leave out, as opposed to shoving it into the drawer!

Milan-based Salvo Lo Cascio designed the SaniCase as a response to a common problem he saw with people who wore masks. During brief intervals when they took their mask off to eat or drink, they’d often end up putting their masks on tables, armrests, or back in their pockets along with their phone and keys. Designed to give people a place to safely store their masks when not in use, the SaniCase comes with a cylindrical compartment lined with UV-C lights on the inside. When you don’t need the mask, just slip it into its protective casing and it’ll get sanitized too. Speaking of which, the base of the SaniCase even has a push-to-deploy hand-sanitizer bottle on it, allowing you to periodically clean your hands too. By helping disinfect your hands as well as your face-mask, the SaniCase covers all the critical areas to prevent germs from accidentally entering your system.

Meet the Christianshavn, a bedsheet that tackles this problem on a molecular level. Even though its name sounds like the kind of bedsheet that would put the fear of god into bacteria, it is, in fact, the unique material developed for and used by the bedsheet that helps it self-clean by automatically killing the microorganisms on it and preventing the spread of odors… so your bedsheet remains cleaner for longer, and doesn’t need changing so often. Nordifakt’s Christianshavn bedding is made in 100% organic cotton, which means it feels just as comfortable as your current bedsheets. However, it comes treated with Polygiene®, a fabric treatment that uses low concentrations of silver chloride that has anti-microbial properties. The Polygiene within the bedsheet acts like a natural disinfectant, using silver ions to break down germs that make their way into the bedsheet. These ions can break down VOCs or volatile organic compounds too, stopping the growth of molds and even keeping your bedsheets smelling fresh. The Polygiene treatment lasts practically forever because silver chloride isn’t water-soluble… which means washing the bedsheet doesn’t diminish its self-cleaning power.

chopbox1

You can easily sanitize your knives and cutting surfaces, embrace your inner quarantine chef with germ-free cooking thanks to Chopbox’s built-in disinfecting UVC light – see I told you, this board is lit and literally! We clean our knives but do we ever think about the germs in knife blocks or the crevices of our cutting boards? With Chopbox all you have to do place your knife in between the two cutting surfaces and activate the small but powerful 254nm UVC light that can sanitize up to 3 knives at once as well as both the cutting surfaces. “Just one minute of UVC light exposure is guaranteed to kill 99.99% of germs and bacteria. The 254nm UVC light used in the ChopBox is small and has a limited angle with only a small gap in the boards when in use. It is 100% safe for all humans to be around and near this light. The UVC light will automatically switch off when you separate the two boards or you can press the second button on the control panel to turn it off. You will receive no negative side effects from this UVC light,” says the team.

Rena’s aim was to create an innovative bottle that could be a bank for all the cleaning liquids we needed. It has a reservoir tank and replaceable cartridge that holds concentrated chemicals that are mixed and diluted in specific ratios to clean different surfaces or dispense for laundry. It takes the guesswork out so that your surfaces and clothes are protected from your chemical calculations (let’s be real, ‘one cap’ is not a measurement). The bottle has an ergonomic design and using it is simple – insert the cartridge, fill in the water, select the surface you intend to clean on your Rena mobile app, and via Bluetooth the bottle will collect that data configure a detergent mix based on it. Then all you do is press the trigger and the bottle will dispense the concoction.

The 0° Clean concept offers a new way to make sure your face-mask is fresh, dry, and sanitized between uses. Created by Jungkwang Hwang as a fan-made concept for Samsung, the 0° Clean is a nifty flat-bed UV-C sanitizer that uses a combination of ultraviolet light and dry air to cleanse and blow-dry your mask. It comes with a detachable cylindrical battery-unit (with a built-in display) that you can easily snap onto the sanitizing flat-bed to power it. The bed’s space is big enough for almost any flat surgical or cloth mask. Just place the mask in, shut the lid, and switch it on using a button on the side. The UV-C lights neutralize any microorganisms, and the hot air (which blows from the bottom and the sides) dries off any perspiration on the mask, so you can wear it after a few hours knowing that it’s dry and sterile.

Designed as this all-encompassing floor cleaning tool, the Duet lets you sweep, mop (both wet and dry), collect and discard all your dust and dirt with one single cleaning instrument. The Duet’s broom comes with a dual-sided design, featuring a microfiber mop on one edge for collecting dust particles, and bristles on another side, allowing you to simply turn the broom around to sweep/maneuver larger pieces of debris into Duet’s dust-collecting tray. The tray’s highlight is its self-cleaning chamber that automatically cleans the mop head, pulling stubborn stuff like hairballs off the mop, effectively cleaning it without you needing to get your hands dirty. Duet’s all-in-one design aims at tackling the need to buy/own/use multiple cleaning tools to get the job done. Designed to work like a broom, a wet mop, dry mop, and even a polishing cloth, Duet’s interchangeable heads are easy to swap, allowing you to effectively use one tool to sweep, mop, and buff your floor.

petpaws

Pet Paws is a high-tech sanitizing mat used to clean, disinfect, and dry the legs of our pets as well as the soles of our shoes. The efficient product design is a simple roll-up mat that is easy to carry and store. The team worked on elevating an existing prototype by adding improved functionality and simplifying it further – the redesigned version is now just a one-piece product, unlike the original one which had four parts. It has two areas on its surface – the first section of the mat has a multi-directional cleaning texture which bends and cleans inside the paws in a friendly manner, and the second section of the mat has a cushioned texture which helps to dry the paws as the pet walks over the microfiber sleeve. Both parts have a texture that has been cleverly selected to maximize the efficiency of the process by making sure it can clean inside the paws without any discomfort or complex steps.

Traditional laundry machine cycles can potentially damage clothes (how many of us even know the right settings for our loads?) and ever since the pandemic took over our lives we are doing laundry more often to stay safe – this is bound to wear them out 5x faster than usual. The Samsung AirDresser is here to save the day! Its sleek build is similar to a tall, thin fridge and can seamlessly blend in any room. The AirDresser uses a combination of steaming and heat-pump powered drying, and you won’t even have to plumb it in says Samsung. “That’s because, rather than a water connection like a traditional washer would require, the AirDresser relies on a refillable water tank at the bottom of the cabinet. It means it can be installed pretty much anywhere with a regular 120V outlet,” explains the team.

Usually, people dispose of their toilet brushes every 2-3 months, and given that most of them are plastic, it leads to a lot of environmental damage. This redesigned toilet brush lets you switch out brushes while reusing the main body which reduces a lot of toxic waste. BrushPro is extremely convenient to use compared to its forerunners. The extendable handle allows you to reach narrow spaces without having to perform advanced yoga poses on the floor and minimizes your direct contact with the dirty brush. The handle also has slits that give the brush head some flexibility while cleaning – a great universal design that takes into account the experience of the differently-abled demographic as well. The brush head includes rubber as well as fiber for more efficient cleaning. Another brilliant detail is the slot for the detergent bottle, so you can simply refill and reuse the detergent bottle instead of buying more plastic spray bottles – it also frees up your hand as it combines both cleaning products in one!

This ergonomic bottle mixes 5 cleaning liquids to create a custom cleanser for every surface!

If you were to open your cleaning closet, how many bottles would you find? Detergents? Bleach? Softener? Lysol? Not only does it clutter the space but it is also inefficient – have you ever had a Tide bottle fall on you while reaching out to get the soap? I can confirm its not pretty. Also, not everyone or every brand provides refills so all you are doing is going through an endless consumption cycle that is generating more waste. Clean surfaces but not a clean planet. Rena is a conceptual bottle designed to specifically solve the above issue – one bottle fits all!

Rena’s aim was to create an innovative bottle that could be a bank for all the cleaning liquids we needed. It has a reservoir tank and replaceable cartridge that holds concentrated chemicals that are mixed and diluted in specific ratios to clean different surfaces or dispense for laundry. It takes the guesswork out so that your surfaces and clothes are protected from your chemical calculations (let’s be real, ‘one cap’ is not a measurement). The bottle has an ergonomic design and using it is simple – insert the cartridge, fill in the water, select the surface you intend to clean on your Rena mobile app, and via Bluetooth the bottle will collect that data configure a detergent mix based on it. Then all you do is press the trigger and the bottle will dispense the concoction. I can only imagine Monica Geller screaming if she saw this.

Cartridges are created to be refillable to reduce landfill waste and can be customized by the brand. The chemicals are pressurized which makes it easy to move it into the mixing chamber without a pump. The safety mechanism makes sure the chemicals are not dispensed if the cartridge is not inserted in Rena. It also features a DC pump instead of the traditional pump and a 750 ml water tank. And lastly, it is rechargeable so no need to scrimmage through your junk drawers to find spare batteries. The universal detergent bottle makes cleaning more efficient, safe, and easier on the environment. Long road ahead but designs like Rena gives us a good headstart!

Designer: James Lord

These appliance designs were created for the joy of cleaning!

If you’re a cleanliness freak, which is a great thing (really), you know how important it is to own appliances that help you maintain a certain level of cleanliness at all times. Whether it’s ensuring that your home and office space are always spick and span, or maintaining excellent personal hygiene, we all need a couple of gadgets to make our lives a little easier. So, we’ve curated a collection of cleaning designs that are perfect for helping you reach your cleanliness goals!

Drip is a vacuum cleaner with a sculptural form that oozes sophistication, from the bold, powerful stance that the form creates, through to the distinctive finish that elegantly conceals the electronic nature of the product, making it more or a piece of art than a domestic appliance. The absence of a handle not only allows for a clean, sleek design but also alters how the product is used.

The LastSwab provides a clean, reusable alternative to those disposable earbuds that get used, flushed, and end up in the oceans. Designed with a specialized reusable rubber tip that can be cleaned with a dab of soap and some water, along with a tough, durable nylon connector-rod, the LastSwab comes in two variants… one for cleaning, and another for touching-up make-up. Afterall personal hygiene comes first!

The Encompass toothbrush’s unique J-shaped design is what sets it apart. Designed by RYCA International, its J-shape allows it to self-adjust to the shape of your jaw, covering both your upper and lower teeth with bristles that vibrate at a precise 100 strokes per second, while the bristles themselves are positioned to give you the right pressure, intensity and angle for efficient brushing in just 10 seconds on each (left and right) side. Maintaining oral hygiene has never been this easy!

Circular and tubular in shape, with four legs to support it, the Air Wave is an air purifier embellished with four curvy lines that serve as motifs representing the flow and movement of air. Resembling waves, the lines change color according to the quality of air in your home; blue for when it’s extremely clean, green for normal, yellow for when it’s turning impure and red for high alert when the impurity hits the roof!

quartz_bottle_11

quartz_bottle_09

Designed to be the one bottle you never leave home without, Quartz works just as good as any thermos/flask you have, keeping cold drinks cold for a day, and hot drinks hot for half a day. Convenient in size, and with a wide mouth that allows you to rinse out the bottle, Quartz goes the extra step with its special cap that comes embedded with a medical-grade UV light that shines into the bottle at a 280nm wavelength, effectively killing any germs your eye may not see, while making sure the bottle remains odorless.

Designed as this all-encompassing floor cleaning tool, the Duet lets you sweep, mop (both wet and dry), collect and discard all your dust and dirt with one single cleaning instrument. The Duet’s broom comes with a dual-sided design, featuring a microfiber mop on one edge for collecting dust particles, and bristles on another side, allowing you to simply turn the broom around to sweep/maneuver larger pieces of debris into Duet’s dust-collecting tray.

iKuddle’s litter box will separate the waste from clean litter, you can initiate this through your app and it will notify you once the cleaning is complete. After that, you can tap the auto-packing button on the app or the litter box and it will seal the waste in a small bag which you can discard at your convenience. iKuddle’s litter box also has a deodorizing system with a fully enclosed carbon filter that works for 5 minutes after your cat leaves the box, eliminating 80%-90% of litter box odors

The future of vacuum cleaners is here! The bottom section of Lizard operates as a smart robotic vacuum; the intuitive display makes controlling the compact device, a breeze. Once the cleaning is complete, Lizard will return to its home that features wireless charging. To tackle the hard-to-reach and problem areas, Lizard’s tail can be attached. By attaching this component, the unit operates as a conventional vacuum.

The Egret EO Blaster is an all-purpose cleaning spray that relies on the power of electrolyzed water to replace practically every other cleaning agent you use. 100% natural and non-toxic, using patented technology and the power of Electrolyzed water (EO water), the Egret kills germs and removes bad smells in your home in seconds.

A combination of an upright, cylinder, and handheld vacuum cleaner, Lupe was designed to be used anywhere, anyhow, with a battery-powered brushless motor that allows the vacuum to be used and carried anywhere, unencumbered by wires, or the lack of a nearby plug-point. Having previously worked at Dyson, Lupe’s designers also developed what they call the Suction Intensifier, a technology that aids their powerful motor by almost doubling the cleaner’s useful suction power!