Treat yourself: 10 gadgets that make spring cleaning suck less
With the weather starting to warm up and allergies going into overdrive, one tradition will soon take hold of households nationwide: spring cleaning.
Let's admit it — we'd all prefer to lounge outside basking in the sun, but after being cooped at home all winter, it's time to repay your shelter with some deep cleaning. That means floors, windows, mirrors, file cabinets — even gutters, if you have those.
If spending an afternoon scrubbing makes you cringe, we have good news: Getting a spotless apartment doesn't have to be a back-breaking experience. With the help of technology (in particular some robot friends), cleaning doesn't have to suck. We present 10 tools to make spring cleaning a tolerable, maybe even fun, experience.
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4. iRobot Verro 300 HydroJet Your new pool guy isn't some neighborhood kid. He — actually, it — is the iRobot Verro 300 HydroJet. This 11-pound sucker submerges under water to clean pool floor to waterline within an hour and a half, circulating more than 80 gallons a minute while removing debris as small as 2 microns with its vacuum and self-contained filtration system. (Quick math refresher: There are 1,000 microns in a millimeter). It works hard so you and your pool don't have to. iRobot says pool pump and filter systems last longer when paired with the Verro 300 HydroJet. No hoses, no installation, no pumps — all machine. $699.99
5. iRobot Looj 155 Is there a more loathed task than cleaning out the gutters? Cornering the robot-chore market, iRobot also has an autonomous machine dedicated to removing dead leaves from your roof's trenches. The iRobot Looj 155 propels itself to blast away and unclog debris, which means fewer ladders to climb for you. Not to mention, with regular cleaning, gutters can avoid water damage, overspills and infestations. Using a remote, you drive the Looj back and forth as it spins at 500 rpm to dislodge wet leaves. At the end of the chore, you hose the Looj off. $169.99
6. NeatDesk One of the most laborious aspects of spring cleaning is dealing with shoeboxes of recipes and file cabinets filled with hastily stashed-away folders. It requires effort to sift through everything, determine what is important and dump the rest. But with a couple hours' worth of patience, you can convert physical files into digital ones. With its effective paper feeder, NeatDesk can scan business cards, receipts and other documents with ease. The included software NeatWorks acts as a digital file cabinet to organize files and analyzes scanned documents with optical character recognition, so finding that important document is only a search away. $399.95
7. Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner Scrubbing Bubbles' automatic shower cleaner means less time in your disgusting, grimy shower. Its dual sprayers spin 360 degrees to increase its reach, and the included cleaning solution fights soap scum, mold and mildew. Scrubbing Bubbles claims the product can keep showers clean for 30 days at a time, but customer reviews indicate the product reaches a bit in its product description. It can clean the immediate vicinity, but has a harder time getting the rest of the tub and shower. $20
9. Broom Groomer Sweeping in itself isn't a terrible chore, but it's the broom-dustpan relationship that's frustrating. You'll notice as you clean your floors that dust, hairs and dirt will stick to the broom's bristles. The Broom Groomer, a project on a Kickstarter-like site called Quirky, features rubber teeth to comb out dust bunnies from brooms. The built-in foot pedal also steadies the dustpan as you clean your cleaning device. $11.99
10. Broan Elite trash compactor Got trash? At the end of your cleaning spree, you'll likely have bags and boxes worth. They'll easily overwhelm your puny trash cans, that is unless you have a handy trash compactor. Broan's Elite compactor delivers 3,000 pounds of continual compaction force with its 3/4 horsepower motor, shrinking waste by a 6 to 1 ratio. The waste bucket can hold 30 pounds of compacted trash, and to make sure that doesn't stink up the whole house, the compactor includes a six-month odor control system. Using it requires inputting settings, turning an activation key, closing the door and pressing a button. There's also a child lock to prevent none-the-wiser kids from playing hide and seek in the trash. $700-$1,000
3. Mint Plus Floors need a little love too. But you don't want to fill up a bucket, grab a mob and actually clean, do you? That's where Mint Plus comes into play. The sweeping and mopping robot comes with a self-dispensing reservoir pad so it can mop the floors of large homes, able to sweep 2,000 square feet in a single session. Using a navigation system called North Star, Mint can keep track of where it has already been to clean room to room effectively. When it's finished, it returns to the spot where it started. In addition to using the included microfiber sweeping and mopping cloths, the Mint can use store-bought Swiffer or generic wipes, which is great since the grossness from your floors transfers to a disposable sheet. Easy cleaning. $299.99
8. Automatic kitty litter Cats might make for viral cute fodder on the Internet, but cleaning after them is a different story. You might think cats are among the cleanest of pets (second possibly to naked mole rats), but realize this: Their toilets are indoor. So that you don't have to, the LitterMaid LM39000MB is an automatic litter box that includes an ionic air cleaner to keep your home smelling fresh. Designed for multiple cats, the litter has a programmable digital timer and motion sensor. A stainless steel rake and scoop collect and seal waste in a disposable package. The ramp connecting the floor to the litter box also removes particles from paws so kitty litter doesn't make its way to furniture. $199.99
1. Dyson Animal DC39 If pet owners are tired of the never ending battle between home and fur, they should know that armed with a Dyson Animal, they'll always end up on top. The DC39, which includes an Animal model, is the first Dyson canister featuring its Ball technology, which allows for maneuvering around tight corners. Available in mid-March, the DC39 is the result of three years of research by 70 engineers. In addition to easy steering thanks to its low center of gravity, the machine is equipped with Dyson's cyclone technology to capture microscopic particles. While the DC39, a stunning piece of craftsmanship, will act as reprieve for allergy sufferers, its price tag might make them wince, setting them back $499.99.
2. Neato Robots XV-11 If a $500 vacuum seems a bit excessive to you, that's because it is, especially since you still need to do some heavy lifting. Alternatively, Neato Robotics' XV-11 is a (somewhat) cheaper workhorse vacuum. Unlike the Roomba (another highly regarded vacuum robot), the Neato is armed with lasers to scan the room and determine your home's layout to find an efficient cleaning path, all while avoiding crashing into walls and falling down stairs. With a centrifugal compression impeller, the Neato is a powerful vacuum that works seamlessly across all floor types at the push of a button; it can also be set to a schedule so it cleans everyday. All you need to do is empty the dirt bag. We told you cleaning doesn't have to be a grueling process. $399.
