Maintaining a clean and orderly home can seem like an impossible endeavor. Crumbs litter kitchen floors. Baby food and crayons stain clothes. Sticky little hands smudge windows. If you're a busy mom who feels like she can't keep up with her household chores, get some extra help with the following automatic self-cleaning solutions.
Robo Vacuum
Children leave trails of particles practically anywhere that they go. In a home with little ones who drop cereal and make crumbs, vacuuming is essential. Fortunately, we can rely on robotic vacuum devices (ranging in price from $85 to just under $400) to clean up those dirty surfaces. Top Ten Reviews rates the Neato XV Signature Probest as the best robot vacuum of 2015. Features include its laser-guided navigation, powerful suction motors, two types of filtration and programmable scheduling. Leave cleaning the floors to the Neato as you cook dinner or play with baby.
Tough Shower Scrubber
Cleaning a shower can be a nightmare — hard water and soap scum don't come off easily. The experts at SC Johnson have created a Scrubbing Bubbles® Automatic Shower Cleaner designed to separate cleaning times by 30 days. The dual electronic dispenser mists the entire shower with a penetrating cleaner, eliminating mold, mildew and soap scum. Dirt simply washes away during normal bath time use as the Fresh Clean formula deordorizes the space. And for that monthly big clean, the system is equipped with a booster button for extra cleaning power and built-up grime.
Smart Washer & Dryer
Whirlpool rolled out its new Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer designed with smart home functionality, expected to be available this spring. You can increase drying time and save energy by programming your Smart Top Load Dryer to run in EcoBoost mode. (Just make sure to set your Nest Learning Thermostat to "Away.") The Whirlpool app can direct you to troubleshooting tutorials and customizable downloadable cleaning cycles for laundry that needs extra care (e.g. baby clothes and comforters). You'll also use the touchscreen panel to select what and how to wash, a quiet mode and other built-in tech features.
Electronic Pool Pro
You can't escape the chore of pool maintenance for a beautiful landscape. But for an on-the-go household, regular pool cleanings can drop on the priorities list of things to do. Leave it to technology. Pool robo-cleaning devices scrub away debris on the pool's floor and walls without the hassle of maneuvering the machine yourself. Check out the aquadynamic design of the Polaris 8350 Sport from In The Swim that offers maximum suction, excellent navigation and a powerful rear water propulsion system for agile cleaning. The Pool Rover S2-40 vacuums leaves, dirt and algae, cleans in one hour and can filter up to 5,000 gallons.
3-Stage, 1-Touch Window Cleaning
Automate your window cleaning with the WinBot by Ecovacs, a home robotic window cleaning system featuring one-touch cleaning, remote control technology and quiet operation. Winbot offers an advanced suction system for high-to-reach spots and laser technology for trusted auto-navigation and optimal cleaning. The three-stage cleaning process produces spotless results by first spraying a cleaning solution, squeegeeing and then applying rear cleaning pads to dry the window, removing streaks and lines.