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8 New Products That Make Home Chores a Snap Time-strapped? Who isn’t these days? Between the daily commute, the hours of work, the numerous errands, the kids’ schedules and finding time to get it all done every day, it’s no wonder we’re a bit stressed. But many new gadgets are making life just a little easier. Take a look at some of these great new products – although they can’t do all the work for you, they will cut down on the time you spend taking care of the hearth and home … leaving you more time for yourself.
1. Whirlpool Duet HT Washer and Dryer If you feel like you spend more time doing laundry during the cooler months, you’re not imagining things. Bulky sweaters and jeans take up more room in the washer than T-shirts and shorts, making the volume of laundry increase exponentially at this time of year. Ready to throw in the towel? Don’t give up yet. With Whirlpool’s Duet HT Washer and Dryer, you can wash more in less time — 16 pairs of jeans in a single load — all while using less water and energy than a conventional washer and dryer. Other time-saving features include a Direct Inject wash cycle, which virtually eliminates the need to pre-treat; 6th Sense technology, which measures load size and determines the correct amount of water to assign the appropriate wash action; and the dryer’s Wrinkle Shield Plus option, which continues to tumble the clothes every five minutes for up to 140 minutes, preventing wrinkles from setting. From $1,099 for the washer and $959 for the dryer; www.whirlpool.com
Some days, simply cutting the number of loads of laundry isn’t enough. If you need your crumpled sweater or wrinkled suit and you don’t have time to wait through the wash and dry cycles or take it to the cleaners, pop it into a Whirlpool Fabric Freshener. Using a combination of heat and immersive steam, this portable appliance eliminates pet, food and smoke odors and releases wrinkles in common fabrics like wool, silk, polyester, rayon and cotton — all in just 30 minutes. And since it collapses to the size of a small vacuum, the fabric freshener is easy to store between uses. From $199; www.whirlpool.com
Whether you’re baking a chicken or a pork loin, you know the drill. Instead of watching the game or chatting with guests, you’ll be spending the evening running back and forth to the kitchen to check the meat for doneness. If you get caught up in the excitement of an unbelievable play or good conversation, you’ll be lucky if you can salvage the overcooked meal. To keep tabs on your dinner while staying part of the festivities, use a Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer. Simply insert the wireless probe into the meat, select the type of meat and doneness level, and you’re good to go. The wireless thermometer can receive the signal from a football field away, and it talks to let you know when the meat is almost ready (about 5 minutes), ready and overcooked or if you’ve carried the unit out of range. $49.99; www2.oregonscientific.com
You may never need to adjust the thermostat or flip a light switch again. With the OmniPro II home control, you can coordinate your home’s lighting, heating and air, audio and security system based on your individual activities and schedules. For instance, you can program the entertainment mode to automatically turn on and dim select lights, softly play mood music and set the temperature to a cozy 72 degrees. When it’s time to entertain, you simply push a button and you’re done. Want to take a dip in a heated spa when you walk in the door without wasting energy all day? Put it on a schedule with the OmniPro II. Add Snap-Link Software, and you can use a USB key to access your home automation system from anywhere using a PDA or the computer. From $1-$2/sq. foot; www.homeauto.com
Wouldn’t it be nice to automate your house cleaning as well? With the iRobot Roomba, you can. Roughly the size of a dinner plate, the 500-series Roomba features 100-percent improved vacuum pick-up (versus earlier models), wireless navigation and onboard scheduling. When it’s time to clean, Roomba navigates from room to room using a series of small lighthouses, which can also be set to create virtual walls, keeping Roomba away from off-limits areas, like the stairs or a balcony. Roomba transitions easily from hard floors to low carpets and rugs and fits under most sofas and countertops and between the legs of standard dining chairs. Plus, if it encounters cords or tassels, the brushes will briefly spin in reverse, preventing them from getting stuck. Although you can schedule the Roomba to clean the house at set times each week, you should supervise the first cleaning session to ensure that Roomba won’t get stuck, especially if you’ve had new hardwood floors or rugs installed that may have reduced the standard clearances. From $299; www.irobot.com
Try TMIO’s Connect Io Intelligent Oven, which allows you to walk in the door to a piping hot dinner. Since it works as both a refrigerator and an oven, you can prepare lasagna in the morning, put it in the oven, program the cooking time and temperature and the time you’d like your dinner ready, and you’re done. The Connect Io will automatically refrigerate the lasagna throughout the day and then switch to oven mode to bake the meal at the designated time, making dinner ready when you are. Plus, the Connect Io can be programmed by phone and the Internet, allowing you to change your dinnertime if you get caught in a meeting or stuck in traffic. If you forget to call, your dinner won’t go to waste. The Connect Io will automatically switch first to warming mode and then to refrigerator mode, keeping your meal safe to eat. From $5895; www.tmio.com
Need some extra help preparing your family meals? You can keep food fresher longer with a FoodSaver Vacuum Food Sealer. Vacuum-packaging the roast beef allows you to pull it out of the freezer weeks later without even a hint of freezer burn. Instead of picking through lackluster vegetables the day before your dinner party, you can buy the best of the lot a few weeks out, keeping them fresh in an air-tight storage bag. Plus, you can save time on meal prep with accessories like the Quick Marinator; due to the vacuum seal, the marinade penetrates the meat in minutes instead of hours. From $79.99; www.foodsaver.com
During a hectic week, it’s tempting to order takeout every night. After all, who has time to cook? With the Black & Decker InfraWave Speed Oven, you do. Using infrared light waves to cook the food, the InfraWave Speed Oven, which is about the size of a standard toaster oven, cuts the time from freezer to fork by up to half, compared to a traditional oven. There’s no pre-heating required, so whether you want to reheat a slice of pizza or roast a chicken, you only need to pop it in, select a pre-programmed menu selection, and press start. Not sure how long to cook a favorite dish? No problem. The speed oven can convert the recipe’s conventional oven cooking time. And since the speed oven also toasts and broils, it’ll render your old toaster oven obsolete. Although this model easily accommodates a two-quart casserole dish, a larger model will be available in early 2008. From $119.97; www.blackanddeckerappliances.com PN |
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Timesaving Gadgets
2. Whirlpool Fabric Freshener
3. Grill Right Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer
4. HAI’s OmniPro II with Snap-Link Software
5. iRobot Roomba
6. TMIO Connect Io Intelligent Oven
7. FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer
8. Black & Decker InfraWave Speed Oven