We all enjoy technology that makes our lives easier, more comfortable and can save you time and money. In the 1980s, the TV show Tomorrow’s World erroneously promised that we’d all have robotic servants by now (we wish!). While that futuristic vision hasn’t quite come to pass, there are some wonderfully high-tech (and not so high-tech) home gadgets available that can drastically improve your quality of life when living in a student house-share. Let’s face it – none of your flatmates are the first to volunteer to do the cleaning. So whatever helps keep your home presentable and healthy and is affordable, you should grab it with both hands!
The Dehumidifier
Excessive levels of humidity can be dangerous for both you and your home. The extra moisture can attract unhygienic pests such as millipedes into your house as well as increasing the number of dust mites (which can cause serious issues for people with asthma or allergies). What’s more, your home is likely to develop mould and mildew. By extracting moisture from the air, a dehumidifier solves all of these problems at a stroke. These gizmos are the perfect way to protect both you and your house-share from the perils of humidity!
The Eco Cleaner
If you have parents who are really willing to contribute to your student life/experience and because doing the dishes takes away time from studying, then this futuristic dishwasher is for you. The strange, cylindrical object cleans dishes for you without using conventional dish detergents. Instead, it does something gloriously preposterous: it ionises food particles using ultrasonic waves and then stores the result as compost that you can put on your garden, leaving the dishes sparkling.
The Roomba
In the opening paragraph of this article, we said that, tragically, we weren’t living in a world of robotic servants. Thanks to the Roomba, this is only half-true. We’re may not have fully-autonomous robotic butlers yet, but we do have robotic vacuum cleaners. Obviously, the main appeal of the Roomba is that it makes life easier by doing your vacuuming for you. It can navigate your home without being guided by you in any way. The reason it makes this list, however, is much simpler: it’s an actual, real-life robot. Just don’t use it to transport pot-noodles or a can of cider from the kitchen to the living room for your flatmate!