Cleaning

As ships travel the seas, an assortment of barnacles, mussels, algae and other greeblies accumulate on their hulls. This is definitely troublesome, which is why a new robot-based system has been developed as a possible solution.

A newly published longitudinal study out of Canada has found a strong association between frequent use of household cleaning products and an increased risk of children developing asthma in the first three years of life.

Samsung's AirDresser is designed to be used on those occasions where clothes don't need a full cycle in the washing machine. It uses air and steam to sanitize and freshen garments placed inside.

A team from China has created an environmentally-friendly household cleaning appliance that can sanitize and disinfect your home by using water and salt. Egret creates electrolyzed water to combat germs, bacteria, odors and viruses.

If you've heard of SoftBank Robotics, it's likely been in regards to the company's Pepper and NAO humanoid robots. This Tuesday, however, SoftBank announced North American availability of its new Whiz robotic vacuum sweeper.

We've seen a number of "electric mouthpiece"-type toothbrushes that are claimed to clean your teeth in 30 seconds or less. At a reported 50 seconds, the three-headed BruBruBrush takes a little longer, but its makers state that it works better.

The Window Wizard robot is designed to autonomously move across the glass while cleaning it.

Cleanyst is compact household appliance designed to cut plastic waste by allowing users to blend their own shampoo, shower gel, handwash, liquid detergent and dishwashing liquid at home by simply adding water to pre-prepared sachets.

​​iRobot has refreshed its line of cleaning robots, adding an new mopping machine to the mix along with an updated vacuum. Together, the Roomba s9 vacuum and the Braava jet m6 mop are designed to work in tandem to keep floors dust and dirt free, without any input from the user. ​

The Ecovacs Deebot 711 has Smart Navi Mapping Technology, up to 110 minutes of battery life, and can double the amount of suction power on demand. Plus it’s smart home enabled, voice controlled, and costs about US$350. We tried it out to see if it lives up to the hype.

The Shark Ion model S87 (aka RV851WV – we call it "Sharklon" for short) is a two-vacuum system consisting of a higher-clearance, multi-floor robotic vacuum unit and a handheld quick vacuum for dust-busting. Both are wireless, charging on a "hub" stand, and both are powerful suckers.

A lot of thought has gone into making Lumi the ultimate toilet brush. Its battery-powered base UV-sanitizes the brush after use, and evaporates off any drip water. It's weighted, so it's hard to knock over, and it opens and closes itself. If it wasn't a toilet brush, you'd eat your dinner off it.