Help me maintain a big house, please?!
August 4, 2010 3:02 AM Subscribe
My parents live alone in a pretty big house (3 storeys, around 100 m^2 each floor). I'm interested of getting some novel and high-tech appliances for them to help in routine and boring domestic chores such as doing the dishes, cleaning, etc. What they've got so far are a washing machine, a microwave oven and a rice cooker so I thought a dishwasher might be useful. Apart from that, could you suggest some other indispensable modern home appliances which make your life around the house so much better?
A good, lightweight vaccuum cleaner. Like an Oreck or a Sebo.
A dead easy radio. I use a Pure, but anything where the favorite channels can be set and the volume and on/off buttons are obvious.
A microwave with a turn dial. Even I find these much more useful than fiddly digital ones.
A refrigerator where the shelves pull out so you don't need to crouch to get to stuff at the back. Liebherr and Bosch (I think) make them.
Bedside lights that touch on and off, rather than having to find the button or cord.
A Nespresso machine. My folks love theirs.
My folks also love their home juicer.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:56 AM on August 4, 2010
A dead easy radio. I use a Pure, but anything where the favorite channels can be set and the volume and on/off buttons are obvious.
A microwave with a turn dial. Even I find these much more useful than fiddly digital ones.
A refrigerator where the shelves pull out so you don't need to crouch to get to stuff at the back. Liebherr and Bosch (I think) make them.
Bedside lights that touch on and off, rather than having to find the button or cord.
A Nespresso machine. My folks love theirs.
My folks also love their home juicer.
posted by MuffinMan at 3:56 AM on August 4, 2010
My mom is in a similar situation (empty nester with my stepdad, in a really big house). She swears by all those semi-disposable cleaning gadgets like the swiffer, those toilet scrubs with the detachable end bit, all that stuff. She just stashes one in each of her five (FIVE!!!) bathroom cupboards so that she doesn't have to schlep all over the house after mops and brooms and scrub brushes every time she needs to clean one of them.
On the other hand, those things are vile and bad and terrible for the environment and I don't recommend them.
Another thing that works for my mom & co. is that they basically live in a tiny corner of the house and the rest is shut up until houseguests/grandkids come over.
posted by Sara C. at 4:15 AM on August 4, 2010
On the other hand, those things are vile and bad and terrible for the environment and I don't recommend them.
Another thing that works for my mom & co. is that they basically live in a tiny corner of the house and the rest is shut up until houseguests/grandkids come over.
posted by Sara C. at 4:15 AM on August 4, 2010
How about a Roomba and/or Scooba for floor cleaning? One for each floor if you've got a huge budget, or just one if they wouldn't mind carrying it up and down stairs (they're very lightweight). You can set the Roomba up to automatically clean on certain days/times so you never have to think about vacuuming.
posted by olinerd at 4:17 AM on August 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by olinerd at 4:17 AM on August 4, 2010 [3 favorites]
My parents have a set of the cordless phones that also function as an intercom. They have one phone in each room.
Also, they have a blast with their Wii Fit. My mom uses it all winter long (spring, summer, and fall are for gardening and walking all over the farm).
posted by WowLookStars at 4:24 AM on August 4, 2010
Also, they have a blast with their Wii Fit. My mom uses it all winter long (spring, summer, and fall are for gardening and walking all over the farm).
posted by WowLookStars at 4:24 AM on August 4, 2010
Seconding a good radio. Digital radio is just coming in in Australia and they're magnificent. Having reliable reception's a wonderful thing---there's no hi-tech way to make mopping the kitchen or cleaning the toilet any less tedious, but if you can have the radio on while you do it, great.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:32 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:32 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
It's not cheap, but I really wish we had a central vacuum in our house. Especially for older folks, I think it would beat the hell out of lugging the vacuum cleaner up and down the stairs.
posted by COD at 5:04 AM on August 4, 2010
posted by COD at 5:04 AM on August 4, 2010
Small cordless vacuums. I keep one in my kitchen and one at the other end of the house by the bedrooms. They're always handy. If my kid tracks in sand or dirt, I can clean it up in a snap without dragging out the big vacuum. I use both of them every day. They're always plugged in and charged up.
posted by Kangaroo at 5:19 AM on August 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Kangaroo at 5:19 AM on August 4, 2010 [2 favorites]
It's literally around the house...a sprinkler system.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 5:47 AM on August 4, 2010
posted by Confess, Fletch at 5:47 AM on August 4, 2010
I looove my Roomba, but we haven't sprung for a Scooba yet, so I can't vouch for that. But the little robot (his name is Spot) vacuums the kitchen every morning, and the general level of the whole house feels dramatically higher as a result, plus we run him elsewhere unscheduled whenever we think of it (and get the junk off the floor).
In a multi-storey house, where is this washing machine? If it's a basement-level washer and an upper-floor bedroom, is there any possibility of installing a laundry chute? Especially awesome as they're getting older and not so into carrying loads downstairs.
But primarily, your initial impulse is right. A dishwasher would be awesome. I don't have one of those either, and it's very high on the lustlist. On the other hand, if your parents think of dishwashers as a luxury, or wasteful, or just for special occasions when they have more than two people in the house, it may end up not being as useful for them as we'd like to hope. Talk with them about what they need/like, and consider one of the types that has two drawers instead of a big cavern, so they can run half-loads guilt-free.
posted by aimedwander at 6:11 AM on August 4, 2010
In a multi-storey house, where is this washing machine? If it's a basement-level washer and an upper-floor bedroom, is there any possibility of installing a laundry chute? Especially awesome as they're getting older and not so into carrying loads downstairs.
But primarily, your initial impulse is right. A dishwasher would be awesome. I don't have one of those either, and it's very high on the lustlist. On the other hand, if your parents think of dishwashers as a luxury, or wasteful, or just for special occasions when they have more than two people in the house, it may end up not being as useful for them as we'd like to hope. Talk with them about what they need/like, and consider one of the types that has two drawers instead of a big cavern, so they can run half-loads guilt-free.
posted by aimedwander at 6:11 AM on August 4, 2010
Can you install a lift for the stairs? They're wonderful for cargo and can be used if anyone is too tired, weak, or injured to get up and down the stairs safely. Alternatively, just for cargo, the nuclear/wealthy Victorian version of the laundry chute - the dumbwaiter.
These items have made working easier; I imagine they'd make living easier. Ever since I first saw each, I've sworn I'd put them in my hypothetical mansion someday.
posted by SMPA at 6:37 AM on August 4, 2010
These items have made working easier; I imagine they'd make living easier. Ever since I first saw each, I've sworn I'd put them in my hypothetical mansion someday.
posted by SMPA at 6:37 AM on August 4, 2010
I got a dishwasher a month ago. And it has transformed my life. The difference it makes to my spirit to go into the kitchen and not see dishes piled in the sink waiting to be washed or in the rack waiting to be put away is enormous. I only need to use it twice a week, and it takes but a few minutes to put the clean dishes away. Somehow it doesn't seem as onerous a chore as putting away dishes from the draining rack on the sink. I had never realised how dirty my cutlery had been until I washed it in a dishwasher!
I also love my slow cooker. There's nothing better than coming home on a cold winter's day to the smell of a delicious stew or curry.
posted by essexjan at 7:01 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I also love my slow cooker. There's nothing better than coming home on a cold winter's day to the smell of a delicious stew or curry.
posted by essexjan at 7:01 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I also live on three floors (four if you count how often I go down to the basement). Not all my suggestions are high tech, but they have made--or would make--my life on three floors easier.
- Lightweight hand-held cordless vacuum with recharging station for each floor
- Recharging station on each floor with appropriate cords for my laptop and cellphone
- Duplicate set of keys that lives somewhere on the first floor so I don't have to run all the way upstairs if I've left them up there
- An ipod/mp3-compatible radio on each floor for music, podcasts, etc.
- As my kids get more rangy in the house, I'm considering a built-in intercom system. Because of your parents' ages this might be useful to them.
- A small ("dorm") fridge on the floor furthest from the kitchen for holding water, snacks, etc.
- I grew up in a house with a laundry chute and like others suggest, it was great. As the person who now does the bulk of the laundry, I would appreciate it even more.
- Stair lights that sit in the riser are helpful after dark at preventing accidents
- Timers for lights on different floors. Your parents can set these to the times they're usually in the room and then not worry about having to return to that floor/room to turn them off.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:09 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
- Lightweight hand-held cordless vacuum with recharging station for each floor
- Recharging station on each floor with appropriate cords for my laptop and cellphone
- Duplicate set of keys that lives somewhere on the first floor so I don't have to run all the way upstairs if I've left them up there
- An ipod/mp3-compatible radio on each floor for music, podcasts, etc.
- As my kids get more rangy in the house, I'm considering a built-in intercom system. Because of your parents' ages this might be useful to them.
- A small ("dorm") fridge on the floor furthest from the kitchen for holding water, snacks, etc.
- I grew up in a house with a laundry chute and like others suggest, it was great. As the person who now does the bulk of the laundry, I would appreciate it even more.
- Stair lights that sit in the riser are helpful after dark at preventing accidents
- Timers for lights on different floors. Your parents can set these to the times they're usually in the room and then not worry about having to return to that floor/room to turn them off.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:09 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
This isn't quite the gadget you're looking for, but my parents had the laundry moved from the basement up onto their main living floor. Now they wish they'd thought of it decades ago!
posted by jenmakes at 7:53 AM on August 4, 2010
posted by jenmakes at 7:53 AM on August 4, 2010
A dishwasher is a wonderful thing and a huge timesaver, but before you go out and buy one make sure their kitchen is ready for one. For an installed, under-the-counter type, you'll need not only a place to stick it, but adequate plumbing and electrical to operate it. Installing a dishwasher in a location that has never had one is a bit more involved than simply replacing one that is worn-out. Also, for the "portable", rollaway type, they'll still need an electrical outlet near the sink, and a place to store it when not in use. They do have smaller, drawer-type dishwashers now, if they can't sacrifice the under-counter space for a full-size model, but the plumbing and electrical issues remain.
Just sayin', it's a really nice idea, but think it through all the way. If you're making it a gift, you may want to also cover the cost of installation (which could be significant in a kitchen that has never had a dishwasher installed), or you could be giving them more of a headache than a blessing.
posted by xedrik at 8:50 AM on August 4, 2010
Just sayin', it's a really nice idea, but think it through all the way. If you're making it a gift, you may want to also cover the cost of installation (which could be significant in a kitchen that has never had a dishwasher installed), or you could be giving them more of a headache than a blessing.
posted by xedrik at 8:50 AM on August 4, 2010
Better living doesn't always require something with a power cord. It's a pair of laces that lasts forever, the right box to store your fruit, that three step ladder that is totally stable or buying some really good tea. Probably not in your neigborhood, but have a look at German department store Manufactum for inspiration. And if you are really into this stuff, move to their German website to release you inner snob to whole new levels. Check out this Aufschnittmaschine!
posted by ouke at 5:11 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by ouke at 5:11 PM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]
I've used Manufactum and I'll heartily second them. They are expensive, but fantastic. My one quibble: they used to sell the world's best key ring. It was a thing of beauty and made the business of getting keys on and off easy. I bought several, and distributed them to friends and family. They no longer sell them, the bounders.
posted by MuffinMan at 2:15 AM on August 5, 2010
posted by MuffinMan at 2:15 AM on August 5, 2010
Seconding some way to deal with cleaning, especially floors--either some form of gift certificate for weekly or every other weekly housecleaner visits or something like what was mentioned upthread, a Roomba or very convenient portable easy to use but powerful hand vacs (do the research because they're not all alike; I like my green Shark a lot) or a Dyson. That seems like the biggest hurdle for my parents now that my sister and I have left the nest. Two people living in a house that comfortably houses four to six gets daunting right away, especially when multiple levels are involved. As Sara C. mentioned, most folks I know in this situation find they're only living in a quarter of the house and the rest is like a museum or one gigantic swath of fossilized guest space.
Also, since I'm posting anyway I will say I absolutely love the ideas above of some all-encompassing convenient universal updated sound system, think iPod or satellite radio system and wireless ceiling/wall speaker/remote stuff or, if they've already invested in tons of CDs or vinyl some way to handle that remotely.
What are your parents' interests? If they love coffee or smoothies the above suggestions for good machines is nice; if one or both of them is in the kitchen constantly this is going to sound weird but maybe a small TV with DVD that could hang somewhere if they like cooking shows or something? Or yeah, satellite radio or something they can enjoy while cooking.
This isn't an appliance but--organizational stuff for archival purpose to keep memories while maintaining a neat and tidy appearance? Stuff like pretty filing cabinets or a modular square cubby shelf full of pretty paper document boxes or pull-out baskets (it won't scream "kid's playroom" if it's in a dark wood color or black even, with natural fiber and wood baskets, more Pottery Barn than Target in terms of colors).
posted by ifjuly at 7:59 AM on August 5, 2010
Also, since I'm posting anyway I will say I absolutely love the ideas above of some all-encompassing convenient universal updated sound system, think iPod or satellite radio system and wireless ceiling/wall speaker/remote stuff or, if they've already invested in tons of CDs or vinyl some way to handle that remotely.
What are your parents' interests? If they love coffee or smoothies the above suggestions for good machines is nice; if one or both of them is in the kitchen constantly this is going to sound weird but maybe a small TV with DVD that could hang somewhere if they like cooking shows or something? Or yeah, satellite radio or something they can enjoy while cooking.
This isn't an appliance but--organizational stuff for archival purpose to keep memories while maintaining a neat and tidy appearance? Stuff like pretty filing cabinets or a modular square cubby shelf full of pretty paper document boxes or pull-out baskets (it won't scream "kid's playroom" if it's in a dark wood color or black even, with natural fiber and wood baskets, more Pottery Barn than Target in terms of colors).
posted by ifjuly at 7:59 AM on August 5, 2010
You can get washable "swiffer" stuff for the dry and wet, as well as the duster, on Etsy.
As far as a central vac, if anyone ever does this, make sure you get outlets in LOTS of places with a shorter hose. That thing is a PITA to lug around, and we stopped using it. However, I LOVE the kickplate in the kitchen that is hooked up to the central vac. Sweep everything into a pile, open kickplate, sweep pile into suction and voila!
One thing I'd love, is a vacuum for each floor so I don't have to wait for my husband to bring up/down the vacuum for me. I also in general like having some cleaning supplies upstairs for the bathrooms so I can clean when I feel like it and not run up and down the stairs. Boy, I sound lazy! :)
posted by evening at 2:11 PM on August 8, 2010
As far as a central vac, if anyone ever does this, make sure you get outlets in LOTS of places with a shorter hose. That thing is a PITA to lug around, and we stopped using it. However, I LOVE the kickplate in the kitchen that is hooked up to the central vac. Sweep everything into a pile, open kickplate, sweep pile into suction and voila!
One thing I'd love, is a vacuum for each floor so I don't have to wait for my husband to bring up/down the vacuum for me. I also in general like having some cleaning supplies upstairs for the bathrooms so I can clean when I feel like it and not run up and down the stairs. Boy, I sound lazy! :)
posted by evening at 2:11 PM on August 8, 2010
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posted by neushoorn at 3:53 AM on August 4, 2010 [1 favorite]