Gadgets For The Home

Smarter homes are the way of the future! These gadgets for the home save time and make our home work for us.

I am all about ways to save time and energy. Call me lazy or call me smart, I don’t want to manually turn lights on and off or worry if the basement door is locked if I don’t have to! Thanks to the booming smart home industry, there are so many cool products on the market these days.

We entered into smart home world before our renovation a few years ago with some Amazon smart plugs. They allow you to use your voice to turn lights or devices on and off or you can set them to a timer.

Post renovation, we added a bunch of other tech features that I am highlighting today. While some of the features (plugs, a wireless security system) could be a added to a rental house or apartment, others are more advanced changes you’d probably only invest in if you own a home or are planning a renovation or a new build.

Here are the ways we’ve incorporated gadgets for the home into our daily routine! While none of this is sponsored, these links are affiliate links.

Schlage Smart Lock

This is the one we have. Between the keyless push button start on my Highlander and this keypad lock, I LOVE being keyless! I can put my car fob in my bag and travel around very lightly. I also love having a keypad because the kids can let themselves in if the door is locked (which is it most of the time). Note you can also program codes for guests, cleaners, or other visitors without giving out your owner code.

This is actually our second keypad because our pre-renovation one died after 6 years. But I’m so glad we were forced to get a new one because this one is Wi-Fi-based and I have it set to auto-lock at bedtime every night. No more wondering if we left the door unlocked by accident. I can also lock it with my voice using Alexa: “Alexa, lock the kitchen door,” which is great when I’m running around the main floor unpacking groceries or with my hands full.

SimpliSafe Wireless Security System

Yep, we have to re-paint the door after switching the older Schlage lock out

We’ve had SimpliSafe security system for years and love it!! Everything is wireless so you can set it up yourself using the sticky pads and screws that come with it. We have sensors on the doors, motion detectors, smoke alarms, water sensors, and multiple outdoor cameras. I have it programmed to arm “home” every night at bedtime and disarm when we wake up so we don’t have to think about it!

Simplisafe Smartlock

One of the newer additions to our SimpliSafe system is the smart keypad lock we added to the basement. I believe this is a newer product of theirs, and I wish we had had it years ago! Our basement is hard to get to, and for years we had a key in a lockbox that was tricky to open. This keypad connects to your existing deadbolt in some magical way, and it was pretty easy to install.

I LOVE that we can easily enter the basement from the yard now, and I also love that I have it set to re-lock after 5 minutes so I never worry that we left the door unlocked. (This was actually a problem during our renovation and we had the police come at 4 a.m. once because our alarm went off and the basement door was open! Luckily there were no intruders discovered.)

Smart Plugs

These are the Amazon smart plugs we have. They are $20 each and work with any outlet and device you need to plug in.

On our main floor: We have two lights with plugs so we can say “Alexa lights on” and they turn on. We can also control them from the app if we’re sitting on the couch (we frequently do this when watching a show at night). I also have them set to turn off at bedtime so we just go upstairs and don’t have to worry about turning the lights off one by one.

In the bedroom: We have our nightstand lamps on smart plugs so we can say “Alexa, night” and they turn off. I also have one of them set to turn on at 5 p.m. when we’re frequently going upstairs to change. We also have our white noise / air purifier on a smart plug so that every morning at 7 a.m. it turns off automatically. Unfortunately you can’t use the plug to turn on devices that don’t have a manual switch.

Automatic Blinds

One of my must-have splurges for our renovation was automatic shades. I am obsessed with being able to open and close these from bed! I have both a remote control and an app I can use to open and close them, but the real beauty of it is I have them scheduled to raise every morning at 7 a.m. and close in the evening after sunset. Yes, they were very expensive compared to traditional blinds, but yes, they are worth every penny!

We have the Hunter Douglas Applause Honeycomb Shades in Porcelain. I used Debbie of Gotcha Covered Cville for all the ordering and installation. Blinds are tricky and I liked having Debbie do all the measuring, installation, and programming!

Quad Outlets

This is one of those “if you’re doing a renovation or new build” items, but our electrician recommended quad outlets for our nightstands because of course we have 10 things plugged into each side! Even with 4, we have them maxed out with our phone + watch chargers, alarm clocks, lamps, and baby monitor.

Bathroom Drawers with Plugs

Another game changer we installed during our renovation were these outlets in drawers! It was a must-have for me, and I absolutely love just picking up my hair dyer and not having to plug it in every time. I do usually plug/unplug my curling iron for an extra safety measure.

Heated Towel Rack

Thomas’s towel dryer was a must-have for him! (I let my towels dry on hooks.) It’s programmable, so he has it set to heat every morning and then turn off all day.

Hands Free Pull-Out Trash

Back down in kitchen, our pull out trash can has a special adaptor that makes it hands free to open and close! You simply bump your hip or knee against it and it opens automatically. This does require power back there, but it’s not a complicated device and could be added to existing trash pull-out cabinets.

Hands-Free Faucets

I LOVE having a hands free faucet! You simply wave your hand under the neck and it turns on and off. It’s so great for germs or raw meat! Ours is the Sensate, which is discontinued, but the Tone is very similar. We have this touch on and off version for our coffee bar sink. It’s much less expensive, but I have to say I prefer the touchless we have at the kitchen sink. I also love having a hands-free dish soap and Simple Human is the best! I can have messy hands that go from trash can to soap to rinse without touching anything!

Charging Drawer

I was so excited to add outlets to our “junk drawer” too! We have house supplies on one side and a charging spot for iPads, phones, and our phone cleaner on the other. I’m not sure of the exact model of adapter we have, but this one is similar. If you have a hidden outlet in a nearby cabinet or through the side, you can make it work!

Robot Vacuum

This is the one we have – $200 off with my link and code ROBOT200. Last but not least, the hardest working member of the smart home family: our robot vacuum!! I purposefully created a spot for it in our open pantry so it could come and go on its own schedule. This thing has made a HUGE difference in crumbs and dog hair. The kicker is it self empties, so we only have to empty the larger basin once a week instead of everyday. I have it programmed to do the whole kitchen / living room every morning at 10 a.m. when everyone is at school / work. A few weeks ago it was knocked off the charger and wasn’t running for a few days before I noticed all the dirt and was like “What’s up with the robot?!” That’s when I discovered it hadn’t cleaned. The difference in dirt level was crazy! Here is my review blog post.