The COVID-19 pandemic has made us aware of the many things in our homes that multiple people touch each day. We can sanitize those surfaces frequently, but today’s touchless technology makes it possible to avoid touching many surfaces at all. You may forget and touch your face, but at least you have no need to touch these household devices.
Clean connections
Even with touchless technology, it’s important to regularly sanitize every switch, knob, handle and remote device in your home. You also need to sanitize your cell phone frequently, since some touchless technologies are controlled by phone apps.
Smart hubs
A smart speaker system such as Amazon Echo or Google Home allows you to control many items around your home with voice commands instead of touch. With this touchless technology, you can turn the TV or lights on or off, play music or radio stations, adjust the thermostat, raise or lower motorized window shades and much more.
Locks and doors
Smart home security systems let you lock and unlock your home’s doors, raise and lower the garage door, adjust the thermostat control and more, all from an app on your phone. These touchless technology systems also offer convenience: You can let people in while you are away and shut the garage door if you forgot to when you left. Camera monitoring of your home is visible from your phone app, and you’ll get a push notification when doors are opened while you are away. Personal monitoring devices for the elderly allow you to check on them remotely.
Touchless floor cleaning
Regardless of the coronavirus, who wouldn’t love to quit sweeping and mopping the floor? With touchless technology, you can hang up the mop and broom. iRobot’s Roomba will sweep for you, even around furniture and into corners. Then the iRobot Braava Jet M6 takes on the mopping, cleaning the floor areas you select.
Touchless technology in the bathroom and kitchen
Hand washing has never been more important, but when you turn the faucet handle or pump the soap dispenser, you’re doing it with dirty hands. Why touch these at all when manufacturers like Moen and Kohler make faucets with motion-sensing technology that turns on the water with the wave of a hand? Likewise, brands like Kohler and simplehuman make dispensers that squirt liquid soap into your palm for you.
American Standard makes a toilet you can flush with a wave of your hand, and simplehuman manufactures sensor- and voice-activated trash cans as well as a lighted mirror that turns on with a sensor.
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