Eight nifty gadgets you didn't realise your home needs

Sometimes you don’t know what you’re missing out on until someone comes along and tells you what’s out there. So, here we are, letting you know that these eight things might just change your life for the better.

White noise machine

If your partner snores or your neighbours are still being noisy when you’re trying to get to sleep, it’s time to take action. And, until a superhero with the power to mute sounds appears, we’re going to have to look at technology to help out.

After all, the number one way to improve your life is to get better sleep. Whether it’s the noises around you or your own overactive mind keeping you awake, a white noise machine could be your best investment.

This handy little gadget fits easily on the corner of your bedside table and helps you switch off, be soothed and get the best night’s sleep of your life.

DS Dohm Sound Machine. Photo: Ear Store

Motion sensor night-light

Haven’t eaten enough carrots to see in the dark yet? Whether you’ve got a little person who traipses the hallway at night in search of a cuddle, or you’re always scrambling around for a torch for a middle-of-the-night loo visit, it’s hard enough being up at night without bumping into walls.

Whatever your reason for being up when the sun’s down, a motion sensor night light could make life a little easier.

A motion sensor night-light means you don’t have to waste electricity leaving lights on, or batteries for constant night lighting. Instead, it turns on when you get up. You can even get a night-light that lights the toilet bowl if you’re so inclined.

Dehumidifier

Humid or damp air in your home can encourage a lot of things you don’t want: mould, dust mites and condensation for starters. That’s where a dehumidifier comes in.

De’Longhi’s Ariadry compact dehumidifier is one of the company’s most powerful machines. This nifty gadget draws the air in and extracts the moisture, pushing the dryer air back into the room. It also comes with a handy laundry function, which allows you to dry your clothes faster.

This model is operational in temperatures as low as 2 degrees, so can work in either cold, damp homes or in a hot and humid environment, keeping your home healthy as can be no matter the weather.

Ariadry compact dehumidifier. Photo: De’Longhi

A collection of robots

If you ever wanted to live in a futuristic home, now is your chance.

There are robots on the market for all sorts of jobs: gutter cleaning, laundry folding, window cleaning, vacuuming, setting your home’s ambience, security, and even reading stories to the kids. These critters are being invented so that you don’t have to do the hard yards anymore, and we’re okay with that.

Smart toothbrush

Brushing your teeth is boring, right? Well, maybe not anymore – at least, not when you have a tooth-brushing app to play with.

There are a few electric toothbrushes on the market now that connect to your phone via blue tooth. That means you can see a map of your teeth, track your brushing habits and have your own personal brushing coach that rewards you for great brushing. If you’ve always wanted to finish your day with recognition of your tooth brushing achievements, then this is for you.

Black Wall Street Electronic Toothbrush. Photo: Bruzzoni

Wine cabinet

In Australia, we’re known for drinking our white wines too cold and our red wines too warm. Taylors Wines found that most of us serve reds between 22 and 24 degrees: what we consider to match the old advice to serve them at “room temperature”. The problem is that this advice dates back to the chilly rooms in medieval France: 14 to 16 degrees.

The purchase of one little cabinet will solve that problem. And really, drinking a good wine at its perfect temperature at the end of the day is going to change life for the better.

Pet cam

If leaving your four-legged best friend at home while you work makes you sad, then a pet cam could be a wise buy.

They range from cameras that let you see your pet, to devices that allow you to chat to them and press a button to release a treat. Some even have a button that lets your pet call you, or monitors the temperature of the house to make sure your buddy is comfortable.

Pawbo Wi-Fi Pet Cam and Treat Dispenser. Photo: Gadget Flow

Digital art display

Art makes a house feel homely, but it’s so hard to choose that one right piece of artwork for the room.

That’s where a digital art device comes in, turning your home into a masterpiece. The screen can be mounted on the wall (some are even framed) or freestanding on a shelf, and you either join an art club for a small monthly fee or buy individual works to be displayed. You can change the art whenever you want, straight from your phone, choosing from classic works to modern moving image art.

It’s budget friendly art that suits those of us who can’t commit to one painting.

Any of these gadgets will make your home life a little better, or at least a bit more fun.

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