11 Best High-Tech Cleaning Appliances That Will Clean the Home for You

Ah, home. A sanctuary where we recharge our batteries, kick our feet up and let our hair down. In between all that relaxing, however, the dust starts to gather, and all that hair you were letting down will eventually find itself on the ground in tumbleweed-shaped knots (that goes double for your pets).

Since the home has also become a workspace for so many, keeping your living quarters clean and decluttered is more important than ever. Lacking the motivation to break out the vacuum? We don’t blame you. Cleaning is a slog, but thankfully there are plenty of cleaning gadgets out there that make cleaning easier and sometimes, dare we say, fun.

Read on to see how you can take control of your chores with these 11 affordable cleaning appliances.

1. Gladwell Gecko Automated Window Cleaner

Price: $199.95 on Amazon

Make window-wiping a practice of the past with this wall-crawling WiFi device from Gladwell. This app-controlled cleaner uses suction cups and microfiber cloths to make the most difficult window jobs a breeze — no ladders and sponge buckets are necessary. The Gladwell Gecko uses algorithm-based learning patterns to navigate its way around your glass surfaces, ensuring a streak-free shine every time. It even alerts you when the device finishes a job with a convenient app. Just spray your favorite window cleaner on the Gecko’s pads, affix it to the window, and kick back as your electronic minion takes care of the rest.

2. BrilliantPad Self-Cleaning Dog Potty Pad Machine

Price: $249.99 at Chewy

Dog-lovers rejoice! Pet messes are some of the toughest messes to clean. Eliminate the struggle with a BrilliantPad self-cleaning doggie pad. Program the machine to replace pads anywhere from 1-3 times a day, and easily seal away your pet’s waste (it even works for poo). Once your machine is out of pads, simply extract the convenient roll of sealed sewage and drop it into the trash. This is a great pick for those with smaller dogs or busier schedules.

3. Angry Mama Microwave Steam Cleaner

Price: $7.89 $6.89 on Amazon

Looking to add a bit of fun to your cleaning routine? Clean your microwave and have a chuckle at the same time with the Angry Mama microwave steam cleaner. This one won’t be winning any tech awards, but it wraps a simple, effective solution in a cute, comical little package. Just fill the silicone simulacrum of parental rage with some vinegar or water and set the microwave for a few minutes. Steam leaks from the top in a very cartoony approximation of an angry parent and gently loosen any stuck-on food or stains in your microwave. After the alarm, just open the door and easily wipe away the evidence of your inequity. It’s a great way to have a laugh and get some housework done while you’re at it.

4. Shark Rotator Professional Lift-Away Upright Vacuum NV500

Price: $245 at Walmart
Used For: An all-terrain option for sucking up dust, hair, crumbs, and other debris on floors and carpet

If you’re looking for your next vacuum, the Shark Rotator NV500 is a great budget choice that beats most vacuums at its price point. It has many benefits that you would expect from a modern vacuum (bagless, long-reach hose, multiple attachments) while having a cord means traditionalists won’t have to worry about docking the device.

Even though wireless is all the rage with most high-tech devices, for vacuums, there are many benefits to a corded setup. Corded devices have more powerful suction, and you never have to worry about running out of power. You also have to love the price — unless you’re buying refurbished, an entry-level wireless Dyson will run you about $300.

One thing to keep in mind is that the NV500 is not compatible with the under-appliance wand pictured in many Shark advertisements. If not having this attachment is a dealbreaker, visit the Shark website to look at their compatibility list and decide whether splurging on a higher model with the wand makes sense.

5. iRobot Roomba 675 Wi-Fi Connected Robot Vacuum Cleaner

Price: $274.99 at The Home Depot
Used For: A hands-off approach to floor and carpet cleaning

We promised fun cleaning, so here is one option that allows you to get your chores down by harnessing the power of WiFi. The iRobot Roomba 675 is a robot vacuum that loosens, lifts, and suctions dirt from both hard floor and carpet. While you can manually control it with the iRobot Home App, it can also do the job independently. Schedule automatic cleaning times within the app, or if you have a smart home device, you can utilize Google Assistant/Alexa voice commands to have your robot vacuum on command. The robot can run for up to 90 minutes on its own before it returns to its dock to recharge, and it’s pretty good about not getting stuck on rugs or falling down the stairs.

While the iRobot Roomba 675 stands out at its price point thanks to its durability and low-maintenance upkeep, the lack of a barrier system to keep it within a particular area means it might need a bit more babysitting than mid-range and high-end robotic vacuums. This isn’t much of a problem for smaller homes, but a larger living space might be better suited to a smart mapping vacuum like the iRobot Roomba i7 ($924.99).

6. iRobot Braava jet 240 Mopping Robot

Price: $199 at Walmart
Used For: You guessed it, mopping

Designed to clean tile and hard floors, this little 10-pound mopping robot intelligently tackles dirt and stains with three different cleaning modes: dry sweeping, damp sweeping, and wet mopping. The iRobot Braava Jet intuitively switches modes according to the type of cleaning pad attached. You can also set boundaries within your house with the Virtual Wall mode to keep the robot outside of rooms without a door.

In the Braava Jet package, you’ll receive two cleaning pads of each type, along with a battery charger to keep your robot happily mopping away. While you might have to manually scrub tougher stains out after this robot is done, it will keep your floors free from the worst of everyday dirt, stains, and spills. The Braava Jet 240 is great for smaller spaces and apartments, though it may struggle with cleaning larger homes. If you have a larger home, consider upgrading to the iRobot Braava 380t for a smoother experience.

7. BISSELL Little Green ProHeat Corded Handheld Deep Cleaner

Price: $133.89 at Best Buy
Used For: Deep cleaning carpet, couches, stairs, detailing cars

The world of robotic cleaners has made huge strides, but good old-fashioned elbow grease remains the best way to tackle the toughest jobs. Thankfully, the BISSELL Little Green ProHeat Deep Cleaner packs everything you need for those jobs in a conveniently portable package.

With this little beast in tow, the worst messes will fall before the might of hot water and BISSELL Professional Spot & Stain solution, while the high-powered vacuum will deliver the finishing blow to any offending stain. The water tank’s heatwave technology keeps your tap water hot for the duration of the cleaning process for more consistent, effective cleaning, and once you’re finished, the hose has a self-cleaning tool to purge all the built-up hair and odor collected throughout your session.

Because of its portability, the BISSELL Little Green ProHeat Deep Cleaner is also a powerful tool for cleaning car interiors. Just make sure to buy extra stain remover upon purchasing this cleaner, as we’ve found the included portion is only good for a few cleaning sessions.

8. Alpine Industries Black 700ml Wall Mount Automatic Hand Soap Dispenser

Price: $31.96 at Walmart
Used For: Washing and sanitizing your hands

Part of keeping your home clean is making sure that you and your guests are keeping germs at bay, and what better way to do that than with a no-touch hand soap dispenser?

The Alpine Wall Mount Automatic Dispenser is easy to mount and eliminates the need for grimy communal towels and cluttered countertops touch. Instead of pumping a soap bottle and leaving soap scum like crime scene fingerprints, the infrared sensor will cue the machine to dispense a consistent amount of soap right into your hand. Germ-averse shoppers can hang one of these near the entrance of their house or garage and fill it with hand sanitizer for an instant cleanse. While this may have been overkill in the past, it’s almost par for the course in these current times.

9. Rubbermaid Power Scrubber Brush

Price: $21.69 at Home Depot
Used For: Detail-oriented cleaning in the kitchen and bathroom

Another handy tool for keeping your bathroom clean is the Rubbermaid Power Scrubber Brush. It may be a budget-level power tool, but if your grout lines refuse to clear up no matter how hard you clean, this scrubber could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

The Rubbermaid Power Scrubber comes with four AA batteries and is ready to scrub right out of the box. It performs best when used for small detail-oriented work. Stuff like cleaning grout lines, removing water stains from metallic surfaces, cleaning sinks and faucets, and more. The power brush also comes with one additional scrubber head so you can keep one in the bathroom and the other in the kitchen.

10. Purifier Coway Airmega Mighty Air Purifier with True HEPA and Smart Mode

Price: $249.99 $164.99 at Walmart
Used For: Purifying air, reducing smoke pollution, removing allergens

Armed to the teeth with filters while performing its function with minimal noise, anyone serious about air purity in their home should pick up the Coway AP-1512HH Mighty Air Purifier. It boasts a 4-Stage Filtration System that includes a pre-filter (catches hair, fur, and dust), a deodorization filter (eliminates odors such as pet odors, cigarettes, food smells), a true HEPA filter (catches fine dust, dust particles, mold), and a vital ionizer that further reduces particles in the air.

One Coway unit covers 361 square feet, so you can use this to great effect in a living room or a bedroom. With three fan speeds and an air quality indicator, you have full control and can decide whether the situation calls for automatic or timer-scheduled purification. If you’re basing a purchase off of value and functionality, you can’t do much better.

11. Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50

Price: $399.99 $339.99 at Best Buy
Used For: Turning food scraps into compost

If you haven’t looked into composting because you didn’t know where to start, the Vitamix FoodCycler FC-50 is an incredibly convenient appliance that takes the food scraps from your kitchen and cuts down the volume of food waste by up to 90% by turning it into compost.

Food scraps like chicken bones, eggshells, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, and more can now avoid being dumped in the trash can and instead find a new, more valuable purpose as compost fodder. The FoodCycler comes with odor-eliminating carbon filters to reduce any foul smells from developing, and each food recycling session takes about four to eight hours to process your scraps into compost.

Turning food waste into soil nutrition is the ultimate environmentally friendly flex and greatly reduces the amount of trash in your kitchen waste bin, translating into an overall smaller ecological footprint and less trash at the landfill.