Nine Items That Clean Your House for You (That Aren't Robot Vacuums)

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Credit: Product photos courtesy of Amazon

While it can be fulfilling to put in the work and make your home spotless, we simply don't always have the time.

You might already have a robot vacuum zooming around to collect dust and dirt on your behalf, but there are a surprising number of lesser-known—and equally convenient—cleaning gadgets that could also be pitching in. From window cleaners to toilet scrubbers, here are some tech tools you can buy to outsource whatever chore you most despise.

Automatically clean your glass

Let’s start off with windows, which can be tedious to clean and still end up infuriatingly streaky when all is said and done. The Hobot-298 window cleaning robot is certainly a splurge at $299 on Amazon (though price-tracking tool Camelcamelcamel says that's lower than its average price of $435), but it's effective: Fill it with water, attach it to a window, and let it mist and polish away. It's particularly useful if your home has large, tall windows that are hard to reach. There is a cheaper option, too: The FMART T9Pro Window Cleaning Robot for $134.79.

You can also consider this cordless window vacuum from Sharper Image. It sprays down the glass and removes the water, sorting it into a separate reservoir so the clean and dirty water never mix. It's just $63.99.

Automatically clean hard floors

Yes, you likely know all about robot vacuums, but what about robot mops? The iRobot Braava Jet, $309 on Amazon, uses a precise jet spray to make your floors gleam, and it connects to your phone or smart home devices, learns the layout of your house, and can work in concert with Roomba robot vacuums to, per the company, “team up to vacuum to mop automatically in perfect sequence.”

Then again, try a robot that does it all for the ultimate automatic experience. There are some great robot vacuum/mop combos on the market, though they can be pretty expensive, so it might be worth it to start small and see how you like a cheaper version. Consider one from ROPVACNIC for just $139.98.

Finally, if you sweep a lot (I'm looking at you, people with long hair or fluffy pets) it might be worth it to upgrade to a stationary dust pan. It's kind of like a big vacuum that sits in the corner and you use your broom to direct dirt to it. From there, it just sucks it up. It's not fully automatic, since you still have to sweep, but it's more convenient than what you're doing now, isn't it? It's $149 on Amazon.

Automatically clean the toilet

Consider the beautifully named Fluidmaster 8300 Flush 'n Sparkle toilet cleaning system. You stick it in your tank and it disperses a little bleach whenever you flush. It can last up to three months, which is a long time to go without having to scrub your bowl, and it's only $10.59.

Automatically take care of the trash

The future is now, baby, because you can even have a robot take care of the trash for you. The Airdeer automatic trash can ($219) packs your trash, seals the bag, and adds a new bag to the container with the touch of a button—basically, it does everything besides actually taking out the trash. It comes with six refill rings, each of which holds 20 trash bags. 

Automatically clean up after the cat

For the most part, cats are the most self-cleaning pet you can get, but that doesn't mean it isn't annoying and nasty to deal with their litter boxes. Some self-cleaning litter boxes are on the spendy side, but you can find quality alternatives on Amazon. For instance, the Autoscooper 11 not only has a fantastic name, but is just $179.99. It is open on the top to not only reduce odors, but help your cat with the transition from regular litter box to fancier model, as other litter robots on the market fully enclose your kitty and might be a little too stressful.

Automatically clean your dishwasher

Again, you can do this yourself, but you shouldn't have to (or that's what I think, anyway). Clean your dishwasher by stuffing a cleaning pod into the space you'd normally put a detergent pod, then let it rip. It's just $8.99 for six tablets on Amazon.