If you were “nominated” for the “honor” of hosting the holidays this year, you might be having small panic attacks right about now. Like it or not, the family will be arriving soon, and some will be staying for the week or long weekend. There is a lot to get ready and a lot to do on the holiday. Here are some ways that investing in home automation now can save you a headache later:
Automated Vacuums and Mops
Your lie doesn’t stop before the holidays, so your family will still be tromping through the house, getting the floors dirty. Even if you clean them the day before everyone arrives, some touch ups might be needed the day of your party – and who has time for that? Furthermore, it will be impossible to keep them clean while your guests are there. That’s why investing in an automated vacuum and or mop can be money well spent. Just charge it, coordinate its path, and let it clean up after all the guests. You can even have it run overnight so it isn’t in the way during the day.
Connected Appliances
Check on your connected appliances without stopping whatever other task you are doing. Whether you use an app or a voice-controlled home assistant, get updates on your laundry and dishwasher cycles without ever stepping foot into the kitchen or laundry room. You can also make sure you ask your kids or partner to help at the exact right time. Some connected ovens will even allow you to start pre-heating remotely.
Holiday Playlists
Use the Amazon Echo to play pre-made playlists of classic, contemporary, and popular holiday music. You can easily control the volume and skip songs with just your voice, and there are several playlists to choose from to keep your guests happy and in the holiday spirit.
Smart Locks and Digital Keys
Smart locks might be one of the things that is most responsible for helping me keep my sanity over the holidays. Instead of having to make a bunch of spare keys, or hiding several spare keys (cause let’s face it – we all have that one relative that forgets to put it back), just purchase smart locks and set up digital keys for the guests that are staying. You never have to worry about whether or not they returned the keys either, since you just delete their access after the holidays. A bonus is that you can check to see when the doors are accessed, and you can remotely lock or unlock the doors as needed.
Smart Plugs
When you have short or long term guests, you can see a spike in your energy bills. Your guests might not adhere to the same strict standards on turning the lights off, and on top of that your energy is going to have to support charging tons of phones, laptops, and tablets. Use smart plugs in your guest rooms so that you can easily check and monitor your lights, and so that you can turn them off remotely without ever invading your guests space.
