4 ways to automate your home for the holidays

Amy Iverson
·4 min read
Kerry Osaki, right, helps his wife, Lena Adame, in the kitchen in Fountain Valley, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. Many families spend extra time in the kitchen during the holiday season and may benefit from some high-tech kitchen devices.
Kerry Osaki, right, helps his wife, Lena Adame, in the kitchen in Fountain Valley, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2020. Many families spend extra time in the kitchen during the holiday season and may benefit from some high-tech kitchen devices. | Jae C. Hong, Associated Press

The holiday season is unavoidably busy for most families. But some gadgets and devices can make things smoother by enabling some tasks to take care of themselves.

There are certain responsibilities we can’t get out of, so why not make them as simple as possible? In this age of smart homes, there are ways to make our routines smoother and, in some cases, safer.

These four devices can take a bit of stress off your shoulders during the holidays and throughout the year.

Pan stirrer

For anyone who spends much of December chained to the stove making that perfect sauce, give them their own sous chef.

Many recipes call for something to be constantly stirred on the stove, which takes a lot of time. The automatic pan stirrer from Uncommon Goods can help the cook break free for a bit. Simply place it in a pan of liquid up to two inches and push the button on the top.

The pan stirrer stirs any simmering or low-heat liquid while you go take care of literally anything else. It’s heat safe up to 200 degrees, has a built-in timer and three intensity settings. The best part is the legs pop off to throw into the dishwasher.

Choose the battery powered option for $25 or a rechargeable stirrer for $34.

A smarter garbage can

As cold and flu season comes around again, you may be looking for ways to keep sickness at bay. No doubt our garbage cans are covered in germs, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. And while many of us prefer a lid on a garbage can as to avoid seeing what’s inside, it can add to germ spreading to continually open and close that lid.

But thanks to the evolution of garbage cans, lids don’t have to be touched to be opened. The foot pedal helped so that dirty hands don’t touch the lid (think throwing away raw chicken scraps) and motion-sensors made it even better so someone could wave a hand to open the lid.

Now, Simplehuman has elevated the garage can even more. Its Voice + Motion Sensor Garbage Can addresses every annoying issue. Yes, it has a motion sensor aimed upward so one can wave a hand over it to lift the lid, but it also has an outward-facing sensor, so as long as someone is standing in front of the can, the lid remains open.

This garbage can also responds to your voice. Say “open can” and the lid lifts for about 10 seconds. Say “stay open” to keep the lid up for 10 minutes or until you say “close can”. It enables you to completely take care of trash without using your hands and feet, but the luxury comes at a price.

Depending on size and finish, these smart trash cans range from $200 to $325.

Switchbots

For those who aren’t ready to completely turn their home into a smart one but have a few basic tasks they’d like to automate, take a baby step with a switch pusher. Mount this Switchbot gadget near any button or switch and pair it with your phone. No matter where you are, you can use your phone to push any button or switch in your house when it has a Bot attached.

When you initiate the Bot, a little plastic finger reaches out and pushes whatever is in front of it. It takes just a few seconds to install and you can automate it to turn on a light switch, start a coffee machine or open a garage door. The Switchbots come with lifetime customer support, a hassle-free warranty and a 30-day money back guarantee.

Choose from white or black for $30 each to make anything in your home smart.

Smart buttons

Lastly, here’s something for the advanced smart home owner who has a lot of routines synced with their phone. If opening up various apps to control music, lighting, locks or myriad other tasks is too laborious, try these simple buttons.

Flic smart buttons can integrate with many platforms such as Apple HomeKit, Alexa and Philips Hue to initiate any task by pushing a literal button that’s linked to any routine. Imagine placing one of these small buttons next to the garage door so that when you leave in the morning, one push initiates a routine of turning off lights, lowering the thermostat and locking all the doors. Or place one on your nightstand to kick off a nighttime routine of soft music playing, dimming lights and closing all garage doors.

The buttons require some set up and often necessitate programming not only the buttons, but also making some adjustments to whatever integrated platform is involved. But helpful online support videos walk users through it all and the set-up could pay off with a real simplification of many daily routines.

The buttons come singly for $30, in a three-pack for $80 or a six-pack for $130.