Luxury Housing Trends & Home Improvement Ideas

Thanks to pervasive allergies, I’m actually a big fan of air purifiers, and I have more than one for the house. I’ve also heard of having them in the car, but this is the first time I’ve seen one specifically designed for closets.

The Smartek ST-70 Ionic Purifier is designed for use in closets or small rooms. It’s supposed to eliminate odors and “neutralize the air with a natural sanitizer.”

It uses “energy saving, plasma breeze technology” and can be placed on the closet floor, a shelf, or hung on a wall. There’s also an included attachment that lets you hang the air freshener right on your closet rod.

I guess it can’t hurt if your closet is smelling a bit musty, or there’s a smoker in the house, and you don’t like having your clothes smell of cigarettes.

Under $25 at Amazon:

Smartek ST-70 Ionic Purifier

Unless you’ve been living in an electronics-filled cave for a while, you’ve probably heard that your computers, televisions, stereos, etc. continue to idle and draw power even when you’ve turned them off. In other words, they waste energy.

One way to beat this “phantom power” drain is to hook everything up to a power strip and then flick that off when you’re done using things. But here’s a simpler route that doesn’t involving having to bend over behind the entertainment center to find the switch:

The Energy Saving Smart Strip denies power to electronics that aren’t in use. It’s supposed to save up to 73% on the energy used by your household electronics, paying for itself in two months.

“The average computer system uses 260 watts per hour just sitting idle, while a computer with a Smart Strip in the sleep mode uses less than 25 watts. The Smart Strip prevents your peripherals from drawing an idle current when not in use; it uses zero watts when off and 1 watt when fully energized.”

Available in different sizes through Real Green Goods.

I once heard that rubbing your hands on a metal spoon could get rid of pervasive cooking smells such as garlic and onion. I’m guessing this stainless steel “soap” bar follows the same principle.

Rubbing your hands with the Amco Rub Away Bar is supposed to get rid of fish, garlic, or onion smells, scents that always seem to linger no matter how many times you wash with regular soap and water. (For the urban homesteaders out there, one of the reviewers also said the bar was handy after dealing with chickens, compost worms, and other smelly stuff.)

I don’t think the old spoon trick worked for me when I tried it, so maybe this would be an improvement. You can pick up the stainless steel soap bar from under $10 at Amazon:

Amco Rub Away Bar

How much water do you use spraying your plants with the hose?

You might be surprised at how much of a resource hog the hose nozzle is, even for a quick hand watering in the evening. Now you can see exactly how much you’re using with this special hose nozzle, which comes with a spray meter.

The WaterWatch garden sprayer helps you conserve water by showing you how much you’re using. The 8-pattern sprayer is made from impact-resistant polymers, so it should hold up for a while too.

Seeing how much water you’re using on your plants might just be enough to convince you to install drip irrigation for your landscape and garden (or at least hook up your hose to some rain barrels instead of using water from the spigot).

$18 from Bright Green Ideas.

If you’ve been dying to know exactly how the plants in your vegetable garden pop out of the soil, unfurl, and grow, then I guess this gadget is made for you:

The time lapse garden video camera lets you make “a timelapse video of your garden to show you the development of individual specimens or entire areas over a period of time.”

You can position it as close as 20″ from your plants to see petal growth or you can use a wide angle view to cover a number of things. You can set how often you want pictures to snap (settings run anywhere from 5 seconds to once every 24 hours), which are ultimately combined into a single-file 1280 x 1024 resolution AVI movie that you can play back on the computer.

The garden camera comes with a light sensor that turns everything off at dusk and back on at dawn since (we assume) your plants aren’t doing anything exciting in the dark. Naturally the camera features a weather-resistant exterior, and it can operate between 122° F and 14° F. It can run for up to four months on a set of four AA batteries.

See a video of the garden camera in action at Hammacher Shclemmer:

The Timelapse Garden Video Camera

So, you’re trying to save money by using less electrical power around the house. Well, here’s an alternative way to power your blender:

This bike blender kit turns your standard bicycle into a way to convert your energy into something more useful than watching TV and eating potato chips.

“The basic Mini-B3 set up includes a universal rear rack that will attach to nearly all Mountain bikes (26″ wheel size), and Hybrid/Road bikes (27″/700c wheel size). The included rear rack features vertical adjustability which allows for the range of compatible wheel sizes… Three stainless steel machine screws hold the bearing in place and secure the blender to the rack. Unique clamping design allows for a range of blender positions that accommodate tire widths of up to 2.25 inches. Machined plastic parts are dishwasher safe and virtually unbreakable.”

It’s the ultimate in green living, for one kitchen appliance at least. Now if only I could hook the microwave up to this…

From the Peddlars’ Wagon.

When it comes to serious home security, I’d suggest a real safe (bolted to the floor), but this fake book safe could be an easy way to hide something private or valuable that you don’t want the rest of the family to find (every video I’ve seen of It Takes a Thief has the burglars dumping all the books off the shelves, so I’m pretty sure real thieves are wise to book safes).

While a DIY type could easily make a book safe from an old novel lying around the house (one that wasn’t very scintillating perhaps), this product has good reviews and sounds like it’s a cut above most homemade ones (it comes with a cover that keeps the contents from falling out even if the “book” is tipped over).

It’s made from an actual book, so it shouldn’t look out of place on your shelves.

Available through Amazon:

Diversion Book Safe

Here’s a handy gadget for anyone who grills or uses propane tanks for anything else around the yard (i.e. outdoor fireplaces, gas lights, etc.):

“The GasWatch is a propane gas leak detector that has a low-level gas indicator to let you know when it’s time to refill your propane tank. This brass retrofit adapter connects easily between the tank and the regulator, and the gauge also has an emergency shutoff feature that stops the propane flow immediately in case of major leaks by cutting off the gas supply.”

This sounds particularly  handy for those of us with gas grills.  It’s always a pain to have the propane run out when you’re in the middle of grilling up some steaks (especially if you don’t keep a spare tank on hand).

You can pick up the GasWatch at SmartHome for under $25:

GasWatch

Gone are the days when you actually had to have a hand free (or a dedicated helper) in order to hold a flashlight. If you find yourself doing repairs in dark areas of the house, such as under the sink or in the walls, then simply stick this magnetic LED light to a pipe and let it brighten up the space.

Do-it-yourselfers and homeowners will “find hundreds of uses for the Striker magnetic LED light. Use it when working on an engine, changing a tire, wiring a home theater, switching on a breaker, or crawling around under a counter or sink. It will stick to the fridge, making it the go-to flashlight for the whole family.”

Not only does this thing sound handy, but it looks cool too. If you have a gadget-lover in the family, this could be a fun gift. At $8 it’s not going to put a crimp on your wallet either.

More information and lots of nifty pictures at the Striker home page.

There just aren’t enough motion-sensing gadgets in the average house.

If you like the idea of a night light in your bedroom (hey, it’s nice to be able to see your glass of water before you bump it with your knuckles and knock it on the floor), but you don’t want anything shining in your eyes all night long, then perhaps a motion-sensing Night Light Coaster is just the ticket.

This portable, battery-operated coaster holds a glass, water bottle, Big Gulp cup, whatever, and all you have to do is wave your hand in its general direction to get it to turn on in the night. The light is bright enough to illuminate your nightstand so you can find your glasses, cell phone, pager, etc. in the dark.

I can’t help but wonder if the “motion sensing” feature will cause it to turn on every time the cats wander by, but other than that, it sounds like a useful (or at least unique) gadget.