Can you imagine a life without Wi-Fi, Facebook or even UBER?
We are moving closer to a world in which technology is such a crucial part of how we live, that when Facebook doesn’t load, there’s mass panic on Twitter!
In Australia, technology has affected how we do basic household chores. Technology has also changed the way we eat food, clean our homes and how we live.
New technologies are allowing people to get things done quicker and they are spending less time on housework. The 2016 Census shows an average Australian woman spends between 5 and 14 hours weekly on housework even with the help of machines. We have come a long way from the 1950s where our mothers and grandmothers spent up to 14 hours daily on domestic chores.
In 2018, the reality is almost sci-fi. At the touch of a button on our phones, we can order food, clothes (even try them on virtually), book cleaners, cinema tickets, nannies without talking to a single human being.
Your favourite meal at a click
Globally, food delivery services like UBEReats, Menulog and Deliveroo have disrupted the traditional restaurant-customer relationship. Before, one had to queue up outside a new café or wait for weeks before getting a booking to eat in a well-known restaurant.
Now, if you feel like eating one of George Calombaris’s famous souvlaki, instead of calling Jimmy Grants to place an order, simply download an app, customise your souvlaki and have it delivered to your door in less than 20 minutes.
For the purists among you who like cooking their own meals but are time-poor, this company delivers the right quantity of ingredients with a recipe to your door. No more fighting traffic jams to get to your grocery store or wandering up and down aisles trying to figure out where the dashi or sambal is
Vacuuming is a breeze
When Australians rated which household chores they hated the most, to no one’s surprise, vacuuming was part of that list. So when iRobot Roomba released in 2002, it took the world by storm. According to iRobot’s CEO, over 14 million Roombas had sold by 2016 and the numbers are rising.
The robotic vacuum automatically detects dirt and cleans around corners using smart sensors. You connect iRobot to your Wi-Fi and tell it when to clean, how many times among other functions, using its app.
Different iRobot models performing different cleaning jobs are now available in the market. They are growing in popularity among a population that is time poor, cashed up and hates vacuuming.
The latest Roomba will set you back $1500 though there are cheaper, newer models like Braava Jet (for mopping) which costs $479.
Whether you want to outsource this important job to a little robot (with some flaws) is the question.
Smart home and appliances
You must have seen the latest Google Home ad, showing a girl asking it what the day’s weather is. If you fancy talking to a voice recognition device then Alexa and Google Home are for you.
Feeling lazy to switch off the living room lights? No problem, ask Google Home to do it. Touted as your own personal assistant available 24/7, it’s one device to control all others (sounds a little like Lord of the Rings).
Home appliance manufacturers are also catching up to the needs of the ‘smart home consumers’. Fridges and dishwashers have set and forget functions controlled from an app on your phone. Want your home to be cool but don’t want to pay for usage when no one is home? Control the temperature on your air conditioning unit, switch on and off from your phone.
Smart ovens have also taken the guesswork out of knowing when the lamb roast is ready. These extra functions do come at a higher price, but if you are excited at the thought of serving perfectly cooked roasts to your guests, they might be worth the investment.
On demand home cleaning services
Your own housekeeper robot might not be possible just yet but companies like UrbanYou provide affordable home cleaning through on demand cleaners and gardeners, at the click of a button.
Choose your service, time and date and pay for everything online. Do it in your own time and get confirmation faster than boiling water for your cuppa.
The future of housework indeed looks quite bright with Kickstarter projects seeking funding for robots and ironing machines. A world in which we do not have to do any housework seems possible and I, for one cannot wait.
While technology keeps making our lives easier, whether we are using the extra time for more productive activities than scrolling through social media is doubtful!
In the meantime, use UrbanYou to book yourself a home cleaning service. I know what I would rather be doing instead.
