Every March, our team makes the trip to Chicago for the Inspired Home Show (IHS), one of the biggest housewares trade shows of the year, where thousands of brands debut new products, innovations, and releases across every category imaginable, from kitchen and bath to bed, organization, and beyond.
MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) systems are designed to continuously replace stale indoor air with fresh outdoor air while recovering heat that would otherwise be lost. In commercial and residential buildings, this technology provides several important advantages. First, it allows buildings to remain energy efficient without sacrificing airflow.
The purpose of a humidifier is to increase and regulate the indoor air's moisture level. How this works is different depending on the season and temperature both inside and outside. Overall, though, a humidifier helps maintain a comfortable, healthy, and optimal humidity range of 30 to 50%. To create this environment, most humidifiers use water vapor or steam to help combat dryness caused by heating systems or harsh climates (which often happen indoors during winter).
It looks like ordinary paint, but a new coating called Lilypad Paint has a hidden ability to pull moisture out of the air. It works like a dehumidifier, without the energy use. If it's on the wall in your bathroom, it can suck water vapor out of the air after you've taken a shower. The paint holds the humidity in nano-size pores, and then slowly releases it as humidity levels fall in the room.
The Clean+Wash Hygiene tweaks the way debris is collected. It still has a dirty-water tank and a debris tray, but it keeps both in the head of the device rather than cycling dirty water back up into a separate tank on the cleaner. Disposal looks similar to the old device, with the user still needing to empty both the dirty water and the debris tray, but removal of these items can happen at the same time.
The new range is a modern reinterpretation of the 1980's Philips Moving Sound design, and on the inside, there is technology of modern times. This audio accessory lineup is headed by two portable Bluetooth speakers, a pair of headphones, and cheeky earbuds that are hard to resist. All of them come in attractive color combinations for a nostalgic feel.
The Samsung Bespoke AI Jet Ultra is a cordless stick vacuum with 400 air watts of suction and a 100-minute battery life. It has a three-position wand that's length-adjustable, and an all-in-one clean station (which means it automatically empties and closes the dustbin, trapping 99.999% of fine dust particles).
The best alarm clocks present an alternative vision for your morning wake up routine: less grating, more considerate, and aesthetically pleasing. For this list, we opted for privileged looks and throwback features over Bluetooth capability and USB ports, resulting in an assortment of beautifully designed analog and digital alarm clocks that cover the basics—a snooze button, a backlight, and dimmer—without going full 21st century.
All of the appliances and systems are brand-new: the HVAC, the lighting, the entertainment. Touch screens of various shapes and sizes control this, that, and the other. Rows of programmable buttons sit where traditional light switches would normally be. The kitchen even has outlets designed to rise up from the countertop when you need them, and slide away when you don't.
They do nothing to save you power Scam "power saving" devices are rampant online. These devices plug into an outlet and promise to "improve the use of energy," "extend the life of electrical equipment," and even "avoid illegal electrical waste." Sounds great, right? Also: This USB power meter I tested is shockingly accurate - especially for how cheap it is Well, despite the bold claims and the sticker on the front of the unit, they are too good to be true.