Make Your House Feel Self-Cleaning Until AI Takes Over That Job, Too

With AI taking over every job, including mine, it ought to be able to clean for us, too. Right? At least these ideas can make your home feel like it’s self-cleaning.

You know, until the AI apocalypse comes along and wipes everything out.

A barricade against dirt

Entrance mats dramatically cut down on dust by keeping people from tracking dirt inside. Have you ever noticed the size of the entrance mats when you walk into a grocery store. That’s why you don’t see a lot of dusty boxes or cans there.

Putting floor mats on both sides of your home’s entrances can do the same thing, so you won’t have to dust and vacuum as much to keep your home looking clean.

Clean the air

Your HVAC system doesn’t only heat or cool your home: it also cleans your air every time it kicks in. But it needs a fresh filter to do that, so change yours monthly.

Then, run your blower fan for 30 minutes after cleaning, even if you don’t turn on the AC or heat. You’ll filter any dust you disturbed, so surfaces stay clean longer and your entire home’s air quality will improve.

Stop toilet odors

Keeping your toilet bowl clean and fresh keeps your bathroom from smelling. But you don’t have to get down and scrub the bowl every day to accomplish this.

A simple way to fight toilet odors and stains is by spraying the bowl daily with hydrogen peroxide to disinfect it and dissolve stains.

Just attach a clean spray nozzle to a new bottle of the stuff and spritz the inside of the bowl after flushing. Keep the peroxide out of direct light, though: sunlight makes it ineffective.

Stop food spills and stains

Do you know the easiest way to protect your furniture and floors from food stains? Banish eating anywhere besides the kitchen except, maybe, popcorn on family movie night.

I know, I know. Who wants to watch Netflix without a pint of ice cream and a spoon, right? (Tell me it’s not just me.) But no one says you can’t make an exception for yourself after the kids are in bed.

Adopt future fashion

Speaking of Netflix, have you ever noticed how homes shown in movies set in the future are ultra-minimalist? Everything’s hidden behind doors or in drawers, so a single flower in a vase on a table really pops decor-wise.

I guess it could be that after AI takes over, none of us can afford to own anything. Or maybe it’s because humanity finally figured out that the less decor they have sitting out, the less dusty their homes get?

Change into something more comfortable

Remember what I said about those entrance mats catching dirt at the door? Having separate house shoes is another way to keep dirt out of your home so everything stays cleaner.

As a bonus, you’ll reduce bacteria and mold spores in your home, too. Most outdoor shoes have half a million of each on their soles. Taking them off at the door keeps that stuff out of your house.

Use your kitchen helper

Ever wished for a second set of hands to help cleaning? Your dishwasher may not have hands, but it can definitely lighten your load. (Sorry for the pun. Sometimes I can’t help myself.)

Your dishwasher can lean everything from bathroom accessories to floor vents—over 50 things, actually.

So, although it doesn’t make your house self-cleaning, it’s still less cleaning you have to do yourself.

Lay down liners

Scrubbing anything takes time and it’s boring. A simple way to keep many kitchen surfaces cleaner is by lining them. Then you just change the liner to clean them.

• Spread aluminum foil on top of kitchen cabinets that don’t reach the ceiling so they catch dust.
• Line fridge shelves with press and seal film, or get washable refrigerator liners.
• Use paper towels to line your produce and meat drawers to catch drips and control humidity.

Stop soap scum

That soap scum in your shower is the result of hard water interacting with fats in some soaps and shampoos. It’s a pain to clean, too.

Using a daily shower spray keeps the soap scum from forming, so it’s like having a self-cleaning shower in your home. Bonus: it helps prevent mold and mildew, too.

Animal patrol

My dog makes it feel like our home has self-cleaning floors sometimes, the way she rushes in to clean up any spill. Meanwhile, the cat kicks litter everywhere, so things balance out.

Brushing both of them every day works wonders to control pet hair, so my furniture, rugs, bed, even the curtains all stay cleaner.

And since pet hair and dander are major components of dust, there’s less of that in my home, too. Plus, they love the attention—especially the cat. He’s a diva.

So, while we all wait for homes that actually do clean themselves, at least these steps make our homes feel self-cleaning. You know, until AI invents a robot to do the job.