Technologies are developing very quickly and appliances are becoming “smarter.” We pay more for special features without even thinking if we really need them.
Bright Side invites you to read about features of household appliances that might not be completely necessary.
Vacuum cleaner
Washing. They force you to buy special washing liquid. Besides, if you forget to empty the tank or you don’t wash it well enough, it will start to smell bad.
Ultraviolet lamp to kill germs. However, to destroy your “invisible enemies,“ you have to keep the brush on every piece of the floor for a few minutes. Besides, germs return in no time.
Antibacterial container cover. This is just a very clever marketing move, based on a popular fear of dangerous ”house neighbors.”
Fridge
Air ionization. Ozone that is emitted during ionization is supposed to kill germs, keeping food fresh for longer. In fact, there’s no evidence that ionization does this.
Antibacterial cover. There is no research that proves this cover prolongs the life of food. Besides, it definitely doesn’t kill germs on food.
Ice generator. Fridges with an ice dispenser cost much more money. We don’t recommend spending extra money on it because you can make ice using simple ice cube trays.
No Frost. You still need to defrost fridges with a No Frost feature, just less often. However, modern fridges don’t require regular defrosting.
Washing machine
A huge number of programs to set all the necessary parameters. These popular features are usually nothing more than the right combination of temperature and spin cycle.
Automatic dosing of detergent. This feature often works exactly the other way around: more detergent is used in automatic mode than in manual mode.
Laundry drying. This feature is necessary only if you have nowhere to dry your laundry. Remember that such machines are not only expensive but consume a lot of electricity.
Dishwasher
Lower water consumption. This only works when you need a few plates washed. Hardly anyone uses a dishwasher for a few dishes. Besides, it will consume electricity anyway.
Remote smartphone control. This feature is very useful for air conditioners because they can cool down the apartment before you arrive. Why would you need such a feature in a dishwasher?
Indicator. Expensive machines project an indicator of the time remaining on the floor. However, even the quietest machines make noise. By knowing the approximate duration of the cycle, you can tell when the process has finished.
Oven
Cooking programs. Modern ovens have programs that allow you to cook specific meals. Convenient, but it only takes a moment to set the right time and temperature manually.
Self-cleaning. You heat up the oven to 900ºF (500ºC), and all the leftovers inside burn down. It is handy, but such ovens cost a lot and consume a lot of electricity.
Steam generator. Be careful: they often call a small hole at the bottom of the oven a steam generator. Don’t pay extra money for this “gadget.” Replace it with a simple frying pan.
Advertising overhype
The stuff we see in advertising is far from what we purchase. The people who create pictures of food for ads will stop at nothing to make you spend your money.
Preview photo credit Lego
SOURCE: BRIGHTSIDE
Kayode Emmanuel Ojo is the Co-Founder and Managing Director at SHEFFA Limited. He is presently studying Computer Science at the National Open University, Victoria Island, Lagos.