4 smart gadgets that promise to de-germ your house: get ready to have guests over again

Most of us are always on the lookout for new tools to help make our lives easier and keep our environments clean and tidy. But, while that usually means simple hacks, there's also a lot of smart home tools that have been designed to go a few steps further.

The past year and a half has made many of us painfully aware of how lax some of us were before 2020 about keeping our houses (and ourselves) as safe and clean as they could be. Unsurprisingly, this has meant a surge in brands looking for ways to help us keep our environments germ-free in the most convenient way possible.

We've taken a look at some of the best and most intriguing examples of this, and listed them below. All of them promise to aid you in your mission to create a home environment free from bacteria and other nasties and, at the very least, they'll give you a little more peace of mind as we prepare to welcome friends and family back into our homes.

1. Blueair HealthProtect 7470i

First on our list is the newly released Blueair HealthProtect air purifier, which has become the first machine of its kind from a major brand to remove SARS-CoV-2 from the air (in a controlled environment, based on research by US non-profit MRI Global - it has not been proven to reduce transmission of Covid-19).

We've had a chance to test the HealthProtect and, while it's difficult to really know how much impact it is having on the levels of germs and viruses in the air, we rate it highly as an air purifier that operates quickly and incredibly quietly. And if it helps keep away winter sniffles, summer allergies, and of course something worse, then it's a fantastic tool to have working away in the background.

Jonas Holst, Chief Product Officer, said: “There is no surprise that a fear of COVID-19 is driving demand for air purifiers, and as such, our commitment to consumers is to deliver honest, factual, results on live SARS-CoV-2 virus that consumers can trust. Air purifiers should be used as an additional measure alongside the national and international guidelines”.

Check out our guide for a roundup of the best air purifiers.

2. INEOS Hygienics Touchless Hand Sanitiser

If you're anything like us, you've found yourself staring longingly at the convenient automatic hand sanitiser dispensers found in front of shops and restaurants from time to time. We even started resenting the very analogue plastic bottles in our handbags, but now you can have both!

The INEOS Hygienics Touchless Hand Sanitiser is the perfect little gadget for your hallway, allowing yourself and any other visitors to easily sanitize their hands without touching anything. Pop it on a side table, or even in the kitchen for easy mid-cooking cleaning, and you won't have the stress of people bring their dirty paws into your sanctuary.

3. HygieneShield UV Disinfection Cabinet

Beko has a whole range of products in its HygieneShield range, including a steam iron and dishwasher, but the one that catches our attention is the UV Disinfection Cabinet. One for those who like to clean any items that come into their home, you can use it to clean a huge range of things.

It won't come as a shock that research from Beko reveals that 81% of us have been disinfecting items at home more and more over the past 18 months.

The cabinet promises to kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses using the power of targeted UV light and has been approved by the Airmid Health Group. Items Beko suggests for cleaning include keys, phones and food packaging, and the settings include modes for baby bottles, cutlery and more.

4. AquaClean Sofas

Fabrics on sofa and bedding can become one of the prime locations for grime and bacteria, and there's only so much that regular cleaning can do. Enter AquaClean, who has brought out a range of sofas made from virus-killing upholstery fabrics.

The sofas are currently available from stores including John Lewis, and style certainly hasn't been compromised.

It works by using zinc particles to kill everything from bacteria to dust mites and has been certified to ISO standard for reducing bacteria by 99.99% within just 24 hours and reducing viruses by a little over 91%. You can read more about AquaClean from our friends at Real Homes.