Technology & Gadget Blog

Steam is in the air! Well, it is at Toronto Fashion Week, anyway, which wraps up its festivities tomorrow. Sponsored by LG Canada, this year’s Fashion Week didn’t just showcase lovely threads, it also presented us with how to care for those clothes, the focus being on LG’s line of steam cleaning washers and dryers.

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a presentation in the big white tent on Tuesday, where a rep from LG showed off the SteamWashers in all their glory: sleek design, innovative features, and all amongst gorgeous garments by Canadian designer David Dixon.

These Energy Star rated washers and dryers truly are top of the line and they save you money in more ways than you thought possible. Their large capacity means fewer loads, cutting down on energy usage, money and time spent doing laundry. The steam cleaning is remarkable, with the SteamWasher lifting out stubborn stains and the steam cycle on the dryer reducing odors in 20 minutes… without the use of harmful detergents.

Concerned about your child’s allergies? No worries — the SteamWasher has an allergiene cycle that reduces common household allergens by more than 95%.

All in all, you’re saving time, money and energy — and lessening your impact on the environment. What more could you ask for in a washer and dryer?

Price: Washer and Dryer, $3499

Available at: Sears Canada

Want to know more about steam technology? Check out my Tech Style column in the May ‘09 issue of Style at Home, where I talk to Frank Lee of LG Canada about why steam appliances are more expensive and why they’re worth it; plus, what other steam products are available for your home. On sale April 6th!

In the past couple of years, I’ve moved several times from apartment to apartment, and each time, I’m faced with the task of taking a printout of the floorplan and trying to arrange my furniture with hand-drawn replicas within the tiny borders (neither pretty nor accurate, might I add). As I start preparing to move into a larger space come May, I’ve also started hoping I can find an easier way to plan the layout of the space.

My wishes were not made in vain, because I found floorplanner.com, a fab website that allows you to digitally create your own floorplans. What’s the best part about the site? It’s free!

The site offers a ton of cool features, so here’s the gist: sign up for a free account and start building. Drop-down menus for room selection and objects make it easy to remember what needs to be considered for each space. Drag room objects onto the layout and size them to the scale of the room. Everything is virtually customizable and you can switch between 2D (shown above) and 3D to view. The options are endless. Having a big party in your backyard? The site has objects that let you plan for table arrangement and centrepieces, and garden objects that may obstruct views and groundspace.

With the free version, you can create up to one house, but there’s an upgrade available for $28 US that lets you build up to 5 houses. If you’re in the professional field, whether it be a designer or contractor, floorplanner.com has specialized accounts to cater to your business.

What’s not to love?

Have a neat gadget or tech accessory you’d like me to feature? Shoot me an e-mail at