Last Updated on June 10, 2020 by MakeThingsReal
When it comes to house help tools that you need for the home – there are literally hundreds of them. But those that are essential are quite a few. This article will look at a couple of essential and popular house help machines that is required in every home.
1. Jigsaw
The first house help tool that we will look at is the jigsaw. The jigsaw is excellent at cutting wood and metal – but it can do so much more than just cutting curves.
Here are a couple of reasons why you should add a jigsaw to the list of tools you have in your home.
- Portability
Jigsaws are effective at what they do and they are quite portable, as well. They are a must-have in the home especially for woodworkers who want to get the job done quicker than a hand-held saw would. When fitted with the right blade, a jigsaw can cut through wood, steel, fiberglass as well as drywall of varying thickness and density. This is why it’s so important you get one and keep it safe in your home.
- Bevel Cuts
With a jigsaw, you don’t need to purchase another fancy table saw for making bevel cuts. With a jigsaw, you can angle up the blade up to 45 degrees and then saw them for bevel cuts. What you need to do is to find a lever to pair it with the shoe of the saw and then slide it back and forth on the material that you want to make bevel cuts on.
2. Heat Press Machine
A heat press machine that has a metal surface that is electronically heated called a platen. It works in the same fashion as an iron does. The difference is the presence of the large heating surface. The heat press machine combines pressure, precise temperature control and a large heating surface that ensures even heating across the material. The way it works is simple. Once the press machine is hot, the platen will be lowered down onto the surface and locked on the material for a specific time period – depending on the material used. Some heat press machines also come with a timer that ensures control on how long the platen should be left on the material as well as the temperature of the item to be pressed. Heat press machines are made in a variety of styles namely the ‘clamshell heat press’ which is known for opening up vertically so you can access the item under the surface. Then, we have the ‘swing-away’ heat press machine. This type of machine swings the platen to the side once it’s done so the designer can have access to the material to be printed on. But we also have specialty versions of heat presses available. These includes :
- Mug presses
These types of heat presses have a platen that wraps around the surface of a coffee mug. The graphics will end up being wrapped around.
- Cap presses
Cap presses have a contoured platen design that lines up perfectly with the front part of a baseball cap.
3. Laminator
Laminator fuses two pieces of plastic together with a paper in between. This device’s main aim is to preserve the quality of the material being laminated by providing a plastic protection against moisture, stains, and fingerprint. When a piece of paper has been laminated, it comes out sturdier which makes it easy to hold or affix to a wall without fear of being destroyed by moisture or stains. Lamination is good for business cards, photographs, certificates, recipes etc. There are different types of laminators out there that will fit your needs. They vary based on what it’s being used for.
Factors to consider when buying a laminator
The key consideration for laminators is how you intend to use it. The size of the material you intend to laminate. Ensure that the machine you intend paying for can laminate the size range of materials that you want to laminate.
4. Carpet Cleaner
also known as a carpet extractor. This house tool is designed to extract dirt and stains from the carpets in your home. In order to use the carpet cleaner, you need to pretreat the carpet first. You do this by spraying a cleaning solution on it and let it soak well. You wait for about 10-15 minutes. Once the carpets are soaked, you can bring out the carpet cleaner so it can pump water into the carpet and extract the dirt and soapy fluid at the same time.
Components of Carpet Cleaners
- Pump
This is how the carpet cleaner generates pressure that injects water into the carpet. Carpet cleaners can inject water at a pump pressure level that ranges from 60 pounds per square inch (psi) to 500 psi
- Vacuum
The vacuum in the carpet cleaner is used to extract the soapy fluid and dirt from the carpet which it then empties into the extraction tank. Vacuums work with motors and we have different configurations available ranging from single 2-stage motors to two 3-stage motors. Two-stage motors are often recommended for optimum performance. The only way of measuring how powerful a vacuum motor is by checking the airflow (cubic feet per minute) it produces. Airflow refers to how air moves through the machine and it ranges from 100 to 200 cubic feet per minute.
- Solution Tanks
These tanks are used to hold the rinse water on the carpets.
- Recovery Tanks
This is where the dirt and soapy fluids used on the carpets are extracted to. They often range from a size of 4.5 gallons to 15 gallons.
