This past weekend I cleaned out my apartment with the help of my good friend Alexa Amazon's smart assistant is one of the most indispensable tools in my daily life I keep an Echo in each room to control the best smart home devices, act as an intercom to talk to my family, and remind me of tasks like putting the trash can out on the street on Sunday and Wednesday nights

My Echo Dot ($49, Amazon) is indispensable when it comes to cleaning Most people just play music on their smart speaker while cleaning Some might use it to control the best smart lights But Echo smart speakers and smart displays can do much more than that Here are five ways smart assistants can make your chores more efficient and convenient

When it's time to start cleaning up, all I have to say to the nearest Echo is "Alexa, clean up" This phrase triggers a routine that I build in the Alexa app to focus on the task at hand First, I turn off the Roku TV, enable Do Not Disturb, play a specific music playlist from Spotify, and finally send out the Shark IQ robot vacuum cleaner This way, you feel like you've been bitten by the cleaning bug and can push your overall thoroughness to the next level

You can start using my routine as a blueprint, but you can do more than that With smart blinds, I can open the blinds and let the sunlight in With a smart thermostat, I can automatically turn on the air conditioner If you are creative enough and have a few connected devices around your smart home, the possibilities are endless

Speaking of saving time, I use Alexa to track my time I can set daily, weekly, and monthly reminders For example, I can say, "Alexa, remind me to unload the dishwasher at 5:30 PM every day," or "Alexa, remind me to take out the trash tomorrow at 9 PM" You can also add tasks to a to-do list, keep track of them, and check them off when completed

My ADHD brain is at its best when I use the Pomodoro Time Technique to get work done; I use Alexa to set a 25-minute focus timer, then take a 5-minute break to gather my thoughts This way, the task is broken up into shorter, more manageable chunks so you can track your progress on putting away clothes or mopping one-half of the floor Try saying, "Alexa, set a timer for 25 minutes," or if you like to work for 45 minutes and take a 15-minute break, set a longer timer

In addition to music, you can have it play your favorite audiobooks or podcasts and catch up on what you're reading while you clean If your living space is littered with Echo devices, you can take advantage of multi-room listening" Say "Alexa, play music anywhere," and you can play the same content throughout the house This comes in handy when you are mopping between rooms

Amazon's Smart Air Quality Monitor ($69, Amazon) gives you an easy-to-understand score of indoor air quality It breaks down humidity, harmful particles, and temperature to rate the quality of the environment If indoor air quality drops too low, it can be used to initiate routines such as turning on an Alexa-enabled device such as an air purifier, dehumidifier, or fan In fact, Alexa can even send notifications to cell phones and alert Echo devices of danger

I bought it because I was staying in an old apartment where I kept heavy-duty sandpaper and wood stain I cleaned it several times, but I continue to use the gadget to monitor the air particles and automatically activate the air purifier if the air quality gets too low I just wish the windows would open automatically

If I find myself out of essentials like toilet paper or cleaning spray, I can say, "Alexa, reorder [product name]," or "Alexa, add [product name] to your shopping cart," and check out when ready Alexa completes the entire process in a few voice-activated steps so you can focus on the task at hand You can also set up smart notifications and automatic reordering, allowing Alexa to track and automatically reorder standard household items such as plastic bags, laundry pods, soap, toilet paper, ink cartridges, etc

If you've been working with smart homes for any length of time, you may remember Amazon's Dash button With this physical button in your kitchen or bathroom, you can reorder frequently used supplies, such as paper towels, with a tap; with Echo, it's even simpler