Posted on August 24th,
2009
by John Kirchner
Yes, as they say in those Apple commercials, “there’s an app for that.” What’s “that”? Just about anything, and home and green-related functions are no exception. In fact, there are so many applications that have been created to help iPhone owners better their homes, be eco-friendly, or both, that we thought we’d help identify some of the most helpful.
Our friends over at Re-Nest recently wrote a roundup of 11 iPhone Applications To Green Your Life, and it included a couple that were also great tools for the home. The following list will cover some of the ones that the roundup brought to our attention, as well as others that we’ve noticed.
Benjamin Moore’s “Ben” app is great for — you guessed it — choosing colors for your home. By gliding your finger across a digital photo taken with the iPhone’s built-in camera, you are able to zoom into a color and tap the “match” key. A strip of colors will then appear below the photo, with the closest paint match highlighted. Just like the very popular food app UrbanSpoon, a simple shake of the phone will tweak the search results, and provide up to four other coordinating colors.
Local Reuse is a great green application that seeks to reduce landfills by connecting reusable items with people who want them, before those items land in the dump. So this may be very useful for homeowners who have thought about disposing of old furniture but want to be conscious of the toll that it may have on the environment. Apartment Therapy referred to as the “Green Craig’s List.”
Home Sizer is a tool for anyone who wants to estimate the size and function of their dream home or to just calculate the square footage of an existing home. You can enter the name and dimensions of each room in your house and let the tool calculate usable square footage.
The Gorgeously Green Survival Guide app is a quick reference eco-guide for the “woman on the go.” While we think some of its features could also be of use to the “man on the go,” it is a great tool for tips on creating an eco-friendly home, how to dispose of household items and hazardous waste the right way, recycling and adopting a healthier diet and fitness routine. Given that it costs only 99 cents, we think it can be a gorgeous app for both genders.
It’s been reported that there are over 65,000 iPhone applications available, so it’s likely that there are others that are just as valuable to the homeowner, if not more, and we’d love to discover those — so please feel free to weigh in with you recommendations.
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