Brighten up your nest with BrightNest for Android
Previously limited to iOS devices, this popular home-improvement app helps you with cleaning, decorating, and upkeep.
Home ownership can feel like a full-time job, what with all the cleaning, maintenance, and other stuff. And I'm not exactly Heloise when it comes to getting stains out of carpets or mixing my own furniture polish.
BrightNest is a free app that helps you manage all aspects of your home: cleaning, repairing, maintaining, and even decorating. It debuted last year for iOS, but has finally arrived for Android.
Once you create an account (necessary because the app syncs with its Web counterpart), the app will quiz you about various aspects of your abode: what mechanicals you have installed (furnace, water heater, and so on), whether you have kids or pets, and what tip categories you'd most like to see.
From there you'll get a customized batch of suggestions related to your home. These might include anything from "Save Money by Using Less Detergent" to "Pest Control: Ants." Each how-to tells you how much time is involved and provides a difficulty rating of 1-3. You can mark any one as a favorite for easier reference later on, and add it to your schedule for future "honey-do" days.
I especially like BrightNest's scheduling tool, which can remind you when it's time to change the furnace filters, get the A/C tuned up, blow out the sprinkler system, and similar tasks. Far too often I've forgotten stuff like this, and often my wallet ends up taking a hit as a result.
BrightNest was acquired by Angie's List last year, but the app remains blissfully free of any advertising, either for the service itself or third-party companies.
During my brief dalliance with Android earlier this year, BrightNest was among the iOS apps I missed most. It's great to see it for Android, as it's chock-full of useful tools for homeowners. Definitely a must-have app.