*Gifted Item.
Our kitchen is not exactly the modern, minimalist design from
our dream house,
or Mrs Biscuit's pinterest,
but it will do.
It’s quite good in comparison to those from our student
house years, and definitely more convenient than our previous kitchen, that on viewing the house seemed glam, but in working reality lacked literally
everything from storage, counter space, or draws- I mean seriously, where do
you put the cutlery?? However, despite its general normal-ness, our kitchen
now, is so bland that the only way to perk it up, is to accessorise, and invest in good quality appliances.
This is distinctly Mrs Biscuit’s forte, I’m no style guru
after all. Indeed, we once had an argument over my lack of enthusiasm for cushions or any sort of soft furnishings. Yet what I do show
enthusiasm for are gadgets- and when fun meets function, with an obvious
chic to the item, then really, what else would you want in your home?
For a while we’d had this hand-me-down bin, which as a
concept in itself sounds disgusting now that I think about it, but we were no
bin snobs at the time. No longer did we have a built in under sink convenience,
but we did have this annoying space under a semi-breakfast bar/ general area
that washing up lingers, to store our gifted pedal-function delight.
Sadly, it wasn’t a match meant to be, as like many round
kitchen bins, it fitted awkwardly, and emitted an annoying tinny sound every
time the pedal vigorously made the lid open against the underside of the
counter. This, combined with the gradual smell that most bins seem to obtain
despite consistent cleaning, Mrs Biscuit slowly managed to move it out
of the kitchen, and into the garden shed.
Most of the time, we are very practical individuals that
care little for shallow opinions on still useful items (did I mention the bin
was a faded lime green?) but it really did seem more in it’s element as a glorified
paint pot and diy storage box, so we were quite delighted when we were told
about the simplehuman tools for efficient living.
The brand simplehuman, combine technology with practicality, and
produce the most amazing and useful products for the home. They have a variety
of bins in particular to choose from, and we were delighted to review their
‘Butterfly Sensor Bin', a real modern convenience.
This 48-litre rubbish holding wonder, is really a feat of
engineering. It’s design is contemporary yet industrial, a sleek rectangular
stainless steel outer shell with a smudge proof coating. It’s around the length
of the average kitchen cupboard, and it’s interior has a charcoal filter against odour on the inside of the butterfly lid. Designed as such to allow easy access to
the inner bucket, but without needing the space under a counter for a full lid.
We put ours under the breakfast counter I previously
described, and whilst it did definitely have the space to open, it simply
wouldn’t open or would stay permanently open if the sensor was covered by it.
As such, we stuck it out a bit, keeping the sensor uncovered, and it was perfect. This is something they do say in the
description does hinder it’s usability, so have a good think about where it
could go. It would be brilliant simply next to kitchen units, as it is comparable
in size, but we for example, alas have units in a full horseshoe.
The inner bucket holds a significant amount of rubbish, at a
48-litre capacity, it takes a 50-60-litre bin liner, and on average, we have
found, we never need more than a single bag a week. The bucket works best with
the simplehuman specific liners, that fit it literally perfectly, but they have
also thought past this and fitted a clever grip where you can turn any liner,
into a custom fit liner. It comes with a sample pack of their bags so you can
try them and decide for yourself.
Another thoughtful design element, is the easy bucket park,
where you can simply lift and rest to remove the full bin bag with no bother.
The great thing with this product, is that they have definitely thought through
everything that could be vaguely annoying about using a kitchen bin, and tried
to make it simple.
To actually put the rubbish in, all it needs is a wave of
the hand, no need to push a pedal, or balance stuff to open it, you merely
sweep past it. It is relatively sensitive, and because we have it sticking out
slightly, it does react to people going past occasionally, but mostly not. With
it's sense options, if you are still emptying rubbish into it, it stays open in
task mode, and doesn’t shut meaning the lid doesn’t get covered in stuff. Yet if
you sort of double wave, it holds it open for 30-seconds for you in it’s
stay-open mode.
To work, it needs x6 C-batteries, which you need to purchase
separately, or you can buy an adapter from Simplehuman to plug it in. It was very easy to get up and running, and quite simply it is a joy to use. I’ve taken
to pretending I’m using ‘the force’ to open it, which is slightly less
embarrassing than when I used to pretend with shop automatic doors.
At near on £250, it is a considerable investment, and initially
I had reservations over a bin being this price. It’s functionality however, has
very much changed my opinion. It’s
a great, practical design that would work with a multitude of interiors, and it
seems incredibly well built. Certainly not the average bin, and something that
I hope will be a product we can use for many years to come, especially when we
eventually manage to get that dream kitchen.
You can purchase your simplehuman butterfly sensor bin here,
and at other well-known retailers.
