TIHS 2024 Guide: Discover What's New In Home Innovation And Who's Who

From March 17-19, dozens of houseware companies will descend on Chicago, Illinois to show off their lines of innovative technology for the home at The Inspired Home Show (TIHS) 2024. This event allows companies to display their brands and directly engage with consumers and retailers. The show is sure to include housewares products, DIY tools, and other solutions for the home, such as robot vacuums, planet-friendly cleaning products, and plenty of simple inventions that will make you say, well, "Why didn't I think of that?". TIHS is a huge event. So huge, in fact, that it can be overwhelming to go over the brands who will be in attendance and know what to keep an eye out for. 

To help our readers navigate the brands and their products at TIHS 2024, we created this guide. Of course, we've provided some details about what products these brands offer, as well as background information about the brands and their histories.

Based in Toronto, Canada, Umbra LLC is an innovative company that follows four guiding principles for its products: ensuring that they are modern, casual, functional, and original. Their craftmanship and originality is particularly apparent at TIHS, as proven by the fact that two of their featured products — the brand's Ferris Jewelry Organizer, and the Cubiko Wall Planter – have already qualified as finalists for The Inspired Home Show's Global Innovation Award for product design in the home décor and gifts category. The wall planter is especially enticing, original, and attention-getting. It would be ideal for anyone who wants a garden without the backyard space.

ZeroWater specializes in water filtration systems for many different appliances and needs, many of which are designed to target specific issues such as lead, rust, and other contaminants. At TIHS, ZeroWater will be showcasing its Culligan Essential Water Lab Test Kit, which uses diagnostic tests to detect contaminants such as lead and bacteria in your water — a key step to finding the right filtration system for your home. Using the Culligan Essential Water Lab Test Kit can help ensure that you have clean and safe water for drinking.

Mamibot Manufacturing USA Inc. is a manufacturing company specializing in products which, it says, "can perform as intelligently as, or even outperform humans." The company sells everything from impressive self-emptying robot vacuum cleaners to steam cleaners. The two products we are most excited to see, though, are the window cleaning robot and the Dyson-compatible electric mop. So far, reviews for the iGLASSBOT W200 SkyBot window cleaner are pretty mixed on Amazon, with some saying the robot is a game changer, and others reporting glitchy interfaces. The DYMO electric mop can be attached to Dyson stick vacuum cleaners. 

Founded in 1941, Minky Homecare is a family-owned and managed homeware company. At the show, look out for its Sort2 60 Litre Recycling Bin, which is billed as a complete garbage and recycling sorting system with a very small footprint, meaning you can keep it tucked away in a closet or cabinet. The retractable clothesline is also a convenient product that's best used outdoors, and it dry one load of laundry at a time.

With spring (hopefully) just around the corner, TIHS will also showcase garden accessories such as Jobar International, Inc.'s IdeaWorks' 4-in-1 bird bath and solar-powered color-changing fountain. We love the classic brass finish on the bird bath, which gives it a high-end vibe. It works not only as a bird feeder, and bird bath, but has a planter attachment, which makes this a pollinator-friendly addition to any garden. The lighted water fountain is also great if you want to enjoy your water features at night as well as during the day, and it comes with multiple spray patterns to choose from. 

Toilet Accessories LlC was founded by Matthew Hall, who invented the Original Matt Halls Toilet Table, which is exactly what it sounds like. This toilet table is a tray attachment that clips onto the side of the toilet. The company site says this can be used to hold a variety of objects like your phone, makeup, and mirror, to make your time in the bathroom a little more comfortable. Reviews aren't yet available for the product, so TIHS attendees will have a pretty fresh look at this toilet accessory.

Nellie's is a Canadian-based brand that specializes in eco-friendly home cleaning products that you may have seen in some brick-and-mortar stores in the US and Canada. The brand was started by James Roberts, who named the brand after his mother, Nellie, whose likeness appears on nearly all of the products. But sheep-shaped dryer balls – or as they're actually called, "Flyerballs" — are what we're most keen to see. They're made from 100% New Zealand sheep's wool, which is meant to soften fabrics and reduce wrinkles during a drying cycle, and they are absolutely adorable to boot. 

You may not be familiar with Joseph Enterprises, Inc., but you'll almost certainly know one of its brands: Chia Pet. In the 90s, these sprouting toys were absolutely everywhere, but the brand sells retro novelty items as well, like the Bob Ross Talking Clapper with Night Light. This hysterical outlet night light features the likeness of the iconic Bob Ross who says two lines when you clap to turn it on and off. Joseph Enterprises, Inc. will also have another product featured at TIHS 2024 with The 'Ove' Glove, which allows you to have more dexterity handling hot items from the oven than traditional mitts.   

HY-C Company LLC is another conglomerate that mainly focuses on accessories and cleaning products for fireplaces, chimneys, and venting systems. At TIHS, it will showcase the LintEater product line from its brand Gardus. LintEater is a set of tools designed to easily dislodge and remove lint buildup from your dryer vents. According to the National Fire Protection Association, dust, fiber, or lint are the leading ignition objects in dryer fires, which means cleaning these difficult-to-reach areas is essential for your home and family's safety. The tools include brushes and extenders which can be attached to a power drill for quick, effective vent cleaning. 

Founded in 2003, the Virgina-based business Maxsa Innovations offers a wide range of products, and are available for both retail and wholesale through the company's website. At the show, if you're someone who struggles with a small garage space or have a hard time lining up when you pull in and out, be sure to look out for its Garage Laser Park device. Just line it up with the center of the space, mount it to the ceiling, and park in the same spot every time.

Earthstone is housed under the conglomerate Summit Brands and is based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It provides a truly unique line of cleaning products that look like stone bricks. Made from recycled glass, Earthstone products are foamed and recast into a stone block which then works to physically break down stains, mineral buildup, and more. Some blocks are suited to specific surfaces such as grills, toilets, and bathtubs, while others are multi-purpose and can be used on countertops, stovetops, sinks, and so on. This makes for a chemical and fume-free cleaning routine that many will appreciate. 

Gtech is a UK-based tech-based home and gardening tool manufacturer, specializing in floor cordless devices. If you're in the market for a cordless wet vacuum, check out Gtech's Orca Floor Cleaner, which can be used as a dry or wet vacuum on hard floors. While there will be plenty of vacuums at the show, Gtech also has something truly unique in its product line: a cordless robot lawn mower. The RLM50 works much like a robot vacuum cleaner but, instead, trims grass. This would be a dream for those with large lawns or for touch-ups. 

If you're a bird-watching enthusiast or have one in your life, you won't want to skip Guangdong Pine Lake Technology Co., Ltd's products at TIHS this year. Its line includes WiFi-connected bird feeders with cameras, like the HM01 Professional Hummingbird Feeder with Smart AI Camera, so you can watch your winged friends enjoy their meal. Some feeders hold seeds, but others are designed to hold nectar and attract hummingbirds to your yard to drive pollination, improving the health of your garden and our greater ecosystem. The cameras have motion detectors, so the camera will turn on when birds visit the feeder, which you can watch from your phone or tablet. 

Have dreams of growing your own countertop herb garden but tend to forget to water your plants? Then keep an eye out for the Self-Watering Herb Garden planter from JAPI SA INDUSTRIA E COMERCIO's Japi Pottery, a Brazil-based company that makes a variety of planters and pots. In this herb planter, the drip tray just needs to be filled every so often, and the planter distributes the water evenly as needed. This is great for the garden-curious and the less-than-green thumbs. Plus, the pot's shape is very modern and unique. 

One theme you'll find at TIHS this year is a major push for all-in-one mop and vacuum hardwood cleaners as many consumers want to limit the number of products and routines they need to keep their homes clean. Throwing its hat into the ring is Hizero Appliances Corporation with the F500 and F100 hardwood cleaners, which stand apart from competitors with what it claims to be a totally unique technology. Most vacuums use suction to remove dirt and debris, but Hizero Appliances Corporation says its cordless floor cleaner cleans without any suction, which prevents debris from being recirculated into the air. 

In a break from many of the smart home cleaners that will be abundant at the show, the Weazy Cyclone Mop, a brand owned by Fancy Home, is a contemporary take on the traditional mop and bucket, and works much like the O'Cedar Spin Mop. The bucket is equipped with a spinner that can be controlled with a foot pedal, which allows you to spin your wet mop head and eliminate excess and dirty water. It also separates clean and dirty water. So if you like to do things old school and aren't trying to spend a ton of money on electronic smart vacuums, this is a promising item. 

Newbealer, owned by Steam Master Inc., creates garment steamers, portable mini irons, and steam mops that will be at the show. But one we are looking forward to is its wall-mounted garment steamer and iron combo. We rarely see a laundry tool that's downright pretty, but this model fits the bill. It's also a bonus that, because it's wall-mounted, you can have a dedicated steaming area and not have to clunk it out of storage whenever you want to use it. There are multiple heat settings for the steam, and you can use the tool directly on fabric as an iron. 

Gyeonggido Bussiness & Science Accelerator, has created a silicone-bladed broom for their brand Cure Life, that works to remove dust, debris, dirt, and spills from both soft and hard surfaces. At the event, there will be a Mini version available. This handheld sweeper is an excellent choice as a portable lint remover and doesn't waste paper like traditional lint rollers.