The Tidy Toy Trunk
The Tidy Toy Trunk aims to give parents comfort knowing their children’s toys are clean. Using the new Far UVC technology, the trunk will clean the toys on a cycle set by the parents. The technology inside is combined with the outside chalkboards to encourage child interest.
Survey Results
In a survey I conducted, 50% of parents said they do not clean their children’s toys weekly. This is a time consuming task that many parents push off to the side to focus on more important tasks for their children.
When asked if parents would consider purchasing a product that implements Far UVC light, 96% said they would be interested with 34.6% wanting some more research.
As for the look of the product, 96% also said they would want something that would blend into their home aesthetic and current storage choices.
Form Iterations
After deciding on a toy chest idea, these are some of the form ideas I came up with. I wanted to stick to a basic toy box so it could blend into any home aesthetic, but also explore different color palletes and ways for the child to access the toys inside.
In the end, the one to the right was the form chosen, it had an easy opening door for the child and fit right into the pastel aesthetic that many younger families utilize in their homes.
Material
Many new families have a modern look to their homes with pastel and natural colors. I decided to mimic this palette in my design and allow families to be able to customize their box with the color that would work best in their home.
The inside will be lined with a variation of acrylic that allows UVC light to pass through. All sides will be covered in acrylic for two reasons. One: to protect the UVC lights from any toys that might crush them, and two: for a cleaner, sleek look. The inside will also have a divider to keep children from climbing inside, possibly while the light is on.
Many modern homes are also implementing lots of natural wood, so leaving the trimming unpainted adds one extra element to elevate the toy box from just a children’s toy.
The Tidy Toy Trunk works by running on a timer that the parents set through an app on their phone. The lights will stay on for 10 minutes and then turn off and the child’s toys will be clean. During the cleaning cycle, the toy chest is unable to be opened to keep the child safe.
The addition of chalkboards on the sides gives the child some means to personalize it with easy clean up for parents when they want it to blend into their space.
How It Works
Color Palette
