#HTE

Automatic Boot-Cleaning Machine Looks Like It Has Fantastic UX

Because I live on a farm, I have two types of boots: Boots that might get feces on them, and boots that will definitely get feces on them. The dedicated muck boots live in a bucket when they’re not being used and never touch the floor of my house, but the “might boots” I will occasionally risk leaving on while I run inside to get something. Which means I occasionally track poop into the house. It’s too much of a hassle to remove boots each and every time, and no doormat I’ve seen can do a thorough job with chicken muck.

The solution to my problem exists, in the form of this industrial boot cleaner.

The scale in that photo is a little deceptive. Here’s the version in U-Line’s catalog, the Boot-Boy® Industrial Boot Cleaner:

The metal pan it sits in can be filled with water or solvents, which the rotating brushes dip into. To operate the device, you simply pull back on the handle.

In use, the UX seems fantastic:

One design improvement I’d like to see is in the shape of the pan. I understand it’s made with flat edges to reduce cost, but I wouldn’t like to clean that out when it’s filled with poopy water. It ought have radiused interior corners, have a grab handle on the outside, and be easy to hose out.

However, that would drive the price up, and I already can’t afford one of these. They retail for a cool $2,150.