Cool hack and enjoyable read. The smart plug idea is slick. I like the idea of decoupling the smart from the appliance. I'd much rather all my appliances be dumb. In the US, you'd have to get a 240 volt smart plug. Are there any reputable ones? For the laundry use case, I just set an alarm on my phone though...
For the 75% that use electric. 25% use gas with 120V motor/control.