ZFS also directly addresses this issue in that a scrub can be setup in cron, which will detect any data issues and send email. One could do that with smartctl too, but that can be too late, where a ZFS scrub is more likely to let you know of issues before data loss.

I use the spray cans, and it just takes some practice. If the result isn’t good you can wipe it off and try again. It’s not an easy skill to master at all.