Brushing your teeth with your finger never works, despite how often you try it when you end up wasted at someone else's place for the night. You know, it just kind of smears the toothpaste over your teeth without creating a foam, and it leaves your mouth feeling even grosser than before. If only you had one of these weird finger condom toothbrushes! It looks to be extremely portable, albeit awkward to use and possibly tasting like rubber. It's the perfect accessory for people who end up sleeping in strange places often, like backpackers and sorority girls. [ProductDose via Trendhunter]

Read More »

After investigating the debate between electric and manual shavers yesterday, I thought it might be a good idea to dig a little deeper into the topic of hygiene gadgets. In the previous poll, manual shavers have a commanding lead with over 40% of the vote--but I am curious to see if the same holds true for manual toothbrushes. So, the question is simple: do you prefer an electric or manual toothbrush?

Read More »

As a guy with pretty horrible teeth, I can only wish that this computerised toothbrush was invented decades ago when I was a kid. When children brush using the system, the toothbrush's LEDs get mapped via webcam onto a representation of a mouth, which then shows kids which teeth have already been brushed and which teeth need more cleaning. The kids using the system were "twice as effective at cleaning their teeth following the trial." If only they could turn flossing into a game as well, I wouldn't have to go get a root canal in about a month. [New Scientist]

Read More »

Flossing sucks. I tell my dentist I floss, but I really don't, because I hate flossing. Using a waterpik is a nice alternative to flossing, but I'm not the kind of guy who goes out and buys fancy appliances for my mouth. This, however, could change that: the ShowerFloss. Attach it in your shower behind your showerhead and add your gums to the list of body parts you clean in the shower. It comes with two different coloured piks so you and your significant other can share the bounty of healthy gums, and it'll set you back a mere $US25. Your dentist will be so proud! [Book of Joe]

The question of how astronauts go to the bathroom has been answered before (vacuum, thigh clamps, peen tube, in-bowl camera — sounds like a night out at my favourite after-hours) but do you know what happens to the, ahem waste product? Well, according to Col. Chris Hadfield from the Canadian Space Agency, it gets recycled as a shooting star. Details on how to do your ablutions in space after the jump.

Read More »

The last time we saw anyone used a handkerchief was our dads when we were six, but this NosePouch seems to be as good an incentive as any to bring back the old pocket cloth. Instead of being made of one piece of flat material, the NosePouch has a little fold—or pouch—in the middle to catch snot and other refuse when you blow your nose. The catch helps hold much more nose saliva than regular handkerchiefs, allowing you to blow and blow until even your ears are unclogged. [NosePouch via Neatorama]

The Life Saver water bottle is a military grade water sanitizer that can make the dirtiest of water drinkable in seconds. The bottle not only filters out bacteria, but also takes care of viruses and water that has been contaminated by fecal matter. The creator, Michael Pritchard, initially came up with the idea after watching victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami in Asia go for days without receiving clean water. There are others, however, that are interested in Pritchard's invention.

After showing the bottle off at a defence conference in the UK, Pritchard sold all 1,000 of his $385 bottles in under four hours. Defense experts were impressed with the fact that it could filter 4,000 or 6,000 liters before the filter had to be replaced. An innovation such as this could have a significant impact if it ever reached the consumer market, not only being used as emergency gear, but for camping and travel as well. [The Register]

Look, while I can certainly understand the convenience of using urine to charge some AA batteries if you're, say, stranded somewhere miles away from any other power source, it doesn't seem all that practical for day-to-day uses. That's not to say that these NoPoPo batteries aren't a technological marvel, because I'm sure they are. I just don't want to pee all over my hands trying to get it into a pipette every time I want to put new batteries in my sideburn trimmer. Fortunately for me, these batteries are Japan-only for now. [Reg Hardware]

If an electric toothbrush isn't high-tech enough for you, then you could kick it up a notch with the Triumph with SmartGuide. The brush monitors how you are cleaning your teeth - time, area and pressure, and sends that information back to a base station. This base station, which can be stuck on a bathroom mirror, then tells you where and for how long you should be focusing in order to get a thorough and even brushing.

This gadgetry doesn't come cheap though, costing as much as a trip to the dentist at $280. It will be available in the UK from next month.[Spuch]

Putting the lids back on jars is one thing, but using a FreshJarLids suction lid is quite another. By sucking out all the air via its handy pump, the FJL kit helps keep your various foods-in-a-jar fresh for further enjoyment. $24 for a pack of five. [ImprovementsCatalog via Book of Joe via Coolest Gadgets]