Next big thing: Self-cleaning trash cans?

(Credit: Gizmag)

So it's not just us after all. For the record, we allergy sufferers aren't the only ones who are fixated on cleaning technologies. Gizmag says a recent survey claims that 60 percent of respondents would buy a self-cleaning garbage can and 59 percent want a stove top that can do the same. Oh, and while they're at it, 47 percent wouldn't mind a dryer that also folded laundry.

We wish the research stopped there. Gizmag goes on to include some other frightening hygiene-related statistics that are enough to make our thrice-shampooed hair stand on end: "An alarming 33 percent surveyed close their shower curtains to hide a dirty bathtub, 20 percent haven't cleaned their bathroom for a month or longer and 16 percent dine on paper plates due to a sink full of dirty dishes." Talk about too much information. Maybe Japan's quest for a human-free society isn't so crazy after all.