You may not know it, but deep within the ivory towers of hospitals a debate is raging over the future of the doctor's necktie. One company has turned the debate into an opportunity with a tie whose stain-resistant coating actually thwarts microbes.
Safety Ties come in various patterns, including this brick red/maroon style with silver/gray stripes.
(Credit: SafetySmart)Much evidence has emerged in recent years that doctors wearing ties might actually cause as much harm to patients as doctors who don't wash their hands. In one 2004 study of 42 doctors and medical staffers at the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, almost 50 percent of the neckties were host to bacteria that can cause pneumonia, blood infections, and more.
I'm no squirmy person, but that's just gross.
In 2006, the British Medical Association suggested that medical personnel no longer wear "functionless" items such as neckties that carry "superbugs."
And this summer, the American Medical Association considered Resolution 720, which pushed for a dress code that addresses the issue of neckties, long sleeves, and other clothing items and accessories "implicated in the spread of infections in hospitals." Implicated! This has gotten serious, folks. (A committee wants more evidence before bringing the resolution to a vote.)
But because many doctors are publicly pushing for the preservation of the necktie, which is the cred equivalent of gold grills for rappers like Flava Flav, April Strider of SafeSmart in Florida has put her money on a compromise: the high-tech, antimicrobial tie.
Strider tells the Wall Street Journal that the coating "repels bacterial contamination." She even designed the ties with a graphic print of the H1N1 influenza strand, among other "doctor themes," a lovely twist of irony as she manages to put germs on her germ-free ties. Strider's already got a major client in Wilson Memorial Hospital, near Dayton, Ohio, where some docs are wearing polo shirts but others prefer to stick with ties.
A big "oh well" to all the (probably younger) doctors hoping to do away with the necktie altogether. Hey, you could always try Portland, land of the laid-back workplace. Of course, then you'd have to grow a beard, which is a bit like farming your own colony of happy bacteria. At least that H1N1 tie is currently on sale, marked down from $44.95 to $29.95.
Worried about germs populating your peripherals? You may dream of giving them a nice bath now and then.
Go ahead, with the MW-2800 washable optical mouse from Cherry, a ZF Electronics brand.
Cherry's MW-2800 optical washable mouse
(Credit: Cherry)The mouse is targeted at hospitals, clinics, schools, manufacturing lines, and other venues where many people tend to share workstations.
The MW-2800 is not the first washable mouse. Two years ago, Belkin introduced its F5L007 mouse with the scroll wheel replaced by a touch area that allows both vertical and horizontal scrolling.
On Cherry's new MW-2800, scrolling is done with sealed scroll-lock buttons. It's supposed to be submersible, whereas Belkin recommends cleaning its mouse with soap under a running faucet.
Another submersible mouse is the Waterproof USB Mouse from USB Geek, which retails at $17 compared with Cherry's $43 mouse. The one from USB Geek is heavier and has an optical tracking of only 800 dots per inch, vs. 1,200dpi for Cherry.
Even cheaper is the mouse from Belkin that retails at prices from $15 and also offers 1,200dpi.
The MW-2800 is available in black and light blue, and complements Cherry's washable J84-2800 keyboard, which is also submersible and sealed in a silicone rubber housing.
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Samsung)
Samsung has announced a 10-inch Netbook which, among other things, kills bacteria. The N310 has been styled by award-winning Japanese designmeister Naoto Fukasawa and will presumably be welcomed with open--but latex-gloved--arms by OCD sufferers.
It boasts a frameless 10-inch screen and pebble design keyboard, which Samsung reckons is 93 percent of the size of a desktop keyboard for easy typing.
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Samsung)
The N310 weighs about 2.6 pounds with a four-cell battery, which Samsung claims will give you up to five hours without busting out some mains supply. Battery savings come from the LED display and optimized performance from the Intel Atom processor.
It'll ship with Windows XP Home Edition, so it doesn't overtax the 1GB of RAM. Other features include a 160GB hard drive, a 1.3-megapixel camera and a three-in-one memory card reader. You get no less than three USB ports and the option of Bluetooth.
As if that wasn't enough, it also "uses the latest medical technology" to smear the keys with a "special finish" that makes it "almost impossible for bacteria to live and breed." We don't recommend using it to clean your toilet, however. The N310 will be available in May. No word on price yet, but we'll keep you posted. If you'll excuse us, we're off to wash our hands again.
(Via Crave UK)
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As technology evolves, so, too, does our tech germaphobia. Hot on the heels of this U.K. study that suggests computer keyboards are the toilet-seat of your office space, Monster (yes, Monster Cable) is touting some new ScreenClean products aimed at your revoltingly filthy mobile devices.
The ScreenClean line isn't anything new; it's been around for televisions for ages. But the repackaging of the mobile solution as a way to fight "disease-causing agents" is an amusing turn toward the paranoia-inducing. From the press release:
"With touch screens growing in popularity, so are the disease-causing agents that are prone to exist on portable electronic devices, where the heat-rich environment and constant human handling can create optimum conditions for contamination."
Monster is now pitching ScreenClean for laptops, cameras, cell phones/PDAs, GPS devices, and iPods/iPhones, as a way to inhibit "the growth of microorganisms," and control "a variety of bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew, yeast, and other organisms?"
Dudes. Ew. You're really bumming me out about my touch-screens. And apparently, this trend has been building for a while. iSkin does antibacterial cases, and it turns out keyboards aren't the only things dirtier than a toilet seat.
Apparently, when it comes to technology, "yucky" is the new black. And Monster is even going so far as to package the new new black with the old new black: green.
"Also, to keep things 'green,' the new Monster ScreenClean portable products will come packaged in fully recyclable packaging."
Well. Thank goodness. I'd hate to be polluting with my nasty germy self.
(Credit:
Iogear)
Bad news for the germaphobe community: Iogear's Wireless Laser Mouse and other peripherals, touted as being "germ-free," have resulted in a $208,000 fine by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The EPA fined the company for what it called "unsubstantiated public health claims regarding unregistered products, and their ability to control germs and pathogens"--an offense that the agency says violates the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. Engadget says the company no longer makes the claims about the products' germ-nuking powers. Apparently the only sure-fire way to make your mouse squeaky-clean is old-fashioned soap and water.
Attention, parents of school-age children. Are you worried about a growing Purell addiction? CleanWell has the hand sanitizer for you.
The San Francisco-based company has come out with an alcohol-free, all-natural hand sanitizer. I got some samples at the ThinkGreen conference last week and my hands have been free of epidemic-causing bacteria ever since.
Need a sanitizing spritz?
(Credit: Michael Kanellos/CNET News.com)The company claims it kills Listeria monocytogenes, Candida (we can make it together) albicans, Streptococcus pygenes, and Salmonella enterica. You can't spray it on chicken, but the salmonella killing would be great for kitchen sanitizing. Spray CleanWell on your hands and it kills over 99 percent of these germs in 15 seconds, according to the company.
The active ingredient is called Ingenium. It's not from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Instead, it's a mix of essential oils that kill germs in concert. The product literature is great. It shows a kid hugging a deer. Most people would think: "cute." To moms, that deer is just a rat with horns.
The 1-ounce spray bottle pictured here costs $7.99 and is good for 225 sprays. (That's a lot of deer hugging.) The company also sells wipes and other products.
(Credit:
Tersano)
It's already shaping up to be a banner day for the germaphobes here at Crave. Just after posting an item about the latest OCD vacuum cleaner, we came across another gadget to sanitize our food as well.
The "Lotus Sanitizing System" uses "super-oxygen" infused water to pulverize bacteria and other unsavory elements from pretty much whatever will fit in its "multi-purpose sanitizing bowl," according to Shiny Shiny. (You can watch a video of it in action here.)
Granted, it's not the first food sanitizer on the market--there are even gadgets out there designed to make meat squeaky clean. But at $170, it's far cheaper than other models we've seen. Besides, when it comes to ingestion (and digestion), the true germaphobe never skimps.
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Amazon)
Talk about the world turned upside-down. The last thing we thought we'd ever see is people clamoring to make their bathrooms more like public loos, but that's apparently what's happening in our increasingly fixture-fixated consumer market.
We knew the trend had become mainstream (no pun, honest) after witnessing the overwhelming popularity of Dyson's "Airblade" hand-drying machine. But that product is aimed at the business market--we think. The "EZ Touchless Infrared Sensor Faucet," however, is clearly destined for the household at $50, according to GadgetGrid.
And why not? It's at the perfect intersection with yet another hot trend, products targeted at the germaphobe community.
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Hammacher Schlemmer)
Some months ago--on Jan. 1, as a matter of fact--we reported what we then thought was the "ultimate germaphobe gadget," perhaps our way of ushering in a bacteria-free 2007. Barely halfway through the year, however, that item appears to have already been eclipsed.
Not only does the "Wide Coverage Germ-Eliminating Wand" claim to eradicate "99 percent of bacteria, viruses, mold, and dust mites," but it can do so in broader areas with a 6-inch ultraviolet lightbulb. All the germaphobic head of the household needs to do is hold the wand 3 inches over a suspect surface for 20 seconds, according to Hammacher Schlemmer, and it can be programmed in 5- or 60-minute intervals.
We haven't heard from him lately, but we're certain that the "OCD Action Figure" will be pleased.
Dropping your iPhone in the toilet might actually be an improvement.
(Credit: iSkin)iSkin's latest antibacterial case made for Apple's iPhone reminds us that a product's coolness is no defense against deadly bacteria. In fact, studies have shown that cell phones happen to be one of the filthiest objects imaginable--dirtier than a toilet seat, computer keyboard, or the bottom of a shoe. There's just something magical about the combination of spittle and your text-crazy hands that make mobile phones a germ's best friend. The antibacterial iSkin Revo case for the iPhone is due out this month with a price of $39. Until then, think twice before passing your iPhone around at a party.
