We spend most of today's show covering holiday gifts you won't want to stuff in the stocking of someone you care about... and a few that you might.
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EPISODE 164
Necktie for music-loving commuters
Blacksocks — the Sockscription ™
Passive aggressive gifts for tardy geeks
My DNA Fragrance lets you smell like a celebrity
... Read moreIf there's one thing I dislike more than folding laundry, it's doing the dishes. But they've got to get done somehow, because I hate having a dirty kitchen more than either of those things.
(Credit:
Ubergizmo)
Electrolux is always coming up with creative ways to keep your kitchen clean. Here at Appliances and Kitchen Gadgets, it's best-known for its sponsorship of the Electrolux Design Lab, which gives industrial design students an opportunity to strut their stuff each year in designing innovative home appliances. In keeping with its reputation, the company has come up with a unique concept for a dishwasher, using a combination of UV light and air pressure instead of gallons of hot water.
The washing cycle begins with a blast of high-pressure air that removes leftover food and debris from the dishes, followed by hot steam that degreases them. The final step includes a set of UV beams that sterilize the dishes and prep them for use.
The downside is the size, which appears to be large enough to accommodate only enough dishes for one person. It also seems like cleaning cups would be difficult, since the air pressure stage of the washing cycle seems to rely heavily on clear access to all parts of the dish. That being said, it's just a concept, so let's cross our fingers that later editions are big enough to fit a family's worth of dishes.
(Via Ubergizmo)
(Credit:
ProductDose)
We must admit that, as far as germ-centric issues are concerned, the toothbrush has to rank at or near the top of the list. And even though some uber-devices claim to sterilize practically any object they encounter, we'd feel more comfortable with something that's been developed specifically for oral hygiene.
Now we finally have just such an item that's made for travel--which is ideal because, as any bona fide germaphobe will tell you, the hotel room is the ultimate breeding ground for cooties. The scientific-sounding "Violight VIO200 Travel Toothbrush Sanitizer" is the portable version of the countertop station featured in this space earlier this year. It claims to zap 99 percent of germs with its UV death rays in 7 minutes, according to ProductDose, making it worth every penny of its $28 price if it works as promised.
Now if we can just figure out how to carry a touchless faucet with us, we might actually be able to use a hotel sink without a surgical mask.
(Credit:
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.
(Credit:
Herrington)
Now that you have the proper equipment to purify your air and water, we thought it appropriate to address the germaphobe's holiest of hygiene utensils: the toothbrush.
Using technology similar to that of the "SteriPEN" water purifier, Herrington's "Violight" toothbrush sanitizer uses UV rays to zap bacteria in the name of oral hygiene, according to Coolest-Gadgets. The device holds multiple brushes (up to four), which true 'phobes might find somewhat gross.
(Credit:
Broadband Media)
Good news, fellow germaphobes. We've seen all manner of gadgets that sterilize surfaces but none that address what we ingest. Until now.
The "SteriPEN UV Light Water Purifier" treats H2O with a germicidal lamp, supposedly rendering it bacteria-free with no chemical aftertaste and "99.99 percent safe to drink," according to Mobile Magazine. With our luck, we'll probably be among the remaining 0.01 percent.
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