If you travel a lot, you’ll know that one of the biggest dilemmas is traveling light but still having enough clothes. In some locations, finding a laundry can be hard and expensive -  or if you’re further afield, impossible to find. Australian inventor Ashley Newland has come up with the Scrubba Washbag, a possible solution that is currently being funded on Indiegogo.

The 142g (5oz) bag is compact and portable and has a flexible washboard built into it. To use you just fill with 2-4 litres of water and a small amount of soap, shampoo or washing liquid, throw in the equivalent of around 2-3 tee shirts and agitate for 40 secs. When finished, you pour out the water, rinse your clothes and then dry. Voila, clean clothes.

The project is already fully funded (with over 3 weeks to go), and you can pre-order for $40. Ashley expects to have the product shipping around mid April.

p.s. Being an Aussie I would of thought he’d have picked a better name.  Scrubber is Aussie slang for a….ummm, I’ll let you research this yourself

Filed in categories: News, Outdoor Gear, Travel Gear

Tagged: Cleaning, Travel gear

Scrubba Washbag – Wash your clothes on the move originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 27, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Did you know that your cell phone can be a breeding ground for strep, e. coli and other nasty germs? Do you care? Yeah, me neither. I eat off my phone and I like it. But if the thoughts that microscopic critters are currently crawling all over your snazzy iPhone have you in dispair, I have potential solution for you. It’s the Violight Cell Phone Sanitizer. Using dual germicidal UV lights, it claims to be able to kill up to 99% of germs and bacteria. Also included is an accessories basket that you can use to sanitize small devices like earbuds, Bluetooth headsets and MP3 players. The Violight is powered by 3 AA batteries. It’s available now for $49.99

Filed in categories: Miscellaneous, News

Tagged: Cleaning, Spotlight Gadgets

Germophobes have a new tool against bacteria – Violight Cell Phone Sanitizer originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 23, 2010 at 5:15 pm.

Roomba isn’t the only robotic cleaning device on the scene now. The new Mint automatic floor cleaner is designed specifically for hard surfaces like wood and linoleum and uses most popular disposable cleaning cloths (Swiffer) and re-usable microfiber cloths for dry sweeping and wet mopping floors. The square shape allows it to reach all the way into corners. It uses the NorthStar System that works like an indoor GPS, with the NorthStar Cube emitting a signal that Mint uses to determine its location. Then Mint builds a map of the area as it cleans, marking walls, obstacles and drop offs as it encounters them. It’s available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $249.95.

Filed in categories: Home Tech, News

Tagged: Cleaning, Home, Spotlight Gadgets

Look out Roomba, the Mint Sweeper uses GPS originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 20, 2010 at 1:00 pm.

I had my Dad over for a Father’s Day visit this past weekend and while he was here, he wanted me to show him how to look up stock information on the web. I loaded up Google’s financial page on my Macbook Pro and showed him how to use it while we were sitting on the couch. I had to cringe several times when he touched the MBP’s display to point something out to me. Dad, I love you, but quit touching my screen! That drives me bonkers. Luckily for me, I had recently been sent the Moshi TeraGlove Microfiber LCD Cleaning Kit and was able to clean the smudges his fingers left behind.

The cleaning kit consists of a microfiber pad and a small spray bottle. The microfiber pad is made with Moshi’s special Terahedron™ microfiber and is designed to remove dust, stains, and fingerprint smears from any display. The best part is that there are no special chemicals involved with the cleaning process. You fill the included spray bottle with regular old tap water.

To clean a screen, you just spray some water on the pad (NEVER spray it on your LCD), stick it over your hand and start wiping.

I tested the TeraGlove on my Macbook Pro’s glossy display, my 27″ iMac’s glossy display and a non-glossy Dell laptop LCD.

Check out the dust after just one wipe of my MBP’s display, which didn’t even look dirty (other than a smudge from my Dad’s finger).

You can turn the TeraGlove inside out to wipe off excess water with the Grey suede part of the pad. I didn’t find this to be necessary when I cleaned the three displays mentioned above. It took almost no effort to clean the screens. Just a few swipes of the moistened pad and all the smudges magically disappeared.

FYI – The TeraGlove is machine washable.

You might be able to find similar microfiber cloths for a better price, but some of the cloths I’ve seen are not as fine and dense as the TeraGlove. I also like that the TeraGlove is slightly padded feeling. It helps to prevent you from pressing too hard on your LCD.

All in all, two thumbs up from me!

Filed in categories: Desktop Computer Gear, Laptops and Gear, Reviews

Tagged: Cleaning, LCD

Moshi TeraGlove Microfiber LCD Cleaning Kit Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 23, 2010 at 5:43 pm.

The Windshield Wonder is a small, portable wand with a microfiber cloth and pad that is meant for cleaning the inside of your windshield.  It looks like a no-brainer:  it is very small and can be broken down to fit into your glove box; its cleaning surface is very narrow (and small) and conforms to the curve of the glass, allowing you to maneuver it easily across the windshield; and it pivots, again making it perfect for the windshield.  And it comes with two (removable) cleaning pads and a mister for water (or other cleaning fluid).    All for $9.99.  Nice.

I’ll get right to the point:  it works in the mechanical and ergonomic sense but leaves streaks.  If you were cleaning the windshield of an old beater car that you use occasionally, this would work for you.  It is convenient, compact, and not at all cumbersome.  But if you are faced with an Eastern commute in the morning and Western retreat in the evening, the streaks left by the device will leave you disillusioned (not only because you won’t be able to see anything through the streaks).  I had a difficult time taking photos of the windshields of the cars I tested it on, so I took a few before and after photos using a mirror as the subject.

I zoomed in to show the nasty mirror, then cleaned it with the Windshield Wonder cleaning fluid that rhymes with “shindex” and then took another shot.  The “after” photo shows that the mirror is much cleaner than it was, but you can still see streaks.  For a mirror in a dark basement that sees very little traffic, or for a little old lady that only drives on Sundays, the Windshield Wonder will work okay.  But I really don’t think a road warrior facing a highway in rush-hour traffic would find it satisfactory.

What is the alternative?  Hands down, the best way to clean glass without retaining streaks is to use wadded up newspapers.  This results in a ridiculously maddening ballet and a cursing torrent when engaging the technique inside a car.

How about a compromise?  This Gadgeteer uses a squeegee: the smallest squeegee that can be found.  But these can streak and smear too, so one needs vigilance in finding a high quality specimen.  It also has to be small so as to follow the curvature of the windshield.  Nevertheless, it’s awkward trying to use a squeegee inside a car.  And it will leave some streaks.  So I still to this day sit in my car in traffic and daydream of an instantaneously clean windshield without the need for acrobatics.

Filed in categories: Car Gear

Tagged: Cleaning

Windshield Wonder (boy do we wonder) Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2009 at 12:38 pm.

I had never used a robotic vacuum before, so I was really excited when Julie told me that she had a Roomba Scheduler that needed to be tested out and reviewed. I gladly volunteered.

Julie handed me a big cardboard box and a plastic bag of extra accessories. I couldn’t resist but to open it up right there at work. Inside the box was the Roomba, the battery, the docking bay and charger, an extra brush and squeegee and a virtual wall. In the bag was another virtual wall, another extra brush and squeegee.

It was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, so the office was all but deserted. So, we plugged it in, let it get a charge on it and then let it loose on the office floor (which is supposed to be vacuumed nightly). This test pointed out a few things to keep in mind when bringing a Roomba into an area where only human-propelled vacuums have been used in the past. For instance, the Roomba has a habit of finding any unsecured cable or wire that is touching the floor. The Roomba tried to eat no fewer that two network cables and three power cords before we got everything secured and out of reach. The other thing that the Roomba taught us was that either the office doesn’t get vacuumed every day or the vacuum that they use needed to have the bag changed somewhere during the Reagan Administration. Within about 45 minutes, the bin on the Roomba had to be emptied four times, due to all of the crud that was on the floor.

So, the Roomba then made the trek home and I setup the Roomba with the docking bay (charger) under a rocking chair, in the living room. Others online had mentioned that they had success with putting the bay under a chair. Apparently these other Roomba owners had carpet and not hardwood flooring, because the Roomba continually had trouble docking, because it scooted the charger rather than docking.

Once again, the Roomba pointed out a few places that needed some attention to make my home Roomba-friendly. I setup the schedule to have the Roomba run at 7:00pm each evening (mostly so that we could actually watch it run). The Roomba ran every night for almost two weeks without any issues, then it happened. The Roomba found its way under another chair in the living room and came at its docking bay from behind. He did an excellent job of cleaning back there, but somehow found the power cord and got caught on it. He rolled back and forth several times and ended up breaking the connector in the side of the docking bay, where the power cord connects. Luckily, the charger can be plugged straight into the Roomba, which charges the Roomba, but also disables the schedule.

Overall, the Roomba does an excellent job of cleaning, even though it was challenged in our house by dog and cat fur. Initially, it was louder than I originally anticipated, but we quickly became accustomed to the sound, especially in exchange for not having to run the regular vacuum.

The virtual walls work well, but I was unable to find any way of scheduling these to turn on with the vacuum, so we had to remember to turn them on a few minutes before the vacuum turned on. The vacuum actually stops a couple of inches short of the virtual wall, but this wasn’t normally enough to worry about.

The schedule for the Roomba is programmed via the remote control. I had no problems with the programming, but at times, other commands sent from the remote, such as manual “driving” commands and the “return to docking bay” command seemed to go completely ignored by the Roomba.

The only negatives that I found were that the docking bay does not work well on hardwood or other smooth floor,the noise was initially louder than expected and the Roomba apparently ignores the remote at times. If I buy a replacement docking bay, I think that I will mount one of those thin, transparent cutting boards to the bottom of the docking bay, so that the Roomba will be sitting on the cutting board before it tries to dock with the bay, preventing it from scooting.

All said, I’d give the Roomba Scheduler a rating of 3 on a scale of pi.

This particular model appears to be discontinued, but you can find it on sale on various online stores such as Amazon.com.

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Cleaning

iRobot Roomba Scheduler originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on January 29, 2008 at 9:00 am.

A new marketing trend is to promote organic, natural, or green-friendly products. I don’t know if you have noticed, but these items can be pricey. I am not a slave to overpriced trends, but I do believe in making eco-friendly decisions that are within my budget. If there is a product that will prevent my kids’ exposure to chemicals, then I am willing to use it. Nellie’s Laundry Products are touted as providing natural solutions to consumers and saving time & money. When I saw these dog-looking-chew-toys being promoted, I wanted to see if they would work. Julie asked for a sample and Nellie’s quickly sent two sets to The Gadgeteer Team.

Once I had my third child, we stopped using dryer sheets. For some reason, my son’s skin was sensitive to chemicals found in laundry solutions, lotions, and some hand soaps. Even before Jason revealed his sensitive skin, I was annoyed with dryer sheets. Sure they can make clothes smell better and prevent static cling, but they also leave a slimly coat on my clothes and on the dryer drum. This was affecting the flame-retardant materials in the kid’s pajamas, as well as some stain-resistant clothing. The other thing bugging me was I wanted to dry my bed sheets and towels faster. After visiting Nellie’s site, it appeared the Dryerballs would solve my laundry desires. They were invented to reduce drying time and soften fabrics naturally without using chemical fabric softeners. The idea is that the Dryerballs tumble around the dryer and lift and separate the fabrics. This increases the air flowing around the clothing, and relaxes the fibers. According to research by Nellie’s, your clothes will dry 25% faster and softer more efficiently when using the Dryerballs.

Specifications:
Set of two Dryerballs
Made of durable PVC plastic

Measures 3″ long and 2″ wide
Made in China

With a family of five, I wash clothes at least every three days and had plenty of opportunity to test Nellie’s. In fact, this was the longest testing of a review product for me. Prior to using Nellie’s, I purchased a shiny, Kenmore washer and dryer set. The set proved to be an incredible addition to my family. For the first time in 11 years, I was able to dry a load of towels with only one cycle and in 50 minutes. However, if I overfilled the washer, I would need to extend my dryer setting by 15 minutes. Much to my surprise, when I started tossing the Nellie’s Dryerballs in the load, I no longer needed to extend the 15 minutes. This was not a one-time thing or that I placed less towels in the dryer. The time-saving came from using the Dryerballs. Check out their demo videos showing how the Dryerballs are used.

Nellie’s also claims the Dryerballs naturally soften fabrics, reduce lint, and lessen the need for ironing. I used three loads of laundry to test these aspects. The loads were divided into towels, king-sized sheets, and cotton/linen clothing. I washed the sets without dryer sheets, fabric softener or Nellie’s Dryerballs, so they could get an equal start. I then split the loads in half with the same fabric types or clothing used in each half. The first half was washed with liquid softener, and the second half used only the Dryerballs. After each washing and drying, I did a side-by-side comparison of the laundry. Since it is difficult to show you the soft test, you’ll just have to go on my word. The liquid softener sets were clearly the softer of the loads. The loads used with the Dryerballs were not rough, but just did not have a fluffy, soft feeling and did not smell as fresh. I should note that the water in my city is incredibly hard. Fabric softener is needed to lessen the harshness of our water.

In addition to testing by feel, I used the same loads to compare the wrinkly appearance. Again, I placed the items side-by-side. There was minimal difference in the bedsheets, T-shirts or pants. Okay, you caught me, I do not iron any of these laundry items. I did use them, since it provided an easier comparison of the wrinkles. As far as the lint, well, I had the same amount of lint regardless of the product I used. Again, this could be contributed to the harshness of our water.

As always, I believe in sharing the love with a product. Nellie’s graciously sent two sets, and Julie used the other one. She tested them and found the Dryerballs are loud in the dryer. When a cycle starts, the balls bang in the drum like a pair of tennis shoes. Julie pointed out that once the clothes started drying, the sound was reduced. I overlooked the loudness, but I think that’s because Max (her cat) is a lot quieter than my kids.  Once Julie pointed out the sound, I got the kiddos to settle down, and then I too noticed the loud banging. They were loudest when I was drying thin linens or small loads. With my jeans and towels, the sound was not that noticeable. For Julie and me, we overlooked the sound since our towels were drying faster. Oh, the simple pleasures. LOL

Overall, I found my day-to-day routine perfect for reviewing Nellie’s Dryerballs. After a few months of testing, I can agree that these dried my clothes faster. If I forgot to toss the balls in the dryer, I would have to touch up my clothes after the dryer cycle was complete. That typically added 15 minutes to the dryer cycle. I was indifferent about the lint results, since that was an aspect that does not annoy me. Wrinkles are something that never bothered me, but once I started paying attention, I became of fan of using the Dryerballs. My sheets consistently came out of the dryer fluffed, instead of being twisted into a big ball and heavily wrinkled. As for the softness, I think I’ll shy away from the eco-friendly aspect of the Dryerballs. I wanted the fresh smell and soft feeling to my towels that comes from liquid softener. Looking at the product as a whole, Nellie’s Dryerballs are a great addition to my laundry needs. They saved me time and ultimately money by reducing my dryer cycle and the damage caused by twisting my clothes. Perfect!

Filed in categories: Home Tech

Tagged: Cleaning

Nellie’s Dryerballs originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 8, 2007 at 12:00 pm.