Removing unwanted body hair has been a part of human hygiene since the dawn of history. Over the centuries, this practice has served to denote everything from high-ranking social status to acts of contrition. And as the tradition of shaving has evolved in step with global culture, so too have the tools of the trade.
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We all know we should be brushing more diligently several times a day, but without our dentists regularly shaming us into better oral hygiene, that rarely happens. So a Paris-based company called Kolibree has created what it claims to be the world’s first app-connected toothbrush that will encourage better brushing habits between dentist visits.
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Everybody pees and everybody poops. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are, or how much money you have; when you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. But how did the contraption that we all know as the toilet come to be? Who proposed that toilets should be shaped a certain way, and who decided how much water is needed for every flush?
World Toilet Day was celebrated last November 19th, so we’re a little late to the party. But let’s take a look at the past, present, and future of toilets as we face an ever-growing sanitation problem (2.5 billion people currently don’t have access to clean and safe toilets) and water shortage (think of how much water is flushed down the toilet worldwide, every second of every day.)
Past
Our ancestors didn’t fuss much when they had to go to the loo. In fact, there probably wasn’t even an actual bathroom because any place with tall grass or enough foliage could serve as a toilet of sorts. Pits on the ground were basically dug for people to poop in. Other people’s “toilets” were simply pots that they squatted over and took a dump in as the need arose. There are still places in the world where people still do this though, so it’s not that far back into the past as most people would think.
As sewers were built, toilets became more like the toilets of today: they were built with vertical chutes that directed the waste into cesspits, while others used flowing water to move the waste down the drain.
Present
Our current toilet, the flush toilet, was designed by Sir John Harrington in 1596. In 1775, the first patent for the flushing toilet was issued to Alexander Cummings. The designs were modified and further developed over the years, which eventually led to the toilets of today.
As people continued to innovate, accessories and add-ons were designed to make the pooping process more comfortable and hygienic. For example, the adjustable toilet seat allows people with big bottoms to take a dump without tipping over or losing their balance. Meanwhile, add-ons like the Bio Bidet BB 2000 Bliss offer fancy upgrades like wireless control, hybrid water heating system, water pulse, and even massage cleaning features to take personal hygiene to the next level.
The modern bathroom experience is further enhanced by products like the automatic toilet paper dispenser (which is perfect for germophobes) and the glowing toilet night light (since we all go for that midnight pee every once in a while.)
Future
At this point, you might be thinking: toilets are fine as they are. Is there really a need to tweak its design or change it, when there are so many things that could benefit from that attention and those efforts instead?
Well, you’ve probably already heard about Bill Gates and how he’s pushing people to come up with alternative designs to the current toilet through the Gates Foundation. Unfortunately, while most of them are green, multi-purpose, and energy efficient, the designs have been dubbed as too high-tech and too expensive.
There’s the Fluid Wall, a concept design that tacks on all bathroom fixtures onto a single wall to save space. And then there’s the Wellbeing Toilet, pictured above, which won an award at a toilet design competition in the UK. First of all, it integrates ergonomics and encourages people to be in the right position when they poop to lessen muscle strain. Second, it’s smart: it has a built-in system that analyzes pee for conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, or even pregnancy.
While none of these seem like viable and practical designs for mass production, someone is bound to come up with a good enough alternative as more people continue to toil over the toilet’s redesign.
The bacon-everything craze has mostly passed, thankfully, and things seem to be getting back to normal. The constant barrage of bacon Band-Aids and bacon office supplies is over. Bacon personal care products are apparently another story, though.
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At the end of World War I, tens of millions of people died in just a few short years. But these deaths had nothing to do with the bullets and bayonets that had taken so many lives in battle. It was, instead, the Spanish Flu, which killed off about 5% of the world’s population from 1918 until 1920. Were a similar pandemic to hit today, one of the things we’d need to rethink is how we use our phones.
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You don’t have to be an outlaw to appreciate the unusual soaps that Outlaw Soaps churns out. This time around, they’ve taken everyone’s favorite breakfast staple and have turned it into a must-have for showers and bathrooms worldwide.
Each bar – or rather, slab – of bacon soap looks good enough to eat. It’s dyed and shaped to resemble actual bacon, but you’ll be pleased to hear that no actual bacon was used in making it. The soap is loaded with natural, vegan ingredients including coconut oil, avocado oil, and castor oil, leaving you with smooth skin after you rinse off the aromatic lather.
Every slab of bacon soap is wrapped in a rustic burlap bag to complete the “this-just-came-from-the-butcher” effect. They’re available for pre-order for $12(USD).
[via The Awesomer]
I think you know by now why it’s important to brush your teeth regularly. Those two minutes each morning and night might just save you from a future of missing teeth and dentures. But now there’s a new toothbrush of sorts in the market that promises to cut your brushing time down to six seconds per session. I’m not kidding.
It’s called the Blizzident and it’s a 3D-printed toothbrush that’s customized for your specific dental configuration. It costs $299(USD) to get one made, because it’s custom nature means that you can’t just pick one up at a store. You’ll have to get a dentist to make a 3D impression of your teeth, which is scanned into a 3D file and sent off to Blizzident.
They will then get to work on your custom toothbrush. The Blizzident has soft bristles all over, so instead of moving the brush, you just have to bite and chew for six seconds to get a deep clean around every tooth in your mouth – as well as your tongue. It’s recommended that users get a their Blizzident replaced annually. After the initial brush, it’ll cost $159 for replacements.
You can get more information about the Blizzident on their website.
[via C|NET]
I was at a friend’s house the other day and I noticed that she and her roommates all use electric toothbrushes. There were three of them charging in a row on the windowsill. With all the electric razors, bathroom scales, hairdryers and weird electric face cleansing scrubby things out there I started wondering if I should be smart-primping too. What are the advantages to plugging in? Go through your morning routine below.
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A lot of people I know hate having to go to the bathroom in public places or in homes that aren’t theirs. It’s an understandable preference, considering the fact that nobody likes to stink up someone else’s home.
But it’s a fact of life: whether you like it or not, poop is going to stink.
You can, however, contain the smell with Poo-pourri, and it doesn’t involve spraying perfumes and fresheners all over the place. The former option seems better, as the latter often results in a strange hybrid perfume-poop smell that probably will smell even worse.
Poo-pourri contains a blend of natural essential oils that its makers claim can “trap” the smell in the bowl.
Apparently, the oils in the spray create a film on the surface of the toilet water, making sure the smell stays in the bowl. Pou-pourri is offering a Best Smellers starter pack for $25(USD), which contains a 200-use Poo-Pourri Original spray and a handier 100-use Deja Poo spray.
[via Laughing Squid]
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