Tag: shower

Categories
Home

Soap Saver Jar uses soap slivers to make a new bar

When a bar of soap gets down to one of those little slivers, it can seem like money is being thrown in the trash when it gets pitched.

In an effort to save the environment and even throw in extra motivation by offering the opportunity to save a bit of cash, the Soap Saver Jar was invented. Nothing complicated here in that the user just continues to put soap slivers in the jar and the compression from the screw-on top makes them all into a brand new bar. No electricity or special tools needed, just a desire to pinch those pennies until they scream and a distain for landfills.

It’s not clear how many slivers are actually required to make a new bar. Backers wondering how they can slow down the melting of their newly compounded soap slivers might want to check out the Soapseat campaign. This campaign seeks to raise $13,800 by mid January. For $7, backers get one Soap Saver Jar with an expected delivery of April 2015.

Categories
Smart Home

Showering with Eva helps you save water

The topic of water in today’s world is an incredibly important one, yet doesn’t receive the kind of attention it deserves. Many parts of the world are experiencing the most debilitating water crises in recent history, slowly increasing the demand for water as time goes on. Perhaps most people don’t talk about it because they don’t feel like much can be done. For this reason, the creators giving you the chance to play your part with the Eva Smart Shower.

Eva connects to most standard shower heads and facilitates your showering experience, cutting down on water waste. An onboard temperature sensor cuts water flow when it’s reached your desired temperature, starting up again when you enter, and a motion sensor throttles water according to your distance from the shower head itself. A companion app interacts with the Eva, allowing you to set your desired temperature, manage shower length goals, and tracks overall water usage so that you can adjust your habits.

Becoming just a bit more eco-friendly requires information to make decisions and Eva provides. It’s a promising use of technology that should become widespread, even if its own manufacturing might negatively affect its positive effects. Eva is $149 and the Indiegogo campaign has a $50,000 goal.

Categories
Home

QuickRinse gives showers the power wash they crave

Cleaning the shower is one of the more dreaded household chores. But what if one had a cleaning business? That was the very thing that inspired two savvy business women to create QuickRinse. Cleaning a dirty shower looks like a whole lot less hassle because of QuickRinse’s funnel-shaped bag that is designed to fit over most shower heads. It’s made of a durable 10 ounce vinyl material and is ultrasonically welded around the seams and hose adapter. It also has an extra long, double-sided Velcro strap and rubber hose to prevent kinking and bend memory. While it may still be necessary to do some scrubbing, rinsing does appear to make the job easier. Backers may also be interested to know that this particular campaign helps women trapped in a domestic violence situation to gain their freedom because part of the proceeds will go toward The Boise Women’s and Children’s Alliance (WCA). This campaign seeks to raise $25,000 by November 1. For $50, backers get one product with an expected delivery of December 2014.

Categories
Home

Cullector creates a small shower reservoir to save water, create aromas

Showering is a catch-22 for those who want to save water. It always takes a minute for the water to heat up, meaning that cold water is sent down the drain unused. The Cullector Ultra Efficient Shower seeks to save water while still giving you a hot refreshing shower. Using a reservoir, the cold water initially spat out by the shower is collected while a small amount is let out through the shower head. This allows the dirty user to feel the temperature of the water from inside the shower, without getting scalded or frozen from head to toe. When the water feels just right, pull the lever for maximum water pressure. The cold water that is initially collected is then sucked back up into the shower head so it doesn’t get wasted. The reservoir can be opened and scented oils added for those who want to smell like flowers, pachouli, or other herbs.

Many shower heads boast water-saving techniques, but none have come up with an idea like this. So much water is wasted waiting for the right temperature. The Cullector has fixed a common problem with a simple solution. In addition, water-saving shower heads usually sacrifice water pressure for conservation, making you spend more time in the shower anyway trying to rinse yourself off. The Cullector uses wasted water to add pressure, not only saving water, but also expediting the entire showering process. Backers can pick up this Australian product for $179 AUD (~$157 USD) with estimated delivery set for January 2015. Cullector hopes to raise $10,000 AUD (~$9,000 USD) on Kickstarter.

Categories
Connected Objects Music

Speaker Creatures bring sea life tunes to shower karaoke

The Premise. There’s something about a shower that brings out the inner rock star in people. Whether it’s the acoustics of a bathroom or the resemblance between showerheads and microphones, who doesn’t like a little music in the shower?

The Product. Speaker Creatures are fun, shower-safe Bluetooth speakers that sync up with devices up to 30 feet away to bring the whole band into the shower. With suction cups, the Speaker Creatures (thematically shaped like an octopus and a snail) can stick to any surface and play music for approximate 6 hours of battery life before it needs recharging. Better yet, the speaker itself has a control panel allowing owners to play their favorite songs without having to track water through the house. A built-in microphone is also available to take any incoming phone calls — a dubious proposition in the shower, but one that is blissfully free of video capability.

The Pitch. Speaker Creature developer OnHand embraces the cute, fun design of its creatures for its campaign video, breaking up a showcase of the speaker’s features with a little stop-motion animation of the speakers themselves. OnHand also shows off some early design ideas and even how Speaker Creatures can be used as a phone stand outside of the shower, thanks to its universal suction cup design. OnHand wants to raise $15,000 to prepare its inventory for launch and to create the special mold required for the device.

The Perks. Backers who want a snail-shaped speaker can get one at $25, while the octopus is currently only available for $30 pledges.  These speakers will be blasting out tunes by May 2014.

The Potential. A lot of people would probably love to have a little accompaniment to rock out with while singing in the shower. Waterproof speakers like these are nothing new, but the fun design and built-in music player controls certainly give Speaker Creatures an edge. The less said about being able to answer phone calls while taking a shower, however, the better. Speaker Creatures are fun and sure to be well-liked by children and adults, but based on the technology and the price, audiophiles will probably be passing.

Categories
Cell Phone Accessories

HOYO gets your smartphone to cut it out in the shower

HOYOWaterPouchPlumbing was invented by the Romans, who were not advised of the eventual arrival of smartphones vulnerable to water. This may have something to do with why there’s no good place to put your mobile companion when taking a shower. Londoner Georgey Sheehy seeks to bridge the words of water and wireless with the HOYO. While there are many waterproof pouches for smartphones and tablets, the HOYO allows you to play through a protective barrier while affixed to a wall or even embedded inside a shower curtain. That latter configuration will involve taking a knife to your bathroom’s bare body barrier, but offers the advantage of easy insertion and removal as well as placing the all-important potential porthole on the other side of where the water is. Still, that could make HOYO a no-go, you know? The £15 HOYO should be available in either wall or shower curtain configurations in June 2014.