A different kind of toilet brush [Kickstarter: Looblade]

[Halcyon]

Not electronics related, but still important. Toilet brushes -- They are one of those necessary evils, I hate them and I don't even want to look at the bristle end after it's been used.

I came across this on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1190311647/looblade-a-toilet-cleaning-revolution

In my opinion it's that little bit less gross than a regular bristle brush and far better looking.

[lowimpedance]

Interesting shape ............BUT germ killing head 

Perhaps when used with hospital grade bleach

Definitely better looking.

My dish washing brush has the same style handle, wonder if this head design will make it into dish washing brushes.... just don't get them confused 

[crispy_tofu]

Looks great, and cheap too if it lasts!
Is it just me or did I think that was some kind of weird drill bit at first... 
boring into toilets one at a time

[bitslice]

That's not going to work, bristles are far more abrasive than silicone rubber.

If everyone cleaned up after themselves then maybe, but children just poop and scoot.


Actually most people still try to use bleach to clean the loo when they should be using a liquid abrasive cleaner.

[fivefish]

Have someone with a british or australian accent in a commercial, americans will buy whatever they're selling.

[lowimpedance]

children just poop and scoot.

How true, same with washing hands afterward as well.

[Halcyon]

That's not going to work, bristles are far more abrasive than silicone rubber.

If everyone cleaned up after themselves then maybe, but children just poop and scoot.


Actually most people still try to use bleach to clean the loo when they should be using a liquid abrasive cleaner.

Ahh, well in my household there are no children and nor will there be ;-) I figure if a silicone blade is good for baking and cooking, it's good enough for the shitter. (Can I clarify, two separate tools for those two tasks!)

[bitslice]

I figure if a silicone blade is good for baking and cooking, it's good enough for the shitter.

They are confusing themselves over the material properties.
If you pooped on your baking tray then of course it would slide right off.
If you baked it for 2 hours first it then would still slide right off (...all in the name of Science!!!)

They are using that property to gush about how germs are not going to stick to it,
completely ignoring that the only relevant factor here is {how well does a material abrade poop dried onto glazed ceramic}, which I'd suggest isn't going to be very effective.
This isn't about poop sticking to brush, this is about poop sticking to ceramic.

If it worked even remotely like they'd imagined then we'd all have silicone toothbrushes right?

I've seen no end of products that play into some people's fear of germs, and the toilet brush in particular is something they prefer to hide behind covers. It's also inspiring the most dainty of designs which snap in two at the first use, as if the very suggestion of physical application was beyond the pale.

It will of course sell like hotcakes 

[Jeroen3]

Wouldn't this work better?
http://www.drillbrush.com/drill-powered-nylon-bristle-cleaning-brush-with-extension-kit/

[Ian.M]

Imagine the splatter. I think I'd want a full NBC suit if I was using the drillbrush!

[Seekonk]

Interesting to note that around 1970 the IEEE had a contest for the best new microprocessor application.  The winner was the microprocessor toilet flusher.   That only took 40 years to come into practice. 

[nctnico]

and the toilet brush in particular is something they prefer to hide behind covers.

LOL! When I redid the toilet I put the reservoir in a dead space behind the toilet 'room'. When I was finished my wife asked me where I put the toilet brush. After some long thinking I concluded I must have left it in the dead space...  Recently I had to replace the reservoir and it turned out the lost toilet brush was in the dead space indeed! I totally forgot to grab it again so the toilet brush is still there.  No problem because it got replaced a long time ago.

[tggzzz]

Interesting to note that around 1970 the IEEE had a contest for the best new microprocessor application.  The winner was the microprocessor toilet flusher.   That only took 40 years to come into practice.

They were using micros to flush toilets in skyscrapers in ~1979, because there was a killer benefit. Ensuring toilets don't flush simultaneously means the downpipes can be smaller and there's more (very expensive) real-estate to be  sold.

[lowimpedance]

Interesting to note that around 1970 the IEEE had a contest for the best new microprocessor application.  The winner was the microprocessor toilet flusher.   That only took 40 years to come into practice.

They were using micros to flush toilets in skyscrapers in ~1979, because there was a killer benefit. Ensuring toilets don't flush simultaneously means the downpipes can be smaller and there's more (very expensive) real-estate to be  sold.

heh.. I can imagine a display saying "poop job spooled waiting for the buffer to clear" before flushing .... when the person in the next cubicle just beat you to the 'button'   

[Halcyon]

I figure if a silicone blade is good for baking and cooking, it's good enough for the shitter.

They are confusing themselves over the material properties.
If you pooped on your baking tray then of course it would slide right off.
If you baked it for 2 hours first it then would still slide right off (...all in the name of Science!!!)

I wasn't talking about baking trays, I meant those silicone spatula thingy's. They are great for getting all sorts of sticky gunk off the sides of bowls etc...

As for the anti-bacterial properties, yeh, well, I don't really care about that. At the end of the day, IT'S A TOILET BRUSH. I just hate the thought of poop getting stuck in between bristles of a regular brush. At least the silicone ones can be easily cleaned and disinfected when required. Silicon, by nature, is hydrophobic so you don't need to shake it around to get the excess water off (and hope you don't splash yourself in the process).

They do claim that the silicone they use is embedded with some kind of silver ion or something (the same stuff fridge manufacturers boast about) but IT'S A TOILET BRUSH, so who cares? Function, looks and longevity are far more important.

...and the toilet brush in particular is something they prefer to hide behind covers.

I'm not sure I fully agree with that. Yes, it'd be nice to be able to hide away a "stick used for scrubbing poop" but on the same token I see it as something my guests should be able to easily find. If it's near the toilet, it's obvious what its use is. However if a guest happens to need it and it's hidden away, they might not necessarily go looking for it if it's not in the expected place. They are also very highly unlikely to ask where it is. That's just my opinion though, maybe people in other countries see it differently??

heh.. I can imagine a display saying "poop job spooled waiting for the buffer to clear" before flushing .... when the person in the next cubicle just beat you to the 'button'   

I wonder what would happen if something were to get stuck in the queue and the system locked up? There would be pending poop everywhere! Would you then log a job with IT?

[bitslice]

They are great for getting all sorts of sticky gunk off the sides of bowls etc...

Sticky gunk yep,
dried poop, nope, not a chance in hell

maybe people in other countries see it differently??

I reckon Britons have an odd relationship with their loo,
back in the 70's, people (...OK, just women) would cover up the loo brush with a handmade doll...
As if acknowledging the existence of a brush was not the done thing.

Even now people still buy those chrome brushes which break at the first use, so I can only assume they consider them for decoration only.

I gather Germans like to look at their poo, and design their loo's accordingly.

[NiHaoMike]

Interesting to note that around 1970 the IEEE had a contest for the best new microprocessor application.  The winner was the microprocessor toilet flusher.   That only took 40 years to come into practice. 

I'm sure those things have been around for a lot more than just a few years. Of which, in practice, they all seem to like to false trigger and help spread disease.

[Ian.M]

The most disconcerting ones I've encountered are the photo eye ones in the Calais marina that tend to trigger a flush like the Niagara falls just as you sit down!

[Halvmand]

I think it's worth a commercial like this:

[PlainName]

It will of course sell like hotcakes

Indeed. Mine arrived moments ago 

If it worked even remotely like they'd imagined

Er... don't know yet. And not exactly bursting to try it right now. In any case, I would need to ask the missus...

[Halcyon]

It will of course sell like hotcakes

Indeed. Mine arrived moments ago 

If it worked even remotely like they'd imagined

Er... don't know yet. And not exactly bursting to try it right now. In any case, I would need to ask the missus...

Thank's for sharing! I haven't got mine yet. What does it look/feel like? I'd imagine the quality would be fairly decent?

[PlainName]

I am not really into fondling loo brushes, so I don't really know how it compares! Seems perfectly OK though - the head is quite pliable, the shaft quite rigid, and you wouldn't know they are separate parts. The box was surprisingly light, though.

[Halcyon]

the shaft quite rigid

We all like a rigid shaft just as much Dave loves playing with that nipple ;-)

[PlainName]

Now you mention it, it does seem almost tailor-made for use in a certain kind of video I may have seen sometime (over someone's shoulder, obs).

[PlainName]

This isn't about poop sticking to brush, this is about poop sticking to ceramic.

On the contrary, and I confess I didn't see this sooner, it is about poop sticking to brush. Trying to shift a blockage with a brush soon demonstrates the benefit of a disposable stick. The material and form of the loobrush means (according to the blurb) that a rinse in a clean flush will sort it all out. I would buy this thing (oh, wait, I did) just on that basis - if it was as effective as a brush at cleaning the bowl that's a bonus so far as I'm concerned