Brush & Rinse: Toothbrush Does Double Duty

Designer Scott Amron, whose electricity-themed designs have been featured here and here on TreeHugger, is no one-trick pony. He also works in the water medium, and has designed a rather ingenious toothbrush to make it easier to rinse when you're done brushing. "Brush & Rinse" employs a couple well-placed holes to redirect water from the faucet, switching your brush from "clean" to "rinse" by creating a water fountain that makes rinsing a quick and easy affair.

Says Amron, "No one should be using disposable cups for rinsing after brushing. No one should have to wash a glass or cup every time they rinse. No one should have to lap water from their hand. No one should be forced to slurp excess water from toothbrush bristles. Current methods of getting water into our mouths are sloppy, create waste, and place unnecessary stress on our bodies. And, people love water fountains."

We love the design's simplicity and easy effectiveness, and we aren't the only ones to have noticed; it was voted as I.D. magazine's "Best Concept" of 2007, and is nominated for a Cooper-Hewitt People's Design Award. Perhaps best of all, you can get one of these for just $3; for collectors and design nerds, the 27 original working prototypes are also for sale for $1,750 -- we don't recommend you use those for your everyday teeth-cleaning needs. The design will be on exhibit at the Red Dot Design Museum starting in November, and a little birdie told us that MoMA is interested as well, so stay tuned for more. ::Amron Experimental