Idea-Mill.net

Single-Use Washcloths

At the risk of being a cliche, I'll admit that this idea came to me in the shower. Most of the gyms (my current one included) I've ever worked out in have those wall-mounted shower gel pumps in the shower stalls. But it's not really gel as much as a watery soap, less viscous even than shampoo. So to actually get clean you need to pump out one handful and apply. Again. And again. And again. I usually quit after one set of 12 reps. But I don't feel especially clean because I don't get a good lather and have no appreciable exfoliating. Either would be acceptable: visible lather would convince me psychologically that I'm clean; a good scrubbing would do the same empirically. But because there is neither, the shower is highly unsatisfying.

My dad used to carry handkerchiefs. Not pocket squares to add a splash of color to your suit jacket, but actual handkerchiefs to be used for blowing one's nose. The progressive world has now given us paper tissues. I'm told the diapers I wore as a baby were cloth. So were the dustrags I used as a boy to earn my allowance, and the napkins I set the family dinner table with.

You can make just about anything of paper nowadays, so why are there no paper single-use washcloths? I know there are baby-wipes repositioned as disposable washcloths, but that's not the same thing. When I'm showering at the gym, or in a hotel, I don't want to feel (and smell) like I have a medical condition. And the thought of using a washcloth that the last person who stayed in this room may have used is just icky to think about.

I'm talking about something that looks like a loofah (or maybe is a loofah, just a really small one that falls apart after one use), and gets me clean like a loofah. I want to feel the way I do when I get out of my shower at home, not like a leather car seat does after it's been detailed.

My guess is that making such a product is not the stumbling block. Adoption by a couple of key customer segments is the challenge. I've identified them as gyms and hotels, but maybe there are other applications. Why should these institutions adopt Single-Use Washcloths? Here are some thoughts:

• Service component: they create a more pleasurable experience
• Potential cost savings: may allow for reduced consumption of shower gel in gyms, and lower laundry expenses in hotels (though my guess is that the added cost of the product would offset any losses, and that this is the major obstacle towards manufacturing and adoption)
• Environmentally friendly: especially if they are recycled/recyclable, or even biodegradable (sometimes in marketing environmental green trumps even economic green).

So if anyone knows if these things exist already do let me know. At the very least, I'd buy a case or two myself to bring to throw in my gym bag or my dopp kit.

Airport Nail Salons

Last time we traveled together, my fiancee remarked that there should be nail salons in airports. Tons of reasons why:

- Travelers often have 10 minutes to kill
- They often want to look polished upon arrival
- A little pampering smooths out a bumpy trip
- Manicures cost about the same as a grande latte and a scone, and you can sleep afterwards

We brainstormed a bit and couldn't think of any reasons why they're not already there. The only thing we could conclude is that maybe the chemicals needed are tough to get a permit for in an airport. You know, because chemicals are liquids.

Anyway, after we talked about it I sent myself a text message to my email address (because this doesn't exist yet), which I dug out today to write up this entry. I started with a little research, and quickly concluded that this is the best idea of the lot so far:

Airport salon offers travelers fast manicure

So :10 Minute Manicure is in the Lexington, KY airport, and pondering plans to expand to Louisville, KY. There are a lot of airports left, and style points aren't awarded for originality.

Submitted by Bethesda Rookie.

Have an idea of your own? Submit it here.

Coffee Connoisseur Travel Kit

Now that I've stopped drinking, coffee is my drug of choice. I got hooked on coffee during my first job out of college, when my boss signed me up for a Green Mountain Coffee Roasters subscription program. They're crafty somebodies over at Green Mountain. The minimum order for the subscription was something like 3 pounds every two weeks, roughly the equivalent of about 8 cups a day. I lived alone at the time and, combined with my father's waste-not ethic, it's no surprise I quickly spiralled into addiction.

I don't know if mine is the average addiction, however. I'm not a coffee snob. When I travel and there's nothing in the hotel room but the bitter-bag-o-blend, or I'm at a rest area and the only place open is a Roy Rogers with a half pot of sludge on the hob, I'll still belly up. With me and coffee, it's a bird in the hand philosophy. If I happen to see a Starbucks or Caribou 10 minutes later, I have another hand for another bird.

I probably would be a connoisseur if I had any self-restraint. Or if I had a Coffee Connoisseur Travel Kit. Its purpose would be to enable anyone who loves coffee to enjoy it fresh-brewed wherever they are. It's a self-contained kit that has everything necessary for storing, brewing and - importantly - repeating. Ideal for the coffee lover on the move.

Here's what it might contain:

• French Press
• Portable  Water Heater (this is the missing link, I think - portable water heaters exist, like this one from Coleman that runs on propane. But other power sources would be more appropriate, which I'll get to in a minute)
• Mug(s)
• Canister for coffee beans or grounds
• Portable bean grinder (like this hand-crank)
• Thermos to keep milk or cream chilled
• Small canister for sugar
• Necessary scoops and stirrers
• Travel bag or case

The important question is what actually constitutes 'on the go'? Is it camping or hiking, where you're removed from civilization but want to carry with you some of the creature comforts you're addicted used to? Probably not - it's simply not feasible to be a connoisseur of anything when your bedroom is a 1/16" swatch of nylon and your bathroom is a shovel. There are plenty of camping coffee solutions available, but none that rise above bird-in-the-hand status. Carrying your domicile on your back entails some necessary compromises, connoisseurship among them.

Is it business or vacation travel, typically by air? Here, you'd only be able to use your Kit when you weren't actually in the act of traveling. So carrying it around, checking it onto the plane, and carting it to your hotel room may ultimately yield diminishing returns if the place you're traveling to has decent coffee.

So that leaves car travel. There's enough room in the car for the kit, and little need to carry it anywhere other than door to driveway to motor lodge or tailgate party or campground or fishing boat. I'd start there and then see which of the above components are need-to-have, and which are nice-to-have.

Keeping in mind that the objective is to solve a problem - which would also have to be clearly defined before beginning. Is the problem:

1. The unavailability of B+ or better coffee at periods when decent or better coffee would be desirable
or
2. The unavaiability of A/A+ coffee at periods when premium coffee would be desirable

If the conculsion (via hunch or research or whatever other means available) yields (1), then the bean grinder could be done away with. If you're going full gourmet, it's a necessary inclusion. (And it would have to be a burr grinder, not a blade grinder.)

But the other consideration is how 'unavailable' are we really talking about? Are we on the interstate where we could at least stop for hot water and cold milk? Or do we need to be entirely self-contained, in which case we'd even need a place in the kit for the bottled water used for brewing?

My guess is that if George Foreman can make and market 12 different variations of his grill, there are as many iterations of the Coffee Connoisseur Travel Kit brewing as well, for different applications and functions. The first and easiest to market would be one that relies on existing components: thermos, canisters, french press and spoons - all in a bag and ready for picnics, soccer games, fishing and hunting excursions, and road trips. But a battery or 12-volt auto charger powered water heater could be a real gamechanger, and open up a niche not yet tapped.

At the very least, it would create something to give my gadget-loving father for Christmas, since he already has two of these, three of these and four of these.