makezine.com: Ultrasonic Toothbrush

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Ultrasonic Toothbrush

Type(s): Household Product, Tip
Tags: toothbrush, cleaning, sonicare

http://www.sonicare.com/products/essence/essence5300.asp
$68 (US, estimated) Buy from amazon.com

Tool photo.

The toothbrush has had a spot in my toolbox for years, and I've been thinking for a long time about what a great cleaning tool my Sonicare toothbrush might make. My first vision was cleaning flux from assembled PCBs instead of using an ultrasonic bath. I still haven't tried that, but I did get my money's worth cleaning something else.

My wife and I tied the knot last October, and in the American tradition, our car was decorated. My crack team of groomsmen used some fluorescent paint to inscribe "Just Married" on the windows. As we were getting into the car, Mariana wiped some off onto her dress and subsequently onto the passengers' armrest. The paint was designed for glass and pretty much wiped right off the windows, but the armrest is textured to look like leather, and since then I've had a fluorescent yellow patch there. I've had detailers and car wash folks try to get it out, but it wouldn't budge.

Sonicare to the rescue. Five minutes of cleaning with the toothbrush dipped in water was all it took. If you're going to use this method on larger areas, I'd suggest having two small containers of water: one to rinse the head with, and one to get fresh, clean water from. I haven't tried using the brush with any sort of cleaning solution, but if you do, be sure to use eye protection as the brush tends to fling the liquid in tiny droplets all over the place.

The Sonicare Essence 5300 seems to be perfect for cleaning since it's almost half the cost of the elite series without special brushing "features." In fact, this might be the perfect opportunity to buy two. I really like the results on my teeth, too.

You can pick up a basic "Sonicare Essence 5300" from Aetna over the web. It's priced at $57.30 plus $9.50 for shipping and handling when you use the code "sonicare". Retail price seems to be about $80. Amazon has it for just under $70, so if you're going to do free shipping with them, it might be worth it, especially if the Aetna deal goes away.