The only way to be sure that you aren’t simply rubbing old germs and bacteria over your chompers twice a day is to be proactive with a gadget like the UV Toothbrush Sanitizer and Holder (Convenient Gadgets & Gifts, $29.95). Instead of using harsh chemicals or solvents to clean your toothbrush, this sanitizer utilizes the power of UV-C light. How powerful are we talking? For just seven minutes a day, this sanitizing lamp will kill up to 99.9 percent of bacteria, fungi, and viruses from your toothbrush.

By day it’s just a regular toothbrush holder; by night it vanquishes its many enemies, including those pesky micro-organisms!

4 out of 5 stars.

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I’m not saying it’s a cure-all, but the Path Illuminating Umbrella (Hammacher Schlemmer, $39.95) is certainly a step in the right direction. It’s got to be harder to trip over your own two feet if they’re lit up like a Christmas tree, right? This umbrella, besides being ginormous and gust-resistant, features a flashlight built directly into the handle. Three bright white LED lights cast 100 lumens over a 30 foot range and the flashlight end rotates up to 180 degrees. With up to 48 hours of continuous use, you could take that two day stroll you’ve always dreamed about.

You could try shouting “Lumos!” while holding your current umbrella, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

3 out of 5 stars.

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So you can imagine how amazing I think anything is that doesn’t require batteries to be changed over and over, like the Rechargeable Flat Wireless EZ Mouse (Things You Never Knew Existed, $49.98). The batteries in my wireless mouse die about once a month and I never change them until absolutely necessary. Sure, I could use a wired mouse but that’s for losers. Instead I’d much rather use a mouse like this, with its rechargeable battery that lasts up to six weeks on one charge. Six weeks! And my absolute favorite part is that when it finally comes time to charge up that battery, you just take it out and plug it into your USB port. What about your mouse, you ask? It’s all good – your mouse will keep running for up to three days without the main power supply because it has a backup power source built in!

That’s totesally awesome.

5 out of 5 stars.

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I can’t do anything to help him with his nighttime foot shivers (heated blanket, perhaps?) but I think I found the solution to inadequate sock warmth: the Volt Resistance Heated Indoor/Outdoor Slippers (Vat19, $129.99). With a design more like booties than traditional slippers, these foot cocoons provide the wearer with over six hours of warmth per battery charge. Each slipper uses one battery (included) that fits into a small inside pocket and is easily recharged via wall outlet. The slippers themselves are made of a water-resistant shell which means that most water will slide right off, but I wouldn’t go dunking your foot into a giant puddle. A built-in thermostat ensures that your tootsies stay cozy without burning up and the massive amount of insulation comprising the outer slipper shell prevents heat from escaping. You can even throw them in the washer if they get dirty!

The key here is to remember that these are slippers, not shoes. Yes, it says you can wear them outside but it’s more of a get-the-mail kind of outside rather than go-to-the-mall.

5 out of 5 stars.

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So you can imagine my apprehension at the thought of submerging one of them in water a la the iSwim Waterproof Case w/ Headphones (Latest Buy, $26.95). This case insists that it can keep your precious music machine alive with the power of its double ziplock seal, making the whole deal waterproof enough to listen to music whilst swimming. To sweeten the pot even further, the set also includes waterproof headphones, lanyard, and an armband that attaches to the waterproof case. And if you want to blow your mind even more, make sure you catch an air pocket in the case before sealing and it’ll even float in the water!

I always want to believe in the power of a waterproof case, but I think I’d just be way too paranoid to use one. I’d always be worried that my case would be the defective one and that my iPod would turn into an expensive paperweight the moment I stepped foot onto the beach. I said I was paranoid, didn’t I?

3 out of 5 stars.

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I think the biggest problem I have when it comes to napping is that I’m so focused on how long I have to sleep that I can’t clear my mind. The Napper (Amazon, $14.99) understands the stresses of everyday life and the need to take a relaxing snooze. Well, at least the person who created this charming alarm clock understands that because they’ve added a delightful feature to the traditional alarm: preset snooze buttons! Instead of having to hit the snooze button over and over or reset your perpetual alarm, simply hit the snooze time of your choice. You can choose from 15, 30, or even 60 minutes of uninterrupted snooze time by barely lifting a finger.

You know that expression, “You snooze, you lose?” Well, I think it should be, “You snooze, you win.”

5 out of 5 stars.

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Grillers, arm yourselves with the Grill Sergeant Apron (Perpetual Kid, $19.99)! More than just your traditional apron, this bad boy has space for everything you could possibly need to make that awesome barbeque idea a reality. Alright, so it doesn’t have meat pockets (wouldn’t that be disgusting), but it does have three extra large tool pockets as well as four sauce pockets and six (!) beverage can slots. This manly apron also includes a bottle opener and two spice pockets, which I think should just about cover all your grilling bases.

Don’t worry if you’ve grilled yourself one delicious steak too many because this apron is one size fits all.

4 out of 5 stars.

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My least favorite thing about loose tea is cleaning out my infuser afterwards. No matter what, tiny specs of tea leaves always get stuck inside it and it seems like I spend an eternity trying to get them out. Meanwhile, my tea has gone cold. The Paper Tea Filters (Not On The High Street, £4.50) allow you the luxury of loose tea living without the hassle of fine mesh infuser cleaning. Because these paper filters are disposable, all you need to do is fill one with your tea of choice (I’m currently into oolong), slide the wood stick through the notches, and place the whole thing in your cup. The wood stick keeps the filter upright and provides a burn-free extraction. Each set of 40 even comes packaged in its own reusable cotton bag!

Tea: the other breakfast beverage.

5 out of 5 stars.

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This Trivet Set (Generate Design, $39.00) is right up my alley. In case you don’t know (and some people don’t), a trivet is used as a barrier between a hot dish and your countertop. Some of us lazy/poor people just use a pot holder, but that’s neither here nor there. I’m already jazzed that this set includes not one, not two, but three trivets of varying colors so imagine my delight when I realized that each trivet can be repurposed into a coaster or dish drainer! The secret here is the flexible silicone they’re made of which allows them to be easily molded into another useful shape. When you look at it that way, it looks like you need some trivets in your life.

A trivet for all seasons! Well, three of them at least.

4 out of 5 stars.

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Because I’m just as much a sucker for a good deal as I am for a quirky product, the Instantly Antique Wall Decals (Plasticland, $24.95) are my kind of wall art. As part of an exceptionally priced package, you get 35 full-color removable and restickable decals. A lot of these sticker frames are starting to show up lately, but this set has more than just a few frames – you also get hand-drawn wall art to supplement the set. So what if your flimsy walls won’t support a proper shelf? You can look arty with one of these decals instead! Also, while a lot of sticker frame sets include merely different sizes of the same type of frame, here you get varying sizes, shapes, and even colors.

I don’t know why anyone hires decorators, this is totes easy.

4 out of 5 stars.

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