Are We So Pathetic That We Need an Automatic Shower Cleaner?

November 16th, 2006

Are We So Pathetic That We Need an Automatic Shower Cleaner?

Yesterday I saw an ad on TV for Scrubbing Bubbles, the automatic shower cleaner. The ad had some weird 19th century undertones about replacing humans (in this case cleaning women of various ethinicities) with machinery, but never mind.

This device hangs in your shower and, at the touch of the button, sprays it down with cleaning solution. It’s kind of like a reverse car wash.

Maybe I sound like the same old curmudgeon who resisted the dishwasher and the microwave, but doesn’t this seem a little absurd? And, not to mention, totally wasteful? Like so many modern products, I’m guessing that they’ll take a loss on the device itself, and make all their money on the ‘antibacterial shower cleaner’.

Here, by the way, are some 59 reviews on Epinions.com.

Comments: 9 Responses so far

Rick
November 16th, 2006
9:47 am

I dunno. I have one of these and it helps keep my shower clean. I used to use the spray bottles and this is just more convenient. The spray DOES actually help keep grime and dirt from building up.

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darren
November 16th, 2006
10:18 am

Yeah, I like I’m just a luddite at heart.

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Chris
November 16th, 2006
10:19 am

Guess that makes me pathetic :)

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Todd Sieling
November 16th, 2006
11:59 am

Jeeze Gramps :)

I look at it differently: are we so pathetic that automatic shower cleaners aren’t as familiar as a dial tone? Why are humans doing this sort of work still?

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darren
November 16th, 2006
1:20 pm

You darn tootin’ kids, with your new-fangled inventions! Next you’ll be sending pictures to each other over the squawk box.

Yeah, my initial reaction was rather harsh. What can I tell you–it’s some nacsent Protestant notion of work.

One of my favourite quotes (paraphrased from memory):

There are two kinds of fools. One says this is old, and therefore good. The other says this is new, and therefore better.

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Darren James Harkness
November 17th, 2006
11:31 am

I agree that in your area it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, here in Edmonton, I have seriously thought about getting that automatic cleaner because of the calcification we tend to get from our water on the shower glass. We have to use some pretty caustic cleaner every week or two to restore transparency to our glass, and it would be nice to not have to worry about that.

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Erika
November 17th, 2006
12:44 pm

DJH has a point… our water in Vancouver is apparently very, very good, I’m told. (I had a shower in well water in Idaho and felt like I’d just gone swimming in the ocean!) But I wonder, how many people use a squeegee to help keep it cleaner longer? It certainly helps immensely. I’ve had glass doors my whole life and am not ever keen on cleaning it, but it really doesn’t take long. Probably the worst part about this automatic thing is not so much people’s laziness, but the chemical aspect. What’s in the stuff? I swear, as soon as I’m out of whatever I bought for the bathroom, I’m switching to vinegar and baking soda and seeing if that works.

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Darren James Harkness
November 17th, 2006
12:57 pm

The water quality is one of the things I miss most about BC. Out here, you take a shower and you’re dry the moment you step onto the bathmat!

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