A better online invitation system, a coal product that purifies rather than pollutes, and five other products that impressed us.
Cyber Clean keyboard cleanerhygienic gooeyThe average computer keyboard is home to more germs than a toilet seat, but that doesn’t seem to stop most people from blithely typing away. Over time, QWERTY slabs get covered in crumbs, dust, bits of skin, hair, and otherwise unmentionable human detritus-and they’re nigh impossible to clean. Until now. This gooey cleanser will take your keys from abysmal to amazing. Your fingers-and anyone you plan on touching-will thank you.$24, expertverdict.com
Sort of Coal energy-saverFor some time now, Old King Coal has been in dire need of an image makeover. Sort of Coal, a natural purifier, is at least a push in the right direction. Founwd to have far more carbon content than its dirty cousin, the use of white charcoal is a centuries-old Japanese technique proven to absorb humidity and odor without dust or residue. Leave a stick overnight in some water and taste the difference in the morning. Put a log in the open air and breathe fresh without manufactured perfumes. Behold, the purifying power of coal.from $14, sortofcoal.com
Index Chopping Boardquick fixChefs on cooking shows always talk about how you should have one cutting board for meat and one for produce, but who has room for more than one cutting board when your kitchen doesn’t double as a TV studio? The Index Chopping Board has solved the problem by storing several cutting boards in a nifty container, and it labels them so you never contaminate your tomatoes with your fish. Never!$85, momastore.org
The Human-Powered HomepowerbookAll those hours on your home treadmill could have been generating electricity for yourself. Free electricity. In her new book, The Human-Powered Home, Tamara Dean shows you ways to get yourself off the grid by using your own energy to supply power. No longer will your kilowatt hours be spent in vain.$30, newsociety.com
Klash shoesheart and soleAre these the only shoes that matter? Probably not. But they are the only shoes we know of that help fund Iraqi heart surgery (to the tune of about 50 percent of each sale). The shoes themselves are made in Iraqi Kurdistan, using a traditional technique, and are both comfortable and stylish (in that Kurdish shoe sort of way).$100, buyshoessavelives.com
PinggrsvpIt’s annoying enough to receive an Evite for a party you have no intention of attending, but does it have to add such ugly clutter to your inbox and browser? Not anymore. Pingg adds more than a dash of class to electronic announcements and RSVPs. It boasts a large selection of surprisingly attractive card choices, and enables you to snail-mail a paper version of your invite to your Luddite friends. The directionally challenged can be sent directions via text message an hour before your event.free (there are costs for print invites), pingg.com
Lower East Side Girls Club Ballot Boxsweet nothingsElection year politics can leave a sour taste in your mouth-like defeat mixed with hints of lies and compromise. However, the Lower East Side Girls Club is selling politically shaped sugar cookies to raise money for its after school programs. “Ballot boxes” sold at their Sweet Things bakeshop include three star-shaped cookies and either sweet frosted donkeys, elephants, or a bipartisan box with both. At least someone will benefit from your political stress-eating.$15/box ($20 for bipartisan), girlsclub.org
