hygiene

(Newser) - In a country obsessed with both technology and cleanliness, it should be no surprise that  Japanese toilets set the standard for high-tech hygienic services, ranging from pre-warmed seats to artificial flushing sounds that drown out bodily noises without wasting water. More than 60% of all Japanese households are now equipped...

(Newser) - Infections picked up in hospitals kill nearly 100,000 people in the US every year and are on the rise, but some institutions seem to have found a remedy: simple hygiene. The Times visits the VA hospital in Pittsburgh, which has slashed the rate of virulent bacterial infections by using...

(Newser) - A German physicist is engineering toilet paper that he says is more efficient  and softer than the familiar white roll. TP visionary Siegfried Hustedt claims a single ply of his new paper—which can "hold its shape longer under pressure"—will be sturdy enough to do the job,...