Espresso yourself
People on the go no longer have to wait in line at an overpriced specialty coffee emporium for their favorite cup of espresso. Handpresso of France makes this portable 140-watt espresso machine that fits in your vehicle's cupholder and plugs into any 12-volt receptacle, such as a lighter socket. The Handpresso Auto version, which sells in the $200 range, accepts most E.S.E (Easy Serving Espresso) coffee pods and brews up the contents in about two minutes (the Handpresso beeps three times once the process is completed). Get all the details about it and the available accessories at www.handpresso.com, but your best bet for North American orders is to check out amazon.com.
Grime is out of time
Working under the hood can be a messy chore at best and requires a strong cleaner for degunking your hands. Grime Boss Heavy Duty Hand Cleaning Wipes promise to rid your digits of oily grease, paint, sticky adhesives, odors and just about anything else you might come into contact with. On one side, each wipe contains aloe and vitamin E for wiping and moisturizing your face, while the slightly more abrasive side is specifically designed for scrubbing hands As the manufacturer states, "This ain't no baby wipe". Grime Boss sells for about $20 for a pack of 60 wipes (other quantities are available) and can be purchased from a variety of retailers. Head over to www.grimeboss.com for a complete list or try various online resellers including www.amazon.com.
Leather floor mats?
You don't want to put just any floor mats inside your expensive vehicle or classic car. Not when there's a wide assortment of genuine leather mats available from Inpelle Auto Accessories. The company makes seat coverings for BMW, Porsche and Audi and now offers custom-fitted floor mats for a variety of other makes. The leather has been given a special waterproof finish that is claimed to resist all sorts of dirt and grime. They're also claimed to fit just like original-equipment mats so they won't slip. Each set of front and rear mats (available in four colors and two different styles ) or matching cargo liner sells for about $290 and can be ordered from www.inpelleautoaccessories.com.
Clean water for travel
Of all the emergency supplies you can carry in your vehicle when heading for the Great Outdoors, this one could literally save your life. The Life Straw, which is manufactured by Vest er ga a rd Fr and sen and has been on the market since 2005, is a portable water filter that pretty much guarantees you access to safe drinking water wherever you are in the world. Each one has the capacity to filter up to 264 gallons of water, removing virtually all of the waterborne bacteria (including E-coli and Salmonella) and parasites, leaving nothing but clear, clean H2O. Lifestraw also leaves no nasty aftertaste, contains no chemicals and works without batteries (it actually has no moving parts). Although the manufacturer doesn't sell the product directly, you can purchase one for $20 from the distributor, www.eartheasy.com/lifestraw.