SCRUB-EASE

Scrub-ease is a handheld sponge tool designed with one mission in mind: to make everyday cleaning easier and less painful for those living with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Unlike traditional sponges that demand a tight grip and repetitive wrist motions, Scrub-ease features an ergonomic, palm-support design that distributes pressure evenly across the hand—minimizing strain and allowing for a pain-free grip.

Scrub-ease transforms chores into an accessible, low-impact activity. Whether you’re washing dishes, wiping counters, or tackling bathroom tiles, Scrub-ease gives you control without the discomfort.

Scrubbing made simple. Scrub-ease.

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a condition that occurs when the median nerve is compressed as it traverses the carpal tunnel.

Dishwashing especially is seemingly impossible with CTS. The pinch hold on the sponge, the repeated movements and the pressure of holding heavy dishware strains the hand significantly.

Below is my process of developing a carpal Tunnel friendly sponge holder that reduces stress on the median nerve while reallocating the pressure.

Ideation and User testing using soft air-dry clay

Accommodating everyone is impossible in ergonomics. Someone will be left out.

How do I minimize this percentage?

Ergonomics

Accommodating the 99th percentile of hands means accommodating the biggest and the smallest.

To reduce abuse of the median nerve, I attempted to remove the need for the median fingers (thumb, index and middle).

This means that a majority of the force exerted must be from the pinky and ring finger.

I want to reduce total force exerted on the median fingers and focus force on the pinky and ring.

Testing revealed that silicon is the best material for this project. It also revealed a design direction for the project.

Users hated any kind of glove, since it would gather water.
Users didn’t want to accidentally touch the sponge and also didn’t want a handle, which was less comfortable than a regular sponge.

Using a 3D peeler, a device that scans a surface and converts it into a 3D model, I created a prototype fitted to the average hand. Through trial and error, I found a way to accommodate both the 1st percentile hand size and the 99th percentile hand.