A little girl washing her hands with the assistance of her alleged mother

Inspired by technology used in electric toothbrushes to notify people when they've brushed for the suggested 2 minutes, a 12-year-old girl and her dad have created a similar device for handwashing.

Using his daughter Sophia's idea, Engingeer Jon Huber created the SinkBlink20, a device that notifies people once they've washed their hands for the suggested 20 seconds, reports WATE.

The SinkBlink20 is powered by the movement of water, so it doesn't require batteries and won't start its countdown until the faucet has been turned on. It blinks slowly for the first 15 seconds of handwashing and then begins to blink faster towards the end of the job, so the person washing his or her hands knows that they are almost done. The timing is calculated by a circuit board.

Huber says the product is great for kids and adults alike. Adults, he says, have told him they didn't realize they had been coming up a few seconds short of 20 when they were using the practice of singing 'Happy Birthday' twice.

The patent is still pending for the device, which can be used in any sink.