Set the timer to 42 seconds

How to use the online timer

Dentists reckon two minutes is the gold standard, but for a quick top-up between meals, 42 seconds on the clock is plenty to knock the worst off your teeth. Start it going before you pick up the brush, keep moving section to section, and stop worrying about counting Mississippis in your head. Simple, silent, and done before the jingle from a novelty toothbrush timer would even finish.

Hit Start whenever you're ready and the timer runs on its own from there, no further clicking required until it finishes. It only counts while the tab stays open, so leave it running in the background rather than closing the browser or navigating away if you need the time to stay accurate. Once it reaches zero, an alarm sound lets you know without you having to keep checking the page.

A kitchen timer only works in the kitchen, and a phone timer competes with texts, calls, and every other app fighting for your attention. Keeping the countdown in a browser tab sidesteps both problems: it goes wherever your laptop or phone goes, and it isn't trying to notify you about anything else. Minimise it, work on something else, and it'll be counting when you check back. If you would rather say put a timer on for 42 seconds, that works too — press Start and the page does the rest.