n3wt0n!

import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;
 
public class ScrubTest {
 
	public String scrubText(String dirty) {
		dirty = scrub("\\s+", dirty, " ");
		return scrub("^\\s?|\\s?$", dirty, "");
	}
 
	public String scrub(String pattern, String text, String replace) {
		Pattern p = Pattern.compile(pattern);
		Matcher matcher = p.matcher(text);
		return matcher.replaceAll(replace);
	}
 
	public static void main(String[] args) {
 
		ScrubTest st = new ScrubTest();
		LinkedList<String> list = new LinkedList<String>();
 
		list.add(new String("test"));
		list.add(null);
		list.add(new String(""));
		list.add(new String(" "));
		list.add(new String("\n"));
 
		for (String s : list) {
			System.out.println ("\nTesting string: \"" + s + "\"\n---------------");
			try {
				s = st.scrubText(s);
				System.out.println ("null:  " + (s == null));
				System.out.println ("empty: " + s.isEmpty());
				System.out.println ("\\n:    " + s.equalsIgnoreCase("\n"));
			}
			catch (Exception e) {
				System.out.println ("ERROR:" + e);
			}
		}
 
		String scrubbed = "\n\n\n   This   is       just a  test            \n    ";
		scrubbed = st.scrubText(scrubbed);
 
		System.out.println (scrubbed + ".");
	}
}