http://plugins.jquery.com/project/fasterTrim

jquery.fastertrim.js

/*
 * jQuery fasterTrim Plugin
 * version: 1.0.1
 * @requires jQuery v1.0.x or later
 *
 * licensed under the MIT license:
 *	 http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
 *
 * @version $Id: jquery.fastertrim.js 2 2010-03-04 12:00:00Z $
 * @author	Travis Hardiman https://forum.jquery.com/user/travis.hardiman	http://travis.servebeer.com
 *	2010-02-22 - initial creation
 *	2010-03-04 - perf improvements, formatting
 *
 */
 
/**
 * Trims strings faster than jQuery.trim() demo: http://jsbin.com/izici3/25
 * Usage: 
 * 
 * $(element).fasterTrim(options);	// returns jQuery object
 * $.fasterTrim.trim(" string ", options);	// returns trimmed string
 * 
 * @param String
 *		text value to trim
 * @param Object
 *		(using custom options will slow the trim down, see jQuery.fasterTrim.defaultOptions object below for parameter info)
 */

(function( jQuery ) {
	jQuery.fasterTrim = function( el, options ) {
		var base = this;
		base.$el = jQuery( el );
		base.el = el;

		// Add a reverse reference to the DOM object
		base.$el.data( "fasterTrim", base );

		base.init = function() {
			base.options = jQuery.extend( {}, jQuery.fasterTrim.defaultOptions, options );
		};

		// Run initializer
		base.init();

		// trim element text or html
		if ( !base.options.trimHtmlInstead ) {
			base.$el.text( jQuery.fasterTrim.trim( base.$el.text(), base.options ) );
		} else {
			base.$el.html( jQuery.fasterTrim.trim( base.$el.html(), base.options ) );
		}
	};

	// simple values to cache
	var empty = "";
	var hasNbspBug = ( ("\u00a0").replace( /\s/, empty ).length > 0);
	jQuery.fasterTrim.hasNbspBug = hasNbspBug;

	// faster trim
	jQuery.fasterTrim.trim = function( text, options ) {
		if ( text ) {
			if ( options ) {
				options = jQuery.extend( {}, jQuery.fasterTrim.defaultOptions, options );
				
				if ( options.useNative && typeof String.trim === "function" ) {
					return text.trim();
				} else if ( !options.useLevithan ) {
					return text.replace( options.trimLeft, options.empty ).replace( options.trimRight, options.empty );
				} else {
					// Levithan function
					var str = text.replace( options.trimLeft, options.empty ),
						i = str.length;
					while ( options.whitespace.test( str.charAt(--i) ) ){}
					return str.slice( 0, i + 1 );
				}
			} else {
				// don't test options
				if ( typeof String.trim === "function" ) {
					return text.trim();
				} else {
					return text.replace( jQuery.fasterTrim.defaultOptions.trimLeft, empty ).replace( jQuery.fasterTrim.defaultOptions.trimRight, empty );
				}
			}
		} else {
			return empty;
		}
	};
	
	jQuery.fasterTrim.defaultOptions = {
		// use native String.Trim() if available
		useNative: true,
		// better for larger strings, but slower for smaller ones
		useLevithan: false,
		// if IE isn't required or text is guaranteed to never start/end with a NBSP (\xA0) then the "[\s\xA0]" in the following options can safely be changed to "\s" for an even greater speed boost
		// default regex for trimming beginning of string
		trimLeft: ( hasNbspBug ) ? /^[\s\xA0]+/ : /^\s+/,
		// default regex for trimming end of string
		trimRight: ( hasNbspBug ) ? /[\s\xA0]+$/ : /\s+$/,
		// default regex for matching whitespace
		whitespace: ( hasNbspBug ) ? /[\s\xA0]/ : /\s/,
		// an $element's .text() will be trimmed by default, enable this to trim its .html() (this is only used on a jQuery object)
		trimHtmlInstead: false,
		// an empty string, used for testing and replacements, stored here for caching purposes, not intended to be overwritten unless required for crazy hacks
		empty: ""
	};

	jQuery.fn.fasterTrim = function( options ) {
		return this.each( function() {
			( new jQuery.fasterTrim( this, options ) );
		});
	};

	// returns the FasterTrim if it has been attached to the object.
	jQuery.fn.getFasterTrim = function() {
		this.data( "fasterTrim" );
	};

})( jQuery );