Back in March, Bosch launched an Indigogo campaign for an innovative new consumer device that can freshen up clothes by removing unpleasant odours using plasma technology.
The Indigogo was limited to just 500 users and somehow completely flew under my radar.
It is a bit of an unusual pivot for the brand, which I typically associate with white good and power tools.
The whole concept itself seems a little bit unusual, too. Perhaps more so after many of us have spent the past year working from home in loungewear.
What is Bosch FreshUp?
This relatively expensive, £250, device is about the size of a sunglasses case designed to be carried around with you, or at least taken travelling with you in a bag, either for work or pleasure.
It then uses breakthrough “Bosch Plasma Technology” which releases active plasma particles that flow across the fabric, dissolving simple odour molecules completely removing smells rather than masking them.
Bosche state that the independent test institute wfk found out that FreshUp effectively works against unpleasant odours on fabrics, such as tobacco smoke, fried fat and onion, and smoked bacon and anchovy.
Bosch FreshUp does not replace washing your clothes
The devices is not designed to replace washing your clothes but merely to prologue the time between washes.
For many, the idea of prolonging the time between washes may seem odd, a lot of people wear something then wash it. However, this is generally not recommended as it offers little health benefits, reduces the lifespan of the clothes and washing regularly costs more money and has greater environmental impacts.
Raw denim fans may appreciate FreshUp
If Primark is your shop of choice, a device like this may not seem that appealing, but for many that choose to wear more expensive garments, they will often want to minimise wear as much as possible, and this is where the FreshUp will be advantageous. I am sure the denim fans working on their fades, who sometimes don’t wash their denim at all, will appreciate something that can reduce the small. Similarly, I imagine this will be quite useful for people that wear suits, which often only get intermittently dry cleaned.
Performance
I have only had limited time with the device, but it doesn’t seem like the most practical solution if you want to cover a large area of clothes due to its size. So if you have been hanging around with people that have been smoking, it is going to be a time-consuming process to plasma clean your entire outfit.
To use it, you just need to power it on. On the base of the FreshUp is a contact strip, when you press down the FreshUp engages and starts to clean your clothes with plasma. The device changes colour to purple to tell you it is activated, but apart from that there is no visible indication it is doing anything.
During my brief time with the FreshUp, it does genuinely seem to work. I didn’t have anything particularly unpleasant smelling to test it on, but lingering deodorant smells on T-shirts did seem to dissipate with use. Bosch also supplied sample pieces of cloth that had smells applied to them and the FreshUp removed the smell successfully.
It can’t remove visible stains
Sadly, the FreshUp doesn’t magically remove visible stains, so if you spill something on you, you will still have to wash your clothes. Sadly, this is my main downfall as I inevitably spill food or drink on myself before my clothes have a chance to smell.
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, I don’t have the official pricing, but references online appear to indicate it will be £249.99 RRP.
The Bosch FreshUp should be available from the 29th of June.
That is not cheap in the slightest. This is clearly not aimed at the masses, but rather people who travel for a living or people that need to extend the life of their expensive clothes.
Find out more direct from Bosch
Overall
This seems to be a niche product, or at least I am not the target market, so it is hard to judge the device properly. Especially after a year of lockdown when I haven’t travelled once.
It does work though, it is easy to use and small enough to take anywhere with you. The size means you will likely only want to spot target odours rather than a plasma clean your entire outfit.
There doesn’t appear to be any directly comparable product, so Bosch is doing something innovative.
Overall, I can see how this will be useful for people that wear suits or other clothes that need to be dry cleaned only. You should get a lot more life out of the garment before sending it off for cleaning. Similarly, people on the road with work a lot will likely appreciate it.
Bosch FreshUp Initial Review
Summary
The Bosch FreshUp is an innovative device that works as advertised. It is ideal for keeping expensive or dry clean only garments fresh and I am sure it will be popular with people that need to travel a lot. It seems quite expensive for what it is, but with no comparables, it is hard to judge.
Posted by Mighty Gadget Blog: UK Technology News and Reviews
