Getting rid of that pesky odor

 

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CHICAGO, April 15 (UPI) -- There's nothing like an offensive odor to put off guests or nix a home sale and that's why air cleaners and fresheners have become such a big business.

Flowery aerosol sprays have been around for decades but the droplets often irritate lungs and sinuses, prompting searches for alternatives. Aerosols also can aggravate medical problems like asthma, especially in children.

While electronic air cleaners eliminate the droplet problem they often break down if sprays or candles are used in their presence, and most just deal with particulates like dust and pollen rather than toxic gases.

So what does that leave?

One possibility is the Andrea, an air filter that uses live plants -- anything from succulents to leafy creepers -- to clean the air of such toxins as formaldehyde.

"Any plant works," a LaboGroup spokesman said during last month's International Housewares Association trade show in Chicago.

The unit was invented by designer Mathieu Lehanneur and Harvard professor David Edwards for Edward's Le Laboratoire innovation center in Paris. Going a step further than lining plants up on the window sill, the Andrea forces air through a plant chamber so the leaves and soil can do their magic.

If smells rather than toxins are the concern, the Fresh Wave line may be the answer. These continuous-release products are composed of plant extracts: aniseed, cloves, cedarwood, lime and pine needles.

Melinda Adamec, director of marketing and brand development for the Barrington, Ill., company, a subsidiary of OMI, said the deodorizer was first developed for industrial use to neutralize the odors around landfills, wastewater treatment facilities and rendering plants and is used worldwide. The consumer division was started in 2003 following comments from industrial customers lamenting there was nothing as effective for home use.

"Everybody has a smell in their house at one point or another," Adamec said.

Adamec said the company never positioned itself as a green product -- although the formulation does place it in that category. And it definitely doesn't fall into the sweet-smells category since the product is relatively odorless as it eliminates -- rather than masks -- offending fragrances.

"The formulation works extremely effectively as is," Adamec said. The difference between the industrial and retail versions is concentration, and both have been certified safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, she said.

The company currently delivers its deodorizers in 13 forms including crystal gel (its most popular), non-aerosol sprays and soy candles. The current marketing thrust is to get the products into retail stores including Bed, Bath & Beyond, and hardware and independent stores.