deodorizer

Natural odor-eater that won't make you nauseous

If there's one thing I dislike more than a nasty-smelling room, it's a room that smells nasty but covered in potpourri. Though they are installed with the best of intentions, most air fresheners that I've encountered have a way of adding to the sickening stenches in the rooms they're meant to make more comfortable.

Maybe that's why I find this Bamboo Charcoal Deodorizer appealing. Created by Kiyoshi Nishio, its charcoal and clay mineral powder construction is designed to absorb odors instead of mask them. Because the surface area exposed to the air is critical to … Read more

Deodorant duds for sweat-prone professionals

During the heat of summer, a distinct smell is known to permeate public transit and elevators. It's the sweaty stench of business professionals who still have to wear suits to the office, despite the outside temperature and humidity.

The Japanese have caught on though, and Aoki is now selling a suit that emits deodorant, keeping its wearer in the cool. The Farago Aircool suit is made (Web site in Japanese) with a deodorant antibacterial silver ion lining, to absorb sweat and stifle smell.

Of course, a suit with special silver ions will cost some cash, and the Farago Aircool … Read more

Only in Japan: A cannon that shoots smells

CHIBA, Japan--First you had personalized media. Soon, it will be personalized deodorizers.

The SpotScents device, devised by automaker Subaru, consists of two air cannons precisely aimed at a passenger about two feet away in a car. The cannons spritz the passenger with fragrances--there's "Cool Wind" and another one mysteriously called "Pleasure Time." Just the thing you need while driving.

The idea behind SpotScents is that not everyone wants to smell the same fragrance. Some people hate the smell of those little pine trees, after all, while other people hate the smell of dust in the … Read more

Wiping the 21st Century Way

What ho? Why, it's Sir James Dyson, inventor of the luxury vacuum cleaner, loitering about in the men's room. We haven't seen someone with a title in there since Sir Guy Burgess.

He's there to advertise the Dyson Airblade, an energy-efficient hand dryer that strips water droplets off your mitts in six to twelve seconds.

Put your hands in, and a curtain of air traveling at 400 miles per hour removes the moisture. The drying area is relatively small--you can't stick your head in, for instance--but it will whisk away water on your hands in … Read more

The smell of USB in the morning

We're big on personal hygiene here at Crave--so much so, in fact, that we wish it would be a societal requirement (especially for public transportation). But even the most OCD-afflicted among us aren't sure about the need for scented gadgets.

As if Japan's aroma phones weren't weird enough (and they are), now we hear about a USB drive in a silver bamboo motif from Hong Kong-based Debreu that "holds your favorite scent for up to two hours of use," according to Everything USB.

We're not sure who exactly would want--or need--one of these … Read more

Auto-shopping list for the note-challenged

This is either an ingenious invention or a sad testament to the hopeless laziness of modern society--or, in our opinion, both. The "SmartShopper" is a voice-activated shopping list designed to put an end to the illegible Post-its you leave all over the kitchen.

Just tell the device what items you need as you think of them and print out the list before leaving for the grocery. Gadgetell says it even has 2,500 items already programmed in its memory.

The downside: You no longer have any excuses for not picking up any embarrassing hygiene items requested by other … Read more