Verdict
A clever tool that uses plasma to dissolve odour molecules, the Bosch FreshUp can give clothes a new lease of life without having to wash them. It’s portable and has good battery life, but the high price and fact that it doesn’t actually clean stains will limit appeal.
Pros
- Works quickly
- Good battery life
- Works with most fabrics
Cons
- Expensive
Availability
Introduction
How many times have you had to put clothes in the wash, not because they’re dirty, but because they’ve started to smell because of a fire or strong spices in cooking? With the Bosch FreshUp you can remove odours from clothing without having to wash them, letting you revive items quickly.
It’s handy in some situations but the high price and fact that FreshUp doesn’t clean will limit its appeal somewhat.
Design and Features
- Charges via USB
- Simple to use
A long, thin lozenge (37 x 160 x 65mm, 200g) the Bosch FreshUp looks a little bit like a portable battery charger. Flip it over and you see a small bar, which is where the magic happens.
When the FreshUp is turned on, lighting up white, it’s ready for use. Holding it like a lint brush, you press down and wipe the device over your clothes, turning the light purple to show you it’s working.
Using plasma generated by ionisation, the FreshUp dissolves odour molecules in your clothing automatically. You can use it on most dry fabrics including cotton, polyester, wool and silk, but you can’t use it on leather, fur (real, which you shouldn’t buy anyway, or synthetic), metal, foam, or anything living.
Charged via USB, the FreshUp lasts for around 60 minutes and takes up to four hours to recharge. Given that Bosch says you can do a full garment in two to five minutes, the FreshUp should last for a full weekend of camping with a family of four.
Performance
- Easily removes most odours
- A slightly unpleasant smell after use
- Good battery life
Before we get into the test results, it’s important to point out that FreshUp doesn’t clean clothes. So, while Bosch says it can remove sweat odours from clothes, they’re not actually clean at the end. Got a stain? Tough, this won’t remove it.
Instead, the FreshUp is about removing odours. If you’ve been sat around a campfire or have musty clothes from being in a suitcase, then that’s what the FreshUp is built for.
Bosch sent some sample smells on fabric, and a short wipe with the FreshUp was enough to remove them. I also put it through a tougher test: after a weekend of camping outside around a campfire my jacket and trousers stank of smoke.
Normally, I’d have to wash them to remove the smell, but some gentle wiping of the FreshUp, while wearing the clothes, was enough to remove the smell. My thicker fleece needed a couple of treatments to fully remove the odours but my trousers were quicker to treat.
A wool cardigan proved a harder challenge. That took a couple of goes all over, laying the cardigan on an ironing board, to get the smell out. Yet, get the smell out the FreshUp did.
Using the FreshUp generates small amounts of UV light and ozone, so you get a slightly unpleasant smell on your clothes at first, although this dissipates very quickly leaving nothing behind.
As a portable refresher, the FreshUp works brilliantly and it can often mean that you don’t have to wash your clothes when they’re not dirty but do smell a bit. However, this is an expensive device, and you may find that if you have a steam refresh cycle on a washing machine (many of the ones in my best washing machines guide do), then this may work as well for you.
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Should you buy it?
If you regularly sit around a fire pit, cook pungent food or travel a lot, this handy tool can quickly refresh your clothes.
It’s an expensive tool, particularly as it doesn’t actually clean your clothes. Given the price, actually washing or steam refreshing items may be easier.
Final Thoughts
The Bosch FreshUp works quickly and effectively to reduce odours, making it a useful tool for the right people. However, the high price and fact it doesn’t actually clean will limit its appeal.
FAQs
It generates plasma, which then dissolves odour molecules.
You can get around 60-minutes of use, which is roughly enough for 12 garments.
It works with most fabrics but you can’t use it on anything living, metallic or leather.
Specs
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.