Cigarette smoke, fondue odour or cooking smells? The V-ZUG RefreshButler quickly removes odours from fabrics and sanitizes them too. An innovative appliance with an extra V-ZUG touch: no chemicals required.
Simon Luginbühl, you’re a process engineer in the Washing product segment and responsible for the V-ZUG RefreshButler. What are the best things about this appliance?
If you wear business clothes every day, the RefreshButler is ideal for you. It neutralizes odours. It removes creases from fabrics and gently dries them using air. And it eliminates 99.99% of all bacteria and germs. Caught in the rain on the way home? The RefreshButler can dry up to five kilos of wet textiles. Went for a beer after work and someone was smoking? Our appliance neutralizes cigarette smoke effectively.
How does it work?
Basically, it has a closed air loop and a heat pump to remove moisture. A fan blows hot air through the textiles from above, then the air flows into the heat pump, which removes the moisture from it then heats it back up again. The moisture is collected in a condenser unit, and the textiles dry out.
And how are odours removed?
To do this, the V-ZUG RefreshButler uses a sophisticated solution called photocatalysis, which is unique in this product segment.
How does this benefit me?
In a nutshell, it freshens up your textiles without the use of chemicals. The warm, moist air pumped through your clothes in the RefreshButler releases any odour molecules. These odours are then eliminated via photocatalysis, and the heat also removes 99.99% of germs and bacteria.
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How exactly does photocatalysis work?
A UV lamp shines light onto a catalytic converter, in this case a stainless-steel plate with a special coating. The effect of the UV light on the steam creates very special molecules that are missing an electron. These special molecules are called radicals, and they are “electron hungry”, meaning they desperately want to find an electron.
Simon Luginbühl, process engineer
What do they do?
They take it from whichever molecule comes along next, and in the RefreshButler those next molecules are the odours released from the clothing. The radicals destroy the molecules and go back to what they were originally, i.e. steam, and the odour disappears.
Does this work for all odours?
Catalysis works very well for most odours, but it can’t remove all sweat odours, so very sweaty fabrics should be washed or dry cleaned.
Why can’t I just hang my clothes up in the fresh air to remove odours?
Every molecule takes a certain amount of time to dissipate. If you hang your suit outside to air it, you’ll need to leave it there for 12 hours or more. In the RefreshButler, your textiles will be odour and residue-free in just 90 minutes.
So can the RefreshButler replace washing and chemical cleaning?
The RefreshButler can’t remove physical dirt. But since it can freshen up your clothing and suits, that ultimately means you don’t need to wash or dry clean them as often.
Can I put any textiles into the RefreshButler?
Almost any. We don’t advise using it for water-sensitive textiles such as fur or leather.
But a suit that’s got wet in the rain or your little black dress from the fondue evening? That’s just what the RefreshButler is made for.
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