bosch freshup review: good homes approved
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The Bosch FreshUp

Need to instantly refresh your clothes? Read the Good Homes Approved team’s Bosch FreshUp review…

The Bosch FreshUp is a portable odour remover that keeps your clothes fresh between washes. The hand-held device uses innovative Bosch Plasma Technology to lift odours simply by brushing it over your clothes – no washing, no added chemicals.

You can even use it while wearing the item, making it ideal if you need to make a quick dash from the office to an evening soiree, if you’ve been around smelly foods, or if you’re about to head out the door in your favourite jumper but it’s not quite as fresh-smelling as you’d like.

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Features

  • The Bosch FreshUp removes smells on fabrics like body odour, smoke, food, pet odour and musty smells
  • Spot treat a garment in 30 seconds or a full garment in two-to-five minutes
  • For use on dry fabrics including cotton, silk, cashmere, wool, linen polyester blends and sportswear (not suitable for wet fabrics, or leather, skin, real or faux fur and sequins)
  • Gentle on fabrics, it uses no chemicals, detergents or water
  • Long runtime of up to 60 minutes and a charge time of three-to-four hours
  • Charges like a phone with USB charger and adapter included
  • Lights up white when it’s on and ready to go, and purple when the plasma is active
  • Roughly the size of a glasses case and lightweight, you can pop it in your bag and be on your way

How does it work?

Plasma may sound a little science fiction, but it’s been knocking around forever – in the stars, the sun, lightning bolts, neon signs and even in fancy TV screens. It occurs naturally in the universe, but is artificially made for products we use in daily life. The Bosch FreshUp generates plasma through ionisation – the process by which electrically neutral atoms or molecules are converted into electrically charged atoms or molecules. These active plasma particles, released by brushing the device across fabrics – either on a flat surface or while you’re wearing them – then break down odour molecules on fabrics, removing smells instead of just masking them.

bosch freshup review: good homes approved

Photo: Media10

Ease of use

You simply turn on the device and give it a couple of seconds to glow white – this means it’s ready to use. Then press down and slowly swipe the device across the fabric you wish to remove odours from. The device will glow purple when plasma is flowing. A few times on testing the light flicked back to white while running it in a straight line over the fabric. Using it on a flat surface makes it easier, as does swiping the device slowly in an S-shaped motion. If the device starts blinking purple, it has detected moisture – dry the garment before continuing.

Performance

Our GHA tester found that the device does indeed lift odours, so it does exactly what it says on the tin. You can smell the plasma at first (it smells a little grassy, the way some smells when they come in from a long period out in the cold), but it’s not an unpleasant smell, and it does fade, giving way to fresher fabrics.

The Bosch FreshUp was tested on a woolly jumper that had taken on the smell of some new seagrass baskets (almost a curry-like odour that lingered on a treasured old jumper for weeks!). The device lifted it after a couple of goes (thicker fabrics like chunky knits may require a second swipe), meaning it didn’t need washing.

Our GHA tester also gave it a whirl on a cotton pillowcase that had taken on the scent of a new hair product. That delivered great results. It was slightly less effective on a down jacket that had taken on cigarette odours. It’s not really designed for waterproof synthetic fabrics, but it did make a bit of a difference after a couple of sessions.

Would you recommend?

Yes. It’s no substitute for that just-washed off-the-line freshness, as you might expect, but the Bosch FreshUp is a close second. It’s perfect for ideal for grab-and-go moments when you can’t change.

The Bosch FreshUp is £249.99 from bosch-home.co.uk

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