This $180 Hanger Will Deodorize Your Clothes

Panasonic is looking to replace your dry cleaner with a high-tech hanger. According to Engadget, the company plans to release a clothes hanger that can deodorize outfits while they hang.

Think of it as part laundry method, part allergy prevention plan. The Nanoi X hanger has eight vents that emit a deodorizing vapor to cut down on both smells and pollen in clothes. Used inside a suit bag, it can effectively neutralize cigarette smoke and other strong odors, according to Panasonic.

The Nanoi X works using Panasonic’s “nanoe” particles, charged water particles designed to improve air quality. Essentially, the technology takes moisture from the air and applies an electric voltage. These particles can suppress viruses and bacteria, the company has found.

It seems like a useful gadget for delicate, dry-clean-only clothing—as long as you don’t need to remove any stains or spills (which would require actually cleaning, not just deodorizing). You do, however, have to hang it up near a power outlet, so it might not work in your closet. It takes five hours to work (or seven hours on the heavy-cleaning setting), so it’s not a quick job. If you wake up in the middle of the night and realize you have to wear your smelly blazer before the dry cleaner opens, though, it might be worth it.

It will be released in Japan in September and, according to Kaden Watch, will cost about $180 (¥20,000). Surely Americans hate to do laundry enough to make this profitable in the U.S., too?

[h/t Engadget]