Control Body Odor Safely

At the gym I go to there is a doctor – a lovely guy – who is a regular in the weight room. Sadly, by the time he finishes his warm up, you can smell him coming. Terrible as the other members may feel about it, everyone moves away and no one, heaven forbid, will spot him. Heads are kept down and extra concentration shown. It now appears there is help for our poor fetor enhanced medico.

Of course, the wardrobe professionals among you know all too well how “ripe” the truck or room can become, especially during these “lazy, hazy days of summer.” For you this product, Fusible Odor Control Patches (simply Odegon in the UK), may be a true quality of life enhancer.

Introduced “across the pond”, relying on nanotechnology to trap odor-causing cells in the Patch attached to the underarm of the garment. The iron on tags are, according to the manufacturer’s literature, an “inert, non-allergenic, odorless, long lasting, base neutral,” product offering hope to the “fragrance” enhanced.

The patches are affixed to the garment simply with your home iron. They will stay on and remain effective wash after wash for the life of the piece. They can also be stitched into the fabric. The pads measure a mere 1 1/2” x 2 3/4” and are available in soft black and white colors. These tags contain no anti-perspirant properties and may be used in conjunction with the user’s regular product.

While the manufacturer promise the tags will stand up to repeated washings, they recommend the garment be dry cleaned after every fifteen trips to the machine. The dry cleaning process, says the company,  “replenishes the tag’s odor absorbing properties”.

The patches are 2.75″x1.5″ and made of a soft fabric

While the process of trapping the odor molecules is completely inert, there have been concerns raised about the environmental impact of nanotechnology. There is no empirical evidence of any dangers and even when the question is raised it concerns substantially larger nanotechnological applications. There is no question of Odegon’s safety to the user and the environment.

The Roundabout Theater Company’s wardrobe department gave the product a try in one of its’ recent award winning productions. Wardrobe Supervisor Susan Fallon reports that the shields were a qualified success. Her Dresser Kathleen (Kat) Martin affixed the shields to dresses which had already been worn. “These particular dresses, we never dry cleaned,” Fallon said in an e-mail exchange, “[They were] way too fragile to take the chance while the show was running.” The play was a period presentation. Kat reports that the “fragrance” definitely abated, but was not completely eliminated. They attribute the limits of the success to the previously embedded aromas, not to mention eight shows a week without cleaning.

“We are going to use them again,” says Fallon. “Because we feel they are great,” she went on, ”we will give them a shot in a new garment.”

It appears these Fusible Control Patches can have people breathing easier at work – and, perhaps with luck, my gym.

Roger Kimpton