Let’s be honest, there are few things worse than walking into your bathroom only to be hit with an odor so offensive that you suspect it may contravene a Hague Convention or at the very least break a state law pertaining to antisocial behavior.
But of course, if a close relative or good friend is the perpetrator of this heinous though admittedly natural act, you know full well that mentioning the foul smell could kick up a real stink (another one) and potentially ruin your relationship.
Keenly aware of how these nasty odors can cause difficulties and a certain amount of embarrassment for some people, a Utah-based startup has stepped in with what it believes to be an effective solution.
Its creation, LooLoo, is a toilet freshener that clips onto the side of the bowl. An important design factor is that it functions automatically, so you don’t have to remember to use a freshener yourself, or worry about your visitor using one after they’ve done their business. LooLoo’s infrared technology senses the heat of a butt when it sits on the seat, causing it to spray a thin film of proprietary essential oils onto the water that the company says will lock in the challenging odor.
“The fragrance blend not only traps the odor under the water, but also counteracts the odor by absorbing all smelly nitrate molecules, and accomplishes all of this both before the user does their business and without the user having to do a thing,” the LooLoo team explains.
The device has been two years in the making and is now seeking funding on Kickstarter for $36 with two refills. This represents a 45 percent discount on the expected retail cost. LooLoo recently hit its $10,000 funding target, helping to take the project to the next stage as it aims for an October 2018 shipping date.
LooLoo automatically ‘stops the stench at the source’
LooLoo co-founder and inventor Taylor Wood notes that “none of us likes entering a bathroom after another person has just finished their business.”
“Lighting a match or spraying an air freshener after use is not only inconvenient, but it’s ineffective,” Wood explains. “They’re used after the gnarly stench has permeated throughout the room and into the nostrils. Furthermore, most bathrooms leave it up to the user to attempt to get rid of the nasty. Being a pooping human myself, I created LooLoo to first stop the stench at the source and to automate it so the user can just focus on their business and do what we all do while sitting on the toilet — play on our phones.”
LooLoo also features colored LED lights that automatically provide gentle illumination when someone visits the bathroom in the small hours.
Of course, as with any Kickstarter project, backers should know that there may be hiccups along the way, and that backing a product does not necessarily guarantee delivery. As to how effective LooLoo is in cutting out those wicked odors, you’ll simply have to sniff it and see.
