[Agile Electronics Story] Growing Interest in ‘Uiryu Gwanligi’ Amid COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee]‘Agile Electronics Stories’ is a column that keenly examines small details about electronic and mechanical products and devices. From hot new products frequently appearing in advertisements and news, to nostalgic items, and puzzling product and industry terms and news, we will kindly cover them with the heart of a beginner.

Reports have been coming in that consumption is decreasing as the economy shrinks due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

However, there are home appliances whose sales have also increased along with the emphasis on hygiene due to COVID-19. These are clothing care devices.

Clothing care devices manage various garments, from coats and padded jackets that are difficult to wash frequently to everyday clothes. They remove fine dust, harmful bacteria, viruses, and help keep clothes neat, gaining attention from consumers.

In this edition of ‘Agile Electronics Stories,’ we have prepared a time to look into clothing care devices.

Clothing Care Devices That Remove Odors and Bacteria

Clothing care devices are new home appliances that combine multiple functions such as clothes washing, temperature control, and air circulation into one. LG Electronics’ ‘Tromm Styler,’ launched in 2011, and Samsung Electronics’ ‘AirDresser,’ launched in 2018, are fiercely competing in the clothing care device market.

The operating methods of the two companies’ clothing care devices differ by product. The first released clothing care device, the Styler, consists of three stages: moving hanger, steam, and drying. The Styler’s ‘moving hanger’ means that the hanger vibrates. The hanger moves rapidly up to about 200 times per minute, shaking off dust stuck on the clothes. In the next stage, steam at about 100 degrees Celsius is sprayed onto the clothes. Through the steam, odors and harmful bacteria on the clothes are separated without detergent, and everyday wrinkles on the clothes are also smoothed out. Afterwards, the drying function removes the moisture.

LG Tromm Styler

Another strong contender in clothing care devices, the AirDresser’s clothing care process proceeds in four stages: air, steam, drying, and purification. The AirDresser uses a ‘jet air’ method, where air blows simultaneously from both outside and inside the hanger to separate fine dust and odors on the clothes. Then, steam sprayed simultaneously inside and outside the hanger removes bacteria and deodorizes. The AirDresser is equipped with a fine dust filter and an odor decomposition filter. Odors with strong affinity to water are removed by steam, but hydrophobic odors that do not dissolve in water are decomposed into carbon dioxide and water using a ceramic catalyst.

Additionally, it has functions to set courses according to fabric type and diagnose product operation. Besides clothing dehumidification, it also has a space dehumidification function, making it useful as a dehumidifier substitute during the rainy summer season.

Clean Home Appliance Boom Due to COVID-19... Clothing Care Devices Continue Growth

Due to environmental issues such as fine dust, demand for clothing care devices has been increasing every year. With the spread of COVID-19, consumers have focused on sterilization functions, accelerating market expansion. Accordingly, companies are emphasizing the sterilization functions of clothing care devices. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics explain that their AirDresser and Styler can remove up to 99.9% of various bacteria and viruses.

Fueled by consumer interest in these clean home appliances, Samsung Electronics’ AirDresser sales in the first quarter of this year increased by about 60% compared to the previous year, and LG Electronics’ Tromm Styler sales in February increased by 30% compared to the same period last year. The industry expects the clothing care device market size to grow from 450,000 units last year to about 600,000 units this year. Small and medium-sized companies are also entering the clothing care device market with cost-effectiveness as their weapon.

Leading large companies are accelerating overseas expansion, riding on the domestic success of clothing care devices. Since 2015, LG Electronics has launched the Styler in 15 countries including China, Japan, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. The latecomer Samsung Electronics also launched the AirDresser in overseas regions such as the United Kingdom and Russia last year and has begun full-scale overseas market penetration.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.