ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Imagine sitting in a darkened cinema, watching a thriller. The abrupt crack of a bullet tells you a murder has taken place on screen. Then you become aware of the faint whiff of gun smoke in the air.

The victim is left to decay and is only discovered weeks later. Suddenly, the repulsive smell of decomposing flesh fills your nostrils. But soon it has gone and you find yourself becoming hungry as the aroma of warm popcorn fills the air.

This is the vision of Vectair Systems. The company claims its new Vibe and Vibe Plus air freshening systems provide fragrances that are so intense and easy to programme that they can be used to punctuate films at appropriate times.

"We have several patents pending on the system," said head of marketing Louise Goldsmith. "Our new vibrating mesh technology disperses fragrances through tiny holes in a fine mesh. There is no wick to dry out and the fragrance particles are only one micron in size.

"These tiny particles produce a layered fragrance that lasts much longer than traditional air freshener systems, and is also easier to control."

She says Vibe and the larger Vibe plus unit work well in a number of environments including shopping centres and conference rooms. "They could also be used in hotels to dispense the aroma of fresh, clean linen, or in car showrooms to enhance the smell of leather," she said.

As for its use in cinemas, Vectair has already created a popcorn fragrance to tempt film-buffs to indulge. "We could easily develop a gunshot aroma as well, and that could be timed to disperse when a gun is fired on screen."

And the decomposing bodies idea? Well, that was dreamt up by our ECJ reporter. But Goldsmith said she would definitely not rule it out.