Broken Arrow Firm's Sweet Smell Of Success

Can something very "small" prevent "smell". A Broken Arrow company is using nanotechnology in its clothing line, to eliminate scents and odors. <br/><br/>News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg says the

Monday, November 20th 2006, 10:56 am

By: News On 6

Can something very "small" prevent "smell". A Broken Arrow company is using nanotechnology in its clothing line, to eliminate scents and odors.

News on 6 business reporter Steve Berg says the company ARC Outdoors has figured a way to integrate silver ions into the fibers of clothing.

The silver ions kill bacteria and so kill the smell. The benefits are rather obvious. But there are some others you might not have thought of. J.T. Griffin says the original intent of ARC Outdoors was to create clothing that would mask the body scent of hunters from animals. "We didn't know that we could do it or not until we did basic trial and error." Working with university researchers, they came up with these silver-ion-laced pellets. "Basically that's got millions and billions of little nano-particles encapsulated and trapped inside there of little silver ions."

The pellets are worked into a polyester fiber that can be used to make clothing. â€œThe anti-microbial effects that you have from silver is basically that it eliminates de-natured proteins, bacteria, and ammonia."
In other words, the stuff that makes us stink.

For hunters, that means it's easier to sneak up on a deer. For a soldier, it means a pair of socks you could wear for several days without washing. For a runner, it means your shirt still smells fresh after a run. The uses go on and on. And retailers are noticing.

Tulsa is the main distribution point for the company. And to think they've gone from nothing to a big company in just 6 years. ARC Outdoors made Inc. Magazine's list of the 500 fastest growing private companies this year. Griffin says in the future, clothes that are washed less mean less water consumption, less environmental impact. "So if you take a took at how much detergent and how much pollutionâ€™s your dryer and washer put into environment, you can see where the benefit would be."

Right now, they're enjoying the sweet smell of success.