Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2010

Courtesy of King Jim

When they first combined shampoo and conditioner in the same bottle, it felt pretty earth-shaking to us, but that’s nothing compared to some of the multitasking tricks that household appliances are managing these days. The 20cm x 10cm Vion is a compact ionizer-slash-air-cleaner-slash-deodorizer with the muscle to keep a 10-mat room fresh and fragrant. It’s a well designed package, too: there’s no fan, so it’s virtually silent, and you don’t need to replace the filter constantly—just take it out and wash it once a month. King Jim claims that even if you keep the thing switched on 24-7, it’ll cost only around ¥56 per month in electricity bills, so it’s energy efficient, to boot.

Vion, ¥26,250 (on sale from June 11). Available from major electronics stores. www.kingjim.co.jp