ArmorPur Tackles Body Armor Odor

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by Bob Hatcher, PCI #629/EMSCI #103
Delaware (OH) Police Department
Secretary, IPMBA Board of Directors

While manning the IPMBA booth at the 2009 Great Lakes Enforcement Expo in Columbus, Ohio, I spotted an eye-catching booth. It had dozens of bottles stacked up and a large sign that read “Does your body armor stink?” I thought, “Of course my body armor stinks. I’m a bike cop.” So I stopped and spoke with the husband and wife team and owners, Tom Norton and Lorenza Vidris. They were selling a vest cover wash and deodorizing spray formulated to neutralize odors.

They told me the story of how the company was founded. It turns out that Tom, a police officer for the New Jersey State Police, is assigned to Liberty State Park, NJ (the Statue of Liberty). Tom’s vest stunk so badly that it was banished from the house. He was required to leave it in the garage to air out. They had explored various ways to deodorize clothing; however, they had a hard time finding anything specific to body armor. One day while having dinner with a friend, who happened to be a chemist in the manufacturing industry, Lorenza joked that all police officers have something in common – their body armor stinks. This sparked the chemist’s interest, and after discussing possible formulas, creating prototypes, and testing products, ArmorPUR was born.

I seized the opportunity to try something new on my pungent vest and purchased the ArmorPUR kit, consisting of a bottle of wash and a bottle of spray. It was nearing the end of the summer, so after a long, sweaty day on the bike, I used the spray on my vest cover. The following day, there was no stinky odor. As recommended, I continued to use these products over the winter months to maintain an odor-free vest. Once summer arrived, I used it religiously; every day after use, the cover received a shot of the spray. When it was time for a load of laundry, I used the wash to remove odors from my vest cover, t-shirts, and any other clothing that may have gotten a little rank.

This regular use of both products virtually eliminated all the odors. ArmorPUR is also said to work well on workout gear, shoes, and other articles of clothing that harbor odors.

ArmorPUR can be bought online at www.armorpur.com or over the phone by calling Lorenza at 973-244-1862. The website offers the ArmorPUR Maintenance Guide, and the MSDS sheets are available upon request. You can buy the ArmorPUR kit (one 16-oz bottle each of the wash and spray) for $25.85 or separately for $15.85. ArmorPUR has joined the IPMBA Product Purchase Program, offering a 10% discount. They are excited to be a part of IPMBA and help keep bike cops from stinking, so please give them a try.

Robert is a police officer with the city of Delaware Police Dept. in Ohio. He currently serves as the department’s bike patrol coordinator and instructor. He also serves as secretary on the IPMBA Board. He can be reached at rhatcher@delawareohio.net.

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