oe
Schulman wants hotel guests to turn off the light when they enter
a room.
An entrepreneur from Lakewood, N.J., Mr. Schulman plans to shine a
black ray on the traveling public by promoting his RestAssured Personal
Inspection Light, a 4.8-watt, battery-operated ultraviolet tool designed
to expose dried bodily fluids lurking sight unseen in bed, bath or
beyond.
Ultraviolet lights are not new, but marketing them for individual
use by people who see stains in their sleep is a novel idea. Mr. Schulman
began advertising last month via a Web site, and has sold more than
150 PILs to those who "RestAssured" only after having seen
the light.
Mr. Schulman suggests his clients first darken the room, and then
shine the pocket-sized PIL over the bedspread. Most hotels change
the outer bedding only once a month, he says, and guests may discover
an ocean of secrets hiding in plain sight of the ultraviolet light.
"Anything, anything could have happened on that bed in a month,"
warns Mr. Schulman, "babies being changed, people having sex.
An incontinent person could have had an accident, and you wouldn't
even know."
The RestAssured PIL sells for $29.95 and includes a three oz. bottle
of "Viraguard," a personal spray disinfectant and four ounces
of "Viragel" hand sanitizer. The majority of PIL sales to
date have been to those who battle bacteria for a living: maintenance
companies and women with young children.
But marketing to individual business travelers who lack the time or
inclination to scour a room for cross contaminants could prove tricky.
Bill Pellett, a Fort Worth, Texas, frequent flyer who travels between
35 and 40 weeks a year, has no plans to pack his wife's PIL in his
carry-on, and doesn't worry about contracting pink eye after having
flown the red eye.
"I wouldn't have bought it," he says. "It's too much
trouble. I usually try to
stay at better hotels. I know they say it is a problem everywhere,
but it's
just not an issue for me."
Mr. Schulman is quick to point out that the PIL also has a variety
of uses inside the home. "Lice glow like little light bulbs,"
he says, "and mothers can use it to inspect kids' hands after
they wash them." It also comes in handy for detecting rodents,
counterfeit currency and leaks in the automotive system of a car.
And while Mr. Schulman says he'd be happy if those who buy the lights
find nothing, he admits that he plans to profit by fueling the paranoia.
"It's the obsessive compulsive people I hope will buy these things
from me," he says. "A lot of people just don't trust the
world around them. And you can't really blame them."
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