What it can do right now is pretty impressive though. When you close the bag fully and activate the PaqTech process, the Paqsule shines short-wave ultraviolet light on the contents, then creates and circulates O3 throughout the compartment. Both of these elements have antimicrobial properties: Short-wavelength UV is mutagenic to microorganisms while the activated oxygen damages their cell walls.

Because this process uses no water or detergent, you can leave pretty much anything in the bag with your clothes, like books or device chargers. It's even food safe, so you don't have to worry about that sandwich and fruit you packed for lunch. However, you should wait about five minutes after the cleaning cycle ends, as some individuals may have a sensitivity to activated oxygen and it takes a bit for the air to settle down and convert back into regular oxygen (O2).

Paqsule claims the bag will kill 99.99 percent of the organisms inside. I didn't have a microscope handy to verify these claims -- just a stinky pair of jeans I'd been wearing for the past few days to work. Yes, I was planning to throw them in the washer soon, but why not let the Paqsule take a crack first? There was certainly enough sweat and New York subway grime on them. Yosef set the bag up for a 15-minute cycle and let it run. Ideally heavier clothing like denim as well as sports gear and medical braces would get a longer cycle, either 25 or the full 35 minutes.

Even after 15 minutes, though, there was a noticeable difference in how the jeans smelled. The company likes to talk about how the air after a summer rain is loaded with activated oxygen, creating a unique scent -- the kind detergent companies try to replicate in their products. And yeah, maybe there was a bit of outdoor freshness in my pants when I inspected them. There was also a faint chemical whiff, probably some lingering ozone. What was absent, however, was the biological stink that they had possessed 20 minutes earlier. It was a definite improvement, and I wouldn't have minded wearing them again. Still, Paqsule can't replace a proper machine wash, especially since it doesn't remove stains.

Gym nuts and anyone else who finds herself carrying around a bag of dirty clothes more often than she'd like will be able to pick up the Paqsule via Kickstarter at an early bird price of $229, a big discount from the projected price of $349.