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Funny! Hey, you and I are the odd ones out here, except for a couple of others I think. Some people think that an absence of something that could be there is not good; the space needs to be filled with something: a smell, a gadget, noise. And we are conditioned to believe this by clever advertisers who do a good job of it.
I work with young kids, some of whom don’t smell that great for different reasons. A couple women I work with run for the Febreze, the school district issued room deodorizer and even cheap spray cologne when one of the kids farts. Drives me nuts. In fact I have to leave the room.
This is Southern California. Why not just open a window and the doors? How long does a fart smell last anyway? But NO, long after the gas smell has gone the chemicals linger in the air.
And they have the nerve to look at me as if I’m nuts? :)))))
I don’t particularly object to lectures, but I seem to be getting a lot of mixed information in this thread.
Interesting notion, @Malagachica. Will a jasmine plant survive in an enclosed room?
And I hope this doesn’t sound dumb, but are people commonly allergic to plant aromas? Since we’re on the subject of allergies.
Incidentally, no guest has yet commented, let alone complained, about my barbaric air freshener. Then again, it’s a hardy breed of traveller that makes it to India…
@faheem I have to agree with you, I’m not hypersensitive to scents but I don’t get the difference between commercial air freshener and essential oils. If either are heavy enough they give me a headache or I have trouble breathing.
I use essential oils for air & carpet fresheners. I usually use lavender or bergamot, but you can use others. I like the oils because they aren’t overpowering & don’t have chemicals. Below are basic recipes that I found somewhere on the internet…you can adjust according to your sense of smell Carpet Freshener: I get a box of plain baking soda, empty it into a bowel or mason jar and add 15-20 drops of oil and stir it to mix. Sprinkle it on my carpet and let it sit for about 15 minutes and then vacuum. Air Freshener: 1) Get a small atomizer bottle, fill with some water, add 5-8 drops of oil and spray in room. 2) Add 5-8 drops of oil to a cotton ball and place the cotton ball in a discreet location in the room, like in a vase, in the back of closet shelf, etc.
Yet another case of everyone is different. I like lavender (the real thing, not a laboratory replica), but I abhor bergamot. It’s beyond me how people can drink Earl Grey tea, let alone desserts made with it. This is why I aim for no scent.
Loathe air fresheners. They all remind me of Bath& Body Works, which I also hate.
Stayed in one Airbnb which had too many of the plug-in air fresheners and wanted to jump out the windows.
The best way to have a fresh smelling place is to clean it well, religiously empty garbage, use extractor fans, don’t have smokers.
Barring that, keep the Windows open as much as possible.
Barring that, BAKING SODA:
Sprinkle in bottom of trash bags
Sprinkle on carpet, leave, then vacuum up
Put open boxes in fridge and freezer
Put little dishes of it around the space.
Thank you very much for posting this link. I didn’t even know you could make charcoal from bamboo. Scentless, effective and sustainably produced. What more could you ask for?
And if you really want to use air freshener, the natural citrus ones are acceptable. They are made from citrus oils and aren’t too bad…much better than the horrible floral Glade ones.
But unlike Early Grey tea and bergamot whatever that you can say no to, you can’t escape that relentless, invasive smell of chemical air “fresheners” or, even worse, the putrid smell of those softener dyer sheets. OMG, with every breath you’re stabbed with that creepy smell that does not exist anywhere in nature but it exists for the next 7 or 8 hours you’re in bed. :)))
Oh my goodness, yes! We don’t use dryer sheets, and if necessary, scentless. i let someone use my dryer and my whole house reeked of dryer sheets and then there was lingering scent on some of my clothes.
Oh yes!!! Makes me insane that creepy chemical smell that’s engineered to linger. I live in a more densely populated area than you Sarah. My neighbors are very close. At certain times of the day and when the wind is in a certain direction, I am downwind to dryer exhaust that is so incredibly sickening.
Oh, I would have constant headaches and feel nauseated. I’m so glad to be out of the tightly packed housing. I’ve been very fortunate in that regard. We’re planning to set up a washer/dryer stacked unit in our garage for Air, and I’m so thankful that it won’t be near my house.
Our current guests are leaving tomorrow after a week here, and I’m letting her use my washer tonight since they’re not only moving cross-country and they dealt with an electrical issue earlier this week. I need to remember to 1) make sure she doesn’t mention laundry in her review and 2) use my detergent and NO DRYER SHEETS! Haha.
