To think air fresheners are unpleasant?

They had the wretched things all over my mother's care home but with competing scents which was awful as I have a very sensitive sense of smell, one of them skooshed me from its position on a shelf and I stank of pink flowers for the rest of the day. And it isn't like they actually clean the air of unfresh smells, it just adds a floral miasma to the bathroom and kitchen smells.

The chemical ones are horrible.
I quite like essential oil Reed diffusers. Neom
ones are lovely.

Maybe some homemade potpourri? Not the commercial artificially scented sort.

I'm tempted to give reed diffusers a try in my bathroom. It's only small so shouldn't take much to defeat the foul stench that permeates from Doris Downstairs' bathroom directly below. The Aldi Lime, Basil and Mandarin hand-wash smells good and luckily is also available as a RD.

Oh no really? What are ikea using?

I viewed a house that had them in every room, all different scents 🤢 they were trying, and failing, to cover the smell of dog from the house. I was there for about 10mins and left with a migraine. Vile things

I agree, but I have issues with all scented stuff. I get migraines from people wearing perfume, spraying deodorant, vapes, reed diffusers, fabric conditioners etc. So many people think a scented candle is a lovely present, or thing to light when guests come round 😷. Worst was when I was pregnant and all the food smells in the office were setting me off. I do realise this is a me problem and can't expect everyone in the world to not produce smells!

They're toxic . It'd be best to stay away from them and to clean your house / car and open the windows often.

Yes we always remove them in a holiday accommodation. Awful things

Worse when you can smell that someones sprayed stuff with that febreeze. Horrible and makes me think sofa cushions and bed cushions are not washed.

You’re not wrong OP, they are proven to be bad for our health.

the last holiday home I went to, I unplugged them all and shoved them in a drawer. Replaced them when we left.

Me too plug ins, scented candles, car fresheners I'm reaching for my inhaler. Weirdly I'm okay with reed diffuser and perfumes.

I had to go into the garden at someone's house. The culprit a Yankee candle.

Oo interesting thanks for this.
my son gets headaches and coughs.
wondering if it might be all the “fragrance “ he sprays all over.

I used to love fragrances of all kinds and home fragrances until my son was finally diagnosed with an allergy to limonene and linalool. These are naturally occurring and are in essential oils and also in all home fragrances, toiletries and also cleaning products. It is really difficult to avoid them completely which we now do. I’d been giving him Calpol plug ins, olbas oil, natural tea tree oils etc etc to help him sleep and wi th his cough and congestion. All the time it was being caused by these products. Apparently it isn’t that rare of an allergy, so there you go.

Vile unless they are essential oil.

Difusing essential oils is an alternative... or even placing a few drops of essential oils on a tissue. Vinegar and baking soda are good for removing sources of odors and citric acid in the loo... removes limescale without scrubbing.

Has anyone got alternative suggestions?

I'm.disabled and don't get to clean the way I want. I can't use the plug ins or zoflora or other artificial scents like that, but feel things like flowers are both expensive and not long lasting enough.

Crawling kids and toddlers who are at the exact height of the things and breathing them in at super concentrated stage before they dissipate higher up in the air.

I don’t like them as a general rule and my DH is very sensitive to them.

But I have a plug in one with different settings 1-5 that I plug in near the cat’s litter tray - it is a neutralising odour one - not just perfume. It really has helped with the cats pee smell that we come down to in the morning (door been closed all night) so I only use one there. Otherwise I wouldn’t use them.

edited to add - I keep it on the low setting so it’s not an overpowering aroma.

I don't think l they're something you need or should be breathing in. Fresh air daily. Keeping the gaff clean. Nice natural scents like beeswax polish and candles, flowers,I try and use natural products like soap, I absolutely hate the smell of strong fabric softener too. Plug ins are a fire risk. At least you blow candles out when you leave.

Americans seem big on matches after using the loo, we spray the buggery put of it. neither is perfect but I think matches work better.

Ugh they're hideous. Horrible strong synthetic smells which give me grinding headaches. I can't hack most reed diffusers either - I got given a high end one and had to give it to MIL, and even now when I catch the scent of it in her house it makes me nauseous.

Open window any day. I'd rather smell cut grass, or coffee, or the sea, or just fresh air, even if it's not all that fresh.

My SIL is convinced plug-in ones can cause cancer and when visiting her mum, removes them all.

Are the stinky stick/ reed ones as toxic ? I have a lovely reed one in the lounge

I'm another one that gets migraines from them so not a fan.

I also once stayed in a Spanish hotel where they sprayed what seemed like a bottle of air freshener every day. I did ask them not to during my stay but the smell had badly permeated the curtains, the chairs, just every porous suface, and despite rinsing the kettle repeatedly, the only time I made a coffee it tasted of it.

They smell terrible and make me feel ill. I do sometimes spray diluted essential oils, but it's mainly an open window round here. A pp mentioned windowless bathrooms and I have one of these, but still think poo+air freshener is the worst smell combi action known to mankind.

Awful. And I feel the same about the laundry ‘scent boosters’ they’re all madly trying to flog now. ‘Fresh’ my arse! Artificial pongs, more like.

Especially given the COL crisis, who on earth is wasting money on these?

Strongly dislike. The chemicals in them are probably bad for you (most chemicals are).

There is a type that is motion activated, so when you go near it it puffs out a spray of unpleasant chemicals in your direction. I once went into a toilet and this thing sprayed me right in the face.

They also achieve nothing but mask smells. They don't get rid of the offending molecules, which simply stay in the air, they just overpower the smell from them by creating a stronger smell which overwhelms your senses.

Bad for the environment and bad for people. Do not use.