Please stop Febreezing everything

[Helenahandkart]

Every time I buy something from eBay it stinks. The item itself stinks. The packaging stinks.
If it stank of dog hair or mould or something natural then I could clean it, but no, everything stinks of Febreeze or Zoflora or one of those awful odour remover sprays.
It makes me feel sick, and it’s impossible to get rid of. If I can’t put it in the washing machine I have to put the offending item in the garage for months and hope that the smell will eventually dissipate. I bought some secondhand boots today and now the whole house smells of Febreeze, despite me immediately taking all the packaging out to the bin and putting the boots in the garage.
Please stop covering everything with revolting chemicals. It’s so unnecessary.

I agree!

The parents at our school seem obsessed with over fabric softening / conditioning everything so that it reeks. Could be fabreeze I guess. Smells so artificial.

I use ecover products precisely because they don’t stink - the environmental benefit is something of a lucky side effect!

Urgh Febreeze is nasty stuff. Just disguising one pong with another. Or worse you get a bit of both smells 🤢

Exh also uses really stinky washing powder or something in his wash and the kids come back smelling of it.

Maybe you should stick to charity shops OP.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing the ecover laundry detergent honks now
I have to buy the unscented/zero stuff.

Glad it’s not just me that feels like this!
Charity shops don’t sell the good stuff - it’s all George/Primark/Tu. The days of finding 70s platforms and cheap 50s dresses in charity shops are long gone.

There’s a charity shop near where I used to live and it sometimes had decent stuff in it. Couldn’t ever buy anything from there because everything; items for sale, carpets, the lot, stank of febreeze. Didn’t go in often only ever with a friend. Banging headache every time afterwards.

People should know better.
It’s started creeping into new items too. I opened a package last night and as soon as I cracked the tape I had to leave the room and get DH to get rid of the package. I have a severe fragrance allergy and I could tell the manufacturer had perfumed the clothing even before it was fully opened it was so bad.

I'm really surprised by the responses on here.

I hate the smell of Febreeze and it's not good for anyone with breathing issues. When I worked in a charity shop, years ago now, it was already the rule that we had to spray each item after we ironed it - they weren't washed, and though most people sent in washed clothes, obviously a few didn't. One afternoon my boss had me spraying and ironing clothes in the basement for several hours (no ventilation), and I keeled over. I've never felt so sick as when I came round. But it was a known issue even then.

Second hand stuff is often absolutely fine and certainly doesn't need to be doused in Febreeze!

Yep. My dd buys secondhand from eBay etc, and I can smell the chemicals through the packaging when it comes in the post. Horrible stuff.

I used to work in a charity shop any years ago. The boss used to douse everything in air freshener, she had no sense of smell herself so couldn’t tell how horrible it was for everyone else. I imagine she uses Febreeze instead now.
Febreeze is one of the worst things that has ever happened. I’d like to uninvent it.

@Blossom64265 where was it from, out of interest, so I know to avoid them?
Carrefour supermarket in Spain perfume their plastic bags! Couldn't work out where the sudden smell was coming from after shopping. Just why?!

On a separate but related note, I’ve recently had a lot of success using activated charcoal (bought in bulk from fish tank suppliers) to get rid of musty mouldy smells from vintage leather. After years of trying various remedies to rescue them I’d all but given up on my favourite boots that were unwearable after they went mouldy, but I filled them with filter bags of silica and bags of charcoal, left them in a plastic bag for two weeks, and now they’re good as new.
As yet, it hasn’t worked on chemical smells though.

Thinking about it, I reckon people have forgotten how some things are supposed to smell. I get the impression people think a smell is indicative of an item that is either dirty, or needs to be thrown away because it is rotting. I used to work with old manuscripts, which are made of parchment which is basically animal skin, and of course they do smell, a bit like the way leather smells. You wouldn't drench them in Febreeze! But I've been in charity shops looking at old leather wallets or bags, and they've usually been sprayed with something to take away that very same 'leather' smell.

@Helenahandkart well done for getting into a circular economy! I'm with you I hate that people mask smells - not that I want to snell feet either, but I get what you mean.

Sorry to say that it's a while since I bought used clothes. It's not like you'd put them straight on is it?! Even new clothes should be washed before wear....

I buy books on eBay (modern books) and even they’ve been Febreezed. It’s crazy

Yanbu a neighbour gave me a blanket she’d knitted for our dc and no lie it was rancid with the smell of softener, really really strong. I’ve washed it 5 times now and it still buzzes, I haven’t ever put it on the baby or the new baby 😂.

The chemical smells are so strong it hurts my nose.

That leather smell is gorgeous as well, why would anyone try to mask it?

I always wash everything I can before wearing it. But if you’re buying 1920s dresses made with gelatin sequins, or vintage leather bags/shoes, or even modern faux leather etc then you can’t stick them in the washing machine.

I buy off eBay a lot and have literally never had this

I haven't personally come across this febreeze problem but I use Vinted and charity shops rather than Ebay so not sure if there is a difference between them? Although I suspect the problem happens with anything second hand.
However I hate strong smells whether "bad" or "good" (by that I mean musty or body odour vs febreeze or strong perfume for instance). And if you're putting a "good" smell over a "bad" one to mask it then you just have two smells to deal with.

I think febreeze is probably fine if you give something a light spray and let it air out. However, it sounds like they are spraying it then bagging it, so the item is being left to marinate in it which is worse!

@Scianel

That leather smell is gorgeous as well, why would anyone try to mask it?

I know, right?!

Also old books. Such a good smell.

@Scianel

It was a package of socks fulfilled by Amazon.

And before anyone gives me flack for ordering socks, I avoid brick and mortar precisely because of my allergy. Many cleaning products, particular merchandise, and even perfumed customers are enough to start me wheezing and erupting in hives.

I agree! The worst is when people put a drier sheet in the packaging to “keep it fresh”

Put the item in a bin bag with loads of crumpled newspaper and seal tight. After a few days, replace the newspaper with fresh newspaper. It usually works a treat.