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.

@CounsellorTroi

We’ve been conditioned to believe that if something doesn’t smell of synthetic fragrance it by definition smells bad.

This literally isn’t true one bit!

I must be weird, I'm super sensitive to a lot of fragrances to the point I annoy family and colleagues with my 'rules' about what can be sprayed anywhere near me.

But I tolerate and quite like Febreeze, and use it to get rid of teenage boy stink in their bedrooms. Horses for courses I suppose!

But on vînted. I’ve never had this issue

@rainbowmash

I'm with you OP. Most of what I wear is decent brands second hand and mended. Trying to reduce my environmental impact and build a designer wardrobe without breaking the bank. I also hate getting stuff stinking of naphthalene when a misguided seller douses it. I always sell my stuff washed and steamed!

Shocked at the number of people here being snobby about buying second hand - I guess these are the same people who say it's "grim" not to change your clothes five times a day, or be seen wearing anything twice.

I love secondhand! Currently redoing my wardrobe (have clothes in there from my teenhood , am now double that age) I’m a small size so easy to find stuff other people don’t fit anymore

There's a reason I always list from "a pet and smoke free household"! Wouldn't buy from anywhere that had the opposite. I've bought clothes in the past that reek of smoke, lesson learned. I don't think smokers even realise it permeates EVERYTHING!

@TinselTitsAndGlitteryBits

Only on MN do you see people being so dramatic and having such violent reactions over fabric softener/frebreeze/air freshener.. Do you not wear perfume or deodorant, use skincare products/bubble bath/shower gel, use products to clean your home?

The smell won't last forever, leave them by an open window or something.

I love fabric softener, but the scent only sticks around for a couple of wears.

Unscented or natural, lightly scented products for all of the above except perfume which I occasionally spray when I remember - it's a lightly scented essential oil perfume so doesn't stink out whole rooms. I basically wear it for my benefit alone as I'm the only one who can smell it unless someone hugs me or gets very close!

Why would I want other people to be able to smell me a mile off?!

I’d like to know what some people wash their clothes with. If you even touch an item that has been washed in a certain product, (or maybe it’s products), the smell really clings to your hands, I won’t buy second hand clothes that smell this way as it’s soooo hard to get rid of. Agree, it’s really vile.

@SmellyWellyWoo i have just done a huge clear-out of my wardrobe, sold most on Depop and Facebook market place. I had about 30 pairs of shoes and boots, some brand new and teh rest were wron but in very good condition adn still had life left in them. Brands including Carvela, river island, Dune and VEJAY. Was the people who bough them off me sick ? Was i disgusting to sell them on ( all be it for a fraction of what i paid for them ) to people who would re wear them again ? There is nothing wrong with second items and am glad to see people in this post ( other than you ) who support it. Better than being dumped in landfill.
OP - totally agree with you, anything i buy goes straight in to the wash or aired outside, i know not great weather at the mo but if you keep an eye on it outside the smell will slowly go away

Apparently soaking items in water with bicarbonate of soda is good at removing smells as well. Obviously not much use for books but might be worth a try for garments.

Apparently soaking items in water with bicarbonate of soda is good at removing smells as well.

I must remember that. I hate strong fragrances. A year or so ago I posted on MN about how to remove strong fabric conditioner smells because at that time I was doing the washing for my PILs and my MIL with dementia had been using the all in one tablets (but about 5 tablets at a time). No matter how many times I washed stuff I couldn't get rid of the overpowering smell so I don't agree with the just wash and hang outside advice. I think fabric softeners are actually designed to cling to clothes, they soften by coating the fibres.

I hear you OP
I have a huge sensitivity to perfume and air freshners etc set me off sneezing and snuffling and I get a headache.

I'm a TA so the classroom is a sneeze fest with the multiple versions of highly scented powders and fabric softners!

I once made the mistake of using febreeze in desperation. DS had been sick just outside his room and, despite the scrubbing and washing if the carpet, I could still smell it. I was advised by a friend to try febreeze. All that happened was that I could now smell the vomit but it was overlaid with febreeze so was doubly rank. Luckily my mum told me about bicarb - sprinkled some on, left for a bit then hoovered up and smell gone!

Bicab is now my anti teen boy smell remover as is vodka mixed with water and sprayed on soft furnishings - sounds bonkers but works and no, my house does not smell like a brewery!

I don't understand how something that's been fabric conditioned can smell fresh. Doesn't that just obliterate the freshness with synthetic scents?

@Scianel @Sweetpeasaremadeforbees @supercritter

My tips for getting rid of musty vintage smells:

After scouring the internet I’ve tried bicarbonate of soda, lemon, vinegar, newspaper, putting in the freezer, airing outside, steaming, and probably a few other things as well. None of these worked (for me).

What has been miraculous is the activated charcoal. I bought empty teabag sachets and filled some of them with activated charcoal (bought from fish tank suppliers) and the rest with silica beads. The silica gets rid of damp and you can recharge the beads in the oven.
I put my boots, handbags, belts and anything else that can’t be washed into ziplock bags with loads and loads of the sachets packed inside and all around them and leave them for a few weeks. Eventually the smell completely went.
I rescued a pair of beautiful suede boots like this. I hadn’t been able to wear them for ten years because they smelled so mouldy after living in damp rented accommodation. I’d tried everything and was preparing to throw them away because the smell was so strong that people commented on it and I could smell it all the time. Wore them out on Valentine’s Day - they were perfect.

Thanks for the tips op - I agree with both about buying second hand and the smell it often comes with... I'm starting to put it in feedback so hopefully the sellers will notice at some point!

YANBU - I bought some things off Vinted which I think had been Zoflora'd. It's taken three washes to make the smell bearable.

I use eco laundry liquid which has quite a subtle scent and I find standard laundry wash / fab con to be unbearably strong too. I think people must get used to it.

V excited about the charcoal tip, do you think it would work on old furniture?

@thenightsky

Both have been washed several times and aired outside, yet still both items stink

I think you need a new washing machine. If it cannot remove a squirt of febreeze, what about bacteria?

@thenightsky

I think you need a new washing machine. If it cannot remove a squirt of febreeze, what about bacteria?

There is nothing wrong with my machine - there's no issue with any of my other clothes, even the ones I wear to the gym.

You are grossly under-estimating the issue. I could smell both items even before I removed them from the packages, so am dealing with more than a squirt of Febreeze - the clothes have been drenched in the stuff.

Have left them hanging outside, hopefully the forecast heavy winds will finally shift what's left of the smell.

Why are people so revolted by second hand clothes and shoes? It's clothing for goodness sake, not sex toys 🤣

@WetLookKnitwear

So that’s what that smell is!

I had the same reaction. I didn't realise. But we also recently tried change laundry pods from ecover to Ariel or something. It stunk the same so we now can't use it. Smelly taxis, hotel rooms, clothes etc give me headaches

@Hairyfriend good tip. Thanks.

To those saying don't buy second hand, there are valid economic and environmental reasons to. Even sentimental reasons

For all those saying that anyone claiming to dislike Febreze and other artificial smells is being dramatic and precious - is it perhaps possible that we are all different? Some people have increased sensitivity and an acute sense of smell. If everyone enjoyed the same smells then we’d all just wear Chanel no5 and have done with it.

And no, the smell doesn’t disappear after a week or two, or after hanging it in the fresh air, etc. I buy a lot of secondhand clothes and some of them still smell months or even years later of perfume or smoke or fabric softener.

If something smells dirty then I know it needs cleaning. I would rather buy an item that smelled honestly of wet dog which I would then clean, than have someone attempt to disguise the dirty smell with Febreeze etc. Chemical smells adhere to the clothes/shoes etc, and particularly to plastics (eg pu leather) and are really hard to completely remove. Which is fine if you like the smell of Febreeze, but if like many people on this thread you don’t, then that piece of clothing is completely ruined, and to no purpose.

By all means fill your houses with toxic chemicals if you enjoy the smell, just please stop spritzing your chemicals all over things you’re selling.

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

If you can’t put it in the washing machine to get the smell out give me a Febreeze drenched item than one stinking of dog every time thanks OP.

If something smells dirty then I know it needs cleaning. I would rather buy an item that smelled honestly of wet dog which I would then clean

What do you do if it can’t be cleaned?

@nanbread
Haven’t tried it on furniture yet - I’m still working my way through suitcases full of mouldy leather bags that have been in quarantine for years that are too beautiful to throw away.
Theoretically it would work though. You might need to replace the charcoal occasionally.
Once all my stuff is clean and odour-free I’ll be storing it surrounded by charcoal and silica sachets as a preventative measure.

I agree with you OP it smells vile and is unnecessary. I’ve soaked a jumper in vinegar and bicarb twice, various washes. Still can’t get the Febreze smell out of it.
I refuse to buy cheap clothes, imported from overseas, most of which are made in China. It amazes me that people buy clothes and household stuff and never look at where it’s from.

@NinaDefoe
Most items can be cleaned carefully, even those that can’t go in a washing machine. You can sponge off surface dirt, and any remaining natural smells can be eradicated with charcoal.

Squirting Febreeze over something that smells of wet dog is doing nothing to remove the smell, it just covers it with another, arguably worse, smell.

[quote Helenahandkart]@nanbread
Haven’t tried it on furniture yet - I’m still working my way through suitcases full of mouldy leather bags that have been in quarantine for years that are too beautiful to throw away.
Theoretically it would work though. You might need to replace the charcoal occasionally.
Once all my stuff is clean and odour-free I’ll be storing it surrounded by charcoal and silica sachets as a preventative measure.[/quote]
🤨 The smell of mould is impossible to shift.