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.

@NinaDefoe

AllThingsServeTheBeam

I agree. I use lenor fabric conditioner and love the smell of my washed clothes.
It really doesn’t ruin them. Linen shirts and cotton jumpers are like cardboard without it.

I bought a non-fragranced brand one time and my clothes didn’t smell clean.

I use non fragranced detergent and vinegar for softener. My clothes don’t smell of anything, it’s great! Fragrance does not equal clean.

'I don't get why people use fabric conditioners at all '

I used to just because it seemed the normal thing to do, because they were sold in the supermarket and I thought I should buy them. Gave up fabric softener when trying to find the cause of my sons eczema and never looked back. The smell of line dried non conditioned clothes is unbelievable. The outside air smells so good.

Ditto cleaning sprays by the way - my grandmother used to tell me kitchen sprays were unnecessary and just to use fairy liquid in water (hot soapy water) to clean the kitchen and a damp cloth for dusting instead of pledge. She was right - those sprays are totally pointless and bad for your lungs.

Would you rather if smelled of stale booze and piss?

I ordered an embroidered towel for my mum for Christmas, from Etsy (brand new of course!) but Oh My God the stink of it! I guess it was washed in Lenor or something?! It was so bad! I put it through the machine but that barely made a difference! I couldn't give it to her, so it's just sitting in my cupboard.

@SuperSocks

I ordered an embroidered towel for my mum for Christmas, from Etsy (brand new of course!) but Oh My God the stink of it! I guess it was washed in Lenor or something?! It was so bad! I put it through the machine but that barely made a difference! I couldn't give it to her, so it's just sitting in my cupboard.

😂😂

@Suzanne999

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.

Leave it out on the line for a few days to get rained on and darked on, then rewash and line dry.

@UrsulaBursula

Would you rather if smelled of stale booze and piss?

Are those the only options? Febreze or booze and piss

@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.

My violent reactions to overly scented stuff happen to me in real life, if you don't mind.

@dummyd

I get extreme scents can be nauseating but come ok. Some of you would rather wet dog, smelly feet or mould?

And the anti-smellers. Not everything artificial is unpleasant. Washing powder, soap and deodorant are good, I'd go as far as necessary :O

I get not wanting overpowering but things gotta smell of something. I'd rather fresh laundry smell (yes, an artificial smell!). Than natural sweat. Not all artificial is bad, otherwise what does your home smell of?

It's normal to use air thingies, candles, burnie bits

I use unscented or very lightly scented soap, deodorant and detergent. If I'm coming down with a cold or struggling with allergic rhinitis, I even find the lightly scented stuff too strong.

And I use no air fresheners. Those plug ins make me cough before I even realise I can smell them.

I'm not sure why some people are framing it as a choice between artificial fragrance or disgusting smells.

Things can just be neutral/unscented.

@Scianel

I'm not sure why some people are framing it as a choice between artificial fragrance or disgusting smells.

Things can just be neutral/unscented.

We've had some actual answers saying they'd rather dog smell than artificial fragrance, so it's not even an exaggeration

White vinegar is a really good way of getting rid of odours - first came across this when my father died - he was a heavy smoker and the smell of his flat used to make me want to heave.
My initial concern was that it would replace the stale cigarette stench with smelling like a fish and chip shop, but it just neutralizes it.

You just leave open bowls of it about - it worked really well and I sold his flat quickly while others in the block were often on the market for aged.
I presume it works with other smells too - just shut the offending items in a room or cupboard with a bowl of white vinegar.

Second hand shoes that smell like feet are ok though? 🤢 there's frugal and there's cheap.. but some new shoes!

God, I sell on eBay and Vinted and it never occurred to me to spray stuff before I send it. I use baby washing powder/fabric softener precisely so stuff doesn't smell perfumed and actually hang items outside/by an open door or window before I send them SO they don't smell. Nothing worse than second hand items reeking of someone else when you get them.

@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.

I get migraines from some smells. I use perfume, shower gels etc and used to love candles but increasingly get awful migraines from them

^Scianel
I'm not sure why some people are framing it as a choice between artificial fragrance or disgusting smells.

Things can just be neutral/unscented.^

We've had some actual answers saying they'd rather dog smell than artificial fragrance, so it's not even an exaggeration

@lenorofavenor
You’re referring to one of my comments, but you’ve misinterpreted my meaning.
My point was that if something smells of mould, or wet dog, or feet, then that is a genuine honest smell caused by bacteria. I can then make a judgement about how to naturally remove the bacteria causing the smell, by some method of cleaning.
By spraying the item with Febreeze etc all that’s happening is that the smell is being masked. The bacteria are still there causing the original unpleasant smell. The item isn’t any cleaner for being sprayed. All you’ve done is add a chemical on top. And unfortunately for me, and many other PPs on this thread, that chemical smell causes sickness, migraines, breathing difficulties etc. and it is much harder to remove than the original smell.
So, I don’t like the smell of wet dog and feet, but at least I know what I’m dealing with.

And like @Scianel says, the preferable and achievable option is for something to smell neutral.

Do people honestly think that spraying Febreeze on something makes it clean? It’s exactly as dirty as before, it just smells different.

But sweat and mould over air freshener? Dog smell?! So hyperbolic. People here would rather smell dog than perfume, the worlds gone mad

You don’t seem to be grasping the fact that it isn’t a choice between dog and air freshener. Things can be cleaned and left unscented.

People would rather smell dog than have an asthma attack, or vomit, or a migraine.

People here would rather smell dog than perfume, the worlds gone mad

"Bad" smells like dog or even vomit or poo, whilst not exactly pleasant, don't give me a headache. However I seem to manage to go through life without having to have any sort of strong smells in my home, good or bad.
And I'm sure that most people who do fragrance their homes would still have perfectly clean, non-smelly homes if they didn't.

@lenorofavenor

But sweat and mould over air freshener? Dog smell?! So hyperbolic. People here would rather smell dog than perfume, the worlds gone mad

But the options are not overwhelming artificial perfumes i.e. 'air fresheners, fabric conditions and so on against sweat, mould and dog smells.

There's no mould in my house and I shower and change my clothes every day and I and my house don't stink of sweat either.

When I change my bed sheets that have been dried in the garden they smell of real, clean fresh air. It's a gorgeous smell and far, far nicer than the horrible overpowering artificial perfume of something like Lenor.

@Scianel

People here would rather smell dog than perfume, the worlds gone mad

"Bad" smells like dog or even vomit or poo, whilst not exactly pleasant, don't give me a headache. However I seem to manage to go through life without having to have any sort of strong smells in my home, good or bad.
And I'm sure that most people who do fragrance their homes would still have perfectly clean, non-smelly homes if they didn't.

This is it- you think perfume is worse than vomit. Vomit is quite possibly one of the most vile smells, to the point it can make you throw up just from a whiff

Am I missing something...? 😫

It's not about "thinking perfume is worse than vomit". Strong perfumes give me a headache, vomit doesn't. So encountering the former will mean that I'm in pain for hours, the latter not, so while a pile of vomit will hardly be a cause for great rejoicing it doesn't have the same impact.

@lenorofavenor
Am I missing something...? 😫

Yes, yes you are.

Vomit is a disgusting smell. Obviously. No one is disputing that.

But given the choice between having to briefly smell vomit, or having a two day migraine caused by artificial perfumes (that do little to mask the smell of vomit anyway) surely most people would favour briefly having to smell vomit.

Perhaps you have never suffered with migraines or strong allergic reactions, and are therefore struggling to imagine how debilitating they can be.

This idea that something can’t be clean if it’s not exuding fragrance is mad.