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Please stop Febreezing everything

232 replies

Helenahandkart · 16/02/2022 20:12

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.

OP posts:
PickAChew · 18/02/2022 14:19

Perfume and vomit in combination are doubly disgusting. Perfume does not neutralise butyric acid.

FTEngineerM · 18/02/2022 14:24

Hahhhah I’ve just realised that @lenorofavenor is ACTUALLY shocked that mammals noses are more at home smelling organic fragrance than artificial 😂 fucking hell. Of course my nose doesn’t HURT when I smell a dog, it literally hurts if I smell strong fabric conditioner. We’re not meant to smell artificial chemicals..
you’re right, the world HAS gone mad

thepeopleversuswork · 18/02/2022 14:27

urgh its absolutely grim.

solbunny · 18/02/2022 18:03

@Helenahandkart

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.
This!!
NinaDefoe · 19/02/2022 09:08

I understand OP.
The smell of perfume gives you a two day migraine.
You have such an adverse reaction to it that you would actually prefer to smell vomit, dog, faeces, mould, urine, B.O. on the second hand clothes you buy.

You say that these unpleasant smells are preferable because they can be washed away with non-scented soap/wash powder whereas artificial fragrances ‘can’t’.

I love the smell of artificial fragrances.
Plug ins, zoflora, fabric conditioner, air fresheners, soaps, hand gels, perfume.
I don’t think I’m alone as there is a huge market for these kind of products.

Do you use anything at all with an artificial scent?
Perfume, deodorant, shampoo, washing up liquid ?

NinaDefoe · 19/02/2022 11:21

Insense?

NinaDefoe · 19/02/2022 11:23

Incense 🙄

Helenahandkart · 19/02/2022 12:24

@NinaDefoe
The only scented things I use are natural lavender soap (hands/body), Ecover multipurpose cleaner and fairy liquid. I don’t like the smell of fairy liquid or Ecover, but they don’t make me ill. I use vinegar to clean the limescale out of the loo, which works better than toilet cleaner. Unscented washing powder. Unscented antiperspirant. And I open my windows every day to air the house.

For the record, I hate the smell of mould, damp, vomit, poo, urine, wet dog, BO, sweaty feet, and all the other smells that you would expect a normal person to dislike. However, none of these smells make me sick or have a migraine.

I would not buy a secondhand pair of boots that smelt as though they’d been vomited on. I’ve never come across such a thing.
Secondhand shoes, unless they’re ratty old trainers, don’t tend to smell of feet.
I wouldn’t buy a leather bag full of dog shit.
I’m not some kind of lunatic that fetishises sewage.

Most secondhand clothing and accessories smell a bit musty, an attic smell. This smell is infinitely preferable to artificial perfumes, and can in most cases be removed.

No insense or incense either 🙂

I don’t have any problem at all with other people filling their homes with the smells they enjoy, be they natural or artificial. I just don’t want them to be sent to me in the post so that my home smells horrible and I get ill.

OP posts:
NinaDefoe · 19/02/2022 15:51

Fair enough!
I think we have to accept that things won’t smell how we like them when we buy second hand. I thought of this thread yesterday when I was packing up some clothes I had sold on-line. Freshly washed in Lenor and smelt beautiful!
I’m now imagining the poor recipient having to lie in a dark room for two days with a migraine 🤭

NinaDefoe · 19/02/2022 15:53

Just to add, I get where you are coming from because there are certain smells I cannot stand and once they get into my nose, I can’t seem to get rid of them.

Helenahandkart · 19/02/2022 16:21

Smells are so subjective. More than anything else I think.
I don’t think the sensitivity issue is widely known, but it’s a bit like posting a packet of Dry Roasted to someone with a peanut allergy.

OP posts:
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 20/02/2022 15:14

@Helenahandkart

Smells are so subjective. More than anything else I think. I don’t think the sensitivity issue is widely known, but it’s a bit like posting a packet of Dry Roasted to someone with a peanut allergy.
It is absolutely nothing like that. Ffs what a stupid thing to say
userxx · 20/02/2022 15:50

@AllThingsServeTheBeam Never heard of death by febreze....... me neither!

FateHasRedesignedMost · 20/02/2022 16:19

I’ve never experienced this and I buy secondhand a lot. Do people really spray clothes with Febreeze or Zoflora? Are you sure they’re not just using scented softener?

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 20/02/2022 16:47

[quote userxx]@AllThingsServeTheBeam Never heard of death by febreze....... me neither! [/quote]
Each to their own and all that. But that last conment? Fucking ridiculous!

PickAChew · 20/02/2022 18:03

People do die of asthma.

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 20/02/2022 18:10

@PickAChew

People do die of asthma.
Sending an item with febreeze on it is no way similar to sending someone with a bit allergy a pack of nuts. Do not condone that ridiculous comment.
Helenahandkart · 20/02/2022 19:40

Fragrance sensitivity can cause anaphylaxis, exactly the same as peanuts can.
Maybe educate yourself before writing off someone’s comments as ridiculous.

OP posts:
AllThingsServeTheBeam · 20/02/2022 19:51

@Helenahandkart

Fragrance sensitivity can cause anaphylaxis, exactly the same as peanuts can. Maybe educate yourself before writing off someone’s comments as ridiculous.
If your aversion to fragrance was so bad you're really stupid ordering so much stuff off eBay knowing the risks. I don't think people with peanut allergies order peanuts do they? So yes. Your comment is absolutely ridiculous.
userxx · 20/02/2022 20:17

@PickAChew

People do die of asthma.

Yes they do, but I'm not talking about people with asthma, I'm talking about people who dislike the febreze, fabric conditioner smells. It's a dislike, not a serious health condition.

GertrudeKerfuffle · 20/02/2022 21:15

I'm with you, OP. I have a relative that douses their carpets with febreze and we have to change our clothes after a visit. Strong artificial scents set off this kind of unpleasant 'itch' in the back of my nose - I'm lucky in that I don't get migraines or other stronger reactions.

I manage to live happily using unscented stuff, although I do use some bar soaps that are fragranced with essential oils. I use vinegar with a bit of lavender oil instead of fabric softener and the smell doesn't linger.

I'm just thinking about the febreze-lovers who might buy a pair of second-hand shoes from Vinted, open the parcel, take a big sniff and say 'lovely!' then happily trot off wearing their new shoes, oblivious to the fact that they are probably marinated in foot sweat masked by the febreze smell 🤢 I'd be giving them a clean no matter what they smell like!

BritWifeInUSA · 20/02/2022 21:17

Make your own clothes and shoes?

GertrudeKerfuffle · 20/02/2022 21:19

And don't get me started on the scented sanitary pads. Utterly awful, even the supermarket aisle where they're displayed gives me the sinus itch. There was a thread on here where a poster's poor foof was in agony after a reaction to it.

Scianel · 20/02/2022 21:32

userxx its not a "dislike" its a reaction.

bellac11 · 20/02/2022 21:39

@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 havent read the whole thread but just wanted to say completely agree. Ive even had it in holiday rentals or airbnb whereby they spray the cushions or sofa with the stuff, presumably to 'freshen up'

NO - get furniture with removable covers and wash them in between guests

For those asking how you can tell, believe me you can tell, its immediately identifiable.