to not understand why people spend money to pollute their homes with pointless chemicals?

[tomorrowisanotherdate]

scent boosters, to go in laundry, air fresheners that squirt puffs of pollutants at you - the tv is full of adverts for these things, so presumably someone is buying them. I just don't get it though. Loading your family's home atmosphere with a load of unnecessary and unpleasant air pollutants, and paying for the privilege? Why?

That is SUCH a lazy argument @fieldsofbutterflies . That unless you're living in a cave and knitting your own clothes out of nettles you have no right to an opinion. That you have to be 100% perfect to even comment.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, most of us are doing our best not to have a detrimental impact on the world we live in.

Oh yeah - I don’t care what anyone else does, with anything, none of my business.

Boil a pot of zoflora in your kitchen (wasn’t that Hinch?), crack on. I don’t care what dh family do, even if they make me sneeze.

I'm with you, most of these are so strong it's unpleasant. Lots make my husband's asthma worse.

So many people on here don’t seem to know the difference between chemical elements, in various combinations, that are what everything is made of and chemical compounds that are used to produce artificial freshening fragrances which may be harmful when inhaled constantly, and which may produce even more harmful substances on burning as in candles. We accept that inhaling smoke damages the lungs but insist that scented candles are perfectly harmless. It’s very naive.

I'd probably advise people not to boil Zoflora tbh....unless they want to end up vomiting....⛔️⛔️⛔️

Living in a cave with your scented candles, perfume, and antiperspirant...

You are admittedly part of the problem you are smugly rallying against.

How are you not the tiniest bit humbled by that?

With all due respect, you don't seem to understand basic chemistry that comprehensively either. For what feels like the hundredth time, it's not just about naturally existing or artifical (aka synthetic), and concentration/dosage is highly relevant.

Humbled? No... I am just an ordinary person who is aware of the impact of my purchases and choices and trying to take steps to minimise that. Nobody can do it ALL unless as I said you live in a cave and eat nettles.

But that doesn't mean you shouldn't bother even thinking about it or doing anything, and the easiest things to dispense with are the things which a generation ago nobody used like plug in air fresheners, scent boosters and anti-bacterial carpet spray.

There's a difference between expressing your opinion and acting like you're better than everyone else for your choices 🙄

I don't have children (arguably one of the worst things you can do for the planet) but I don't go around telling parents that I'm so much better than them because of it.

Just to add, genuinely fragrance free cleaning and body products are very difficult to get hold of and punishingly expensive. I buy them because I have no choice.

I agree. People really only care about themselves... Some people even wear perfume, can you imagine. PERFUME! The audacity of it all.

I also love how when it comes to environmental impact and fair trade we target Shein and not Apple.

Air fresheners and not coffee.

You see the hypocrisy right?

.

Exactly.
The smugness of suüposedly 'better' choices, combined with some folk having a very poor understanding of basic chemistry (understandable up to a point but should be willing to learn), are two irksome trends on this thread.

I would think it quite easy to ditch perfume and scented candles?

Also you really need to cut down on coffee. Since you are so impassioned with Shein and Temu you probably don't want to support the coffee industry either.

One of the posters insisting on "only natural" on here is on another thread telling everyone about all the ready meals and processed foods she gets for a fiver down the freezer shop, so I'd agree with you.

I don't buy ready meals. I do buy washing powder that has a fragrance. I don't buy anti bac stuff. I do buy perfume. I've never found a natural deodorant that works for me.

As pp says, nobody is perfect.

The only thing that is scientifically true (meeting Brian Cox or not) is that the myths surrounding, perhaps "natural" are far more harmful than any Glade spray ultimately.

"Clean beauty" is the latest, but thankfully a lot of dermatologists are fighting that one.

@tomorrowisanotherdate how do you feel about sunscreen btw?

The fairy ones are the best!!

There’s undoubtedly some (not so hidden) snobbery going - essential oils are acceptable but soy candles aren’t. Expensive soaps (that still use artificial scents) are acceptable but cheaper ones aren’t.

@tomorrowisanotherdate

Having read all your updates I think your sense of smell works differently to most other people.

Not only do you express how intensely you dislike these smells, you repeatedly state that you can't understand how other people can like these smells. Maybe you actually can't. Maybe they smell differently to you?

It's also unusual hat others liking a smell that you don't should make you so frustrated or even angry.

Exactly.

I'd even make a case for sexism when it comes to conscious consumerism.

We often target things women are the primary consumers of.

I think they're all far too strong (and unnecessary) but some folk really are struggling with 'each to their own' on this thread!

They woodent sell it if it werent safe, it is tested on five million bunny rabbits first.

Pretty much everything in existence has a scent anyway - it's just a matter of personal taste whether we like it or not.

Nobody is going to use something they actively dislike if they have another choice. Lots of people are going on about lavender oils but that's one of the smells I can't stand so I'm not going to use it no matter how "good" for the environment it might be, lol.

I agree OP. They emit toxic chemicals that are linked with health risks, including formaldehyde and benzene which are carcinogens. They are a known cause of indoor air pollution, raising VOCs. They burn my throat and make me feel nauseous. My mother in law loves them and when we I come home after visiting my clothes and hair stink of them. When she brought some home made brownies they actually tasted of Glade plug-in!
Perfume is sprayed sporadically but air fresheners are continuous so much worse in my opinion.

Saying something 'is a carcinogen' is kind of pointless if you don't mention dosage/concentration.

Perfume is sprayed sporadically but air fresheners are continuous so much worse in my opinion.

Not necessarily. Some people only use air freshener once a week or so 🤷‍♀️

Exactly - even water is toxic in large doses.

Natural isn’t necessarily good just as artificial isn’t necessarily bad.