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?

Actually they are all a problem for me too. We try to do as much stuff that involves painting/ re-carpeting in the summer when doors and windows can be flung open. Stuff with fire retardant is awful - special shout out for Emma mattresses 🤮

You start realising instaram and Mrs hunch has a lot to answer for when people spend 50 quid on cleaning products. I keep thinking they must have smelly unclean homes to buy all of this in one go. But also must be brainless to not have a clue how it effects them long term. They'll be the first to cry when they get cancer and then act like they've no idea why.

And yet you can't understand why people buy scented products?

I’ve just cleaned my entire house with fabulousa winter angel ( snow fairy knock off) I like tbe smell 🤷‍♀️

I like the smell too! Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to be one of those who says they hate the smells and likes BO. I love the smell of these, but I stopped myself buying them when I read what they do to the water and the environment. I can't justify doing what they do to the world and to the people in it by saying 'I like the smell'. And don't think I'm some eco live-in-the-woods hippie, I'm just a regular person making small tiny differences and even I couldn't justify them anymore.

I hate it when I run out of Lenor Unstoppables (deep breaths) aside love my laundry to smell nice. Drying outside? OK but you don't get that nice laundry smell.

I am allergic to air fresheners, fabric conditioners and most perfumes. I always have been just as I am allergic to all make up apart from Clinique and simple products.

People chuck a lot more perfumed products about so for me it’s awful. Plus I’m sure they are getting stronger.

Plug in air fresheners have been linked to asthma

I think in the future they will link far more health issues with fragranced products.

I have windows open, clean with dettol and bicarb, I use a cut lemon warmed up for a natural scent sometimes.

@babyproblems I will check out that author, thanks.

I assume they do not have asthma. I have to shut my windows when neighbours are drying laundry, as it us a trigger.

I absolutely HATE lavender

Old ladies wear lavender, it's disgusting

I am the first to be an inveterate snob about those plug in air fresheners. But I went to a house the other day and the entire ground floor smelt lovely - like clean washing, and i mentioned it - it was from a plug in air freshener.

Well yes. We are in fact just chemicals. Best hope OP never meets Prof Brian Cox. Water, air. It’s all chemistry.

@tomorrowisanotherdate
Maybe to disguise the smell of pets, especially dogs. These scents do not work, in particular when there is more than one dog in a small house, ugh. The scents are harmful to the environment.

I'm in Team cause-it-smells-nice
🌹💐🌸🌺🌷🌻🌼🥀🪷🪻

All those scented products just smell terribly artificial to me and give me a headache.

I once house and cat sat for somebody who used all sorts of those products. It was overpowering, and I unplugged them all until a few hours before she came back. Unfortunately she used them because her cat pissed everywhere, so the house stank of cat pee instead 🙃

I work pretty hard to have my laundry and home not smell of anything! When I buy clothes from charity shops I work hard to get rid of the smell of somebody else's detergent - it didn't occur to me that the really strongly perfumed ones probably had scent boosters used on them!

Carpets contain:

Plasticisers: phthalates
Alkylphenol Ethoxylates

• nonylphenols and nonlyphenol ethoxylates

Biocides: antimicrobials Flame retardants Stain repellents:

• per and polyfluorinated alkyd substances (PFBs)

Heavy metals and metal compounds Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) Other VOCs:

• polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• styrene butadiene rubber latex (SBR Latex)
• polyurethane

In short, carcinogens, endocrine disrupters, chemicals associated with mutagenicity amd reproductive toxicity. Babies crawl around on carpeted floors, pets sleep on them...

Also, they're full of grime.

Except that diagnosis of artificial ingredient allergies is going up. People are having negative reactions to these products, even if they don’t personally buy or use them.

I feel like a canary in a coal mine. I’m having reactions that range from rashes to anaphylaxis. I’m not the only one.

The general public should be looking at us and realizing they should do something before they become us.

Agree. Also cannot stand the car 'trees' which are truly awful. They smell disgusting

For cleaning only use 4 products: lemon juice, vinegar, Bicarbonate of Soda and Washing Soda.

For washing in machine or hand: Dri Pak Liquid Soap flakes.

Sorry, lavender is disgusting because older people use it? Really?

I need to know which one so I can obtain it immediately. 😆

Concentration of the chemical substances is relevant too though, a substance may or not be present in harmful levels. Not being a carpet expert I'm not sure how toxic the components are, but just making this important point.

I am not an old lady and like the smell of true lavender. Lovely to use on pillow and helps sleep in a natural way.

For those quoting and re-quoting the 'chemicals' post, ffs stop trying to be facetious and 'gotcha'. You know exactly what that poster was trying to say - anything artificial that mimics what is natural. "We're all chemicals! Doesn't she know that water is a chemical?!" bollocks. How smug do you sound?

Why are you being so defensive? If you're happy for those irritants to be in your home, good for you. If you can afford to buy all those unnecessary 'scents', good for you. But stop with the tedious re-quoting of a very weak argument to justify your stance, will ya?

I have always loved lavender type smells, but then it's often been said I had an older head on younger shoulders....🤔

Surely scents are subjective? Bit like beauty is in the eye of beholder? What smells nice to one person might smell gross to the next!

Merely skimmed the thread.

But I don't have an air freshener in my home. I have always wondered why you'd need to freshen the air in your home.

My home is fresh without them?