Do our homes really smell that bad?

[caty]

I can't believe how many commercials on TV are for room deodorizers. 30 minutes can't go by while we watch TV where there isn't an ad for all these different room deodorizers. Are we cooking really stinky food, or are we just not that clean, to need so many different types of aromas for our houses?;( :puke:

[mainegreen]

1. Well, with our new baby, there is an odd lingering oder now....

[Debi]

2. Mine does!

30 year old home above a wetland preserve. x( On hot/humid days it smells ICKY :puke:

[Beausoir]

3. My cats...we still use clay litter because they insist upon it. Yuk.

No matter how often we change their boxes, it still smells downstairs.

We don't use those Glade things or anything artificial. Just open the windows and let the fresh air in.

[AirmensMom]

10. Have you tried Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat?

Ours love it ... and it clumps really hard, so it's easy to scoop out. But it's coarse like clay. We have four cats using the same box and it doesn't smell at all.

[Beausoir]

46. I may give that a try! Thanks. n/t

[Deja Q]

4. I just like my domicile smelling like "mountain mist" or "summer rain"

:crazy:

[RumpusCat]

5. The ones that have the little wisp of "smoke" are creepy

SO you can see them work? :wtf:

My little studio can get stale because it's small, on the ground floor, and contains a cat, but I like to open the windows and burn insense. :)

[JitterbugPerfume]

6. I burn candles

cinnamon and citrus are my favorite

but I remember the smell of my grannys house--- cooking odors , grandpas pipe


I wish they could put THAT in a candle or a room spray

[AngryAmish]

7. If you have cats, then yes your house stinks

The problem is you can't smell it if you live there and the vast majority of people are too polite to point it out.

[AirmensMom]

9. Not necessarily so.

We have four cats and just sold a house to a man who is allergic to them! If there had been an odor, he would have complained to our realtor. Even the realtor told me there was no smell in our house. I've had several people tell me they were shocked to see cats in my house because they never smelled them. The trick is to use a good litter and scoop it every day. Oh, and ditch the carpets. Filling the house with chemicals certainly isn't the solution.

[AngryAmish]

11. Just be glad you know polite folks

[AirmensMom]

13. Right.

It's just bullshit to assume everyone who has cats has a smelly house.

[SoyCat]

61. I'll second that sentiment.

[radwriter0555]

12. You're right about the carpets. They trap filth and dirt and smells BADLY.

We have tiled floors through and just a few throw rugs... and no lingering odors of any sort, ever... with 2 dogs.

Wall to wall carpet is just nasty. And I definitely like the tile or stone floors for the ease of cleaning them... And they're white. When there is a speck of dirt, we see it and it's GONE.

I like white counters in a kitchen too.... that way I can be sure everything is really, truly CLEAN.

[AirmensMom]

15. That's the ticket.

Get rid of the stuff that holds the odors and keep everything clean. :thumbsup: I have a friend with 10 cats in her home and there's absolutely no odor.

[AngryAmish]

27. 10 cats?

I sense potential house of squalor!

[AirmensMom]

30. Your sense is mistaken again.

This lady does rescue work. She's not a hoarder. :eyes:

[AngryAmish]

34. I said potential

and most hoarders consider themselves to be rescuers.

[AirmensMom]

39. Hoarders tend to have mental problems, like OCD.

And they don't typically belong to legitimate rescue organizations. Sure, you said potential ... but you're still implying that my friends are (or could be) hoarders, without even knowing anything about them except that they have 10 cats.

[AngryAmish]

43. That is a fair summary of what I said.

[Joe Fields]

37. I know you love cats and defend them and that's way cool.

But truthfully, I have never gone into anyone's home that had cats, (plural) that I didn't immediately smell cat odor. But I will certainly take your word for it that some homes, as you described do exist.

[AirmensMom]

41. I've been in plenty of smelly homes.

So I can understand your skepticism. Clean homes with cats do indeed exist. It just takes a little effort and common sense.

[zanne]

48. I hope we don't deodorize and sanitize ourselves to death

I've been around for awhile and I've noticed that "clean" has a different meaning now than it did 30 or 40 years ago. Now, we want everything sanitized, deodorized and our soaps have to be anti-bacterial. We don't live in doctor's offices or surgeries. We live in homes where people actually live (pets too). It's almost like we want to remove any trace of habitation. Our floors have to be clean enough to eat off of and our furniture can't look like anybody uses it.
I guess what I'm saying is; the "look" of clean doesn't always mean healthy. The widespread use of antibacterials is creating even stronger, more resilient germs.

I don't mind a house that smells like somebody lives there.

[Radical Activist]

21. I really hope

you told him that you had cats. Even if its not very noticeable, the residue is there and it will effect him down the road if he doesn't take steps to remove the allergens.

[AirmensMom]

25. He saw them.

And was shocked that he didn't have a reaction. We had no carpets or drapes -- everything in the house could be washed and I'm a very fussy housekeeper. He came over several times before the closing and stayed for several hours with no problems. And that was with our funiture in it.

[Radical Activist]

32. Cool. That's good.

I have the same problem so I think of these things. I take extreme cleaning measures to remove allergens anytime I move into a new place.

[AirmensMom]

38. I am slightly allergic to cats and dogs.

But I have other, more serious, sensitivities and allergies, so I'm pretty diligent about removing them all. It's really uncomfortable when your body reacts to something. :(

[Mutley]

49. I know someone with a cat whose house doesn't stink at all.

I don't have a cat, either, so it's not like I'm used to the smell.

[Ramsey]

55. Totally untrue

If you clean the litter daily, the house does not smell. My cats are very good, tehy always use the box, never the carpets, and my house does not smell like cat urine, I assure you.

[AngryAmish]

63. So cats hit the box 100% of the time?

You have the best trained cats in America. You are so lucky!

[AirmensMom]

8. I call those things "air poisoners".

They're SO toxic! The solution to a stinky home is to clean it and open the windows. "April Fresh" doesn't come from a test tube.

The one that really gets me is the one that has two different fragrances ... because the only way fragrance addicts can keep smelling them is to switch the scent every so often. :puke:

[marzipanni]

19. I believe the increase incidence of athsma is connected with

the increased use of room deodorizers. The lung association and allergists recommend avoiding them-
<snip>
Strong Odors or Fumes
Perfume, room deodorizers, cleaning chemicals, paint, and talcum powder are examples of triggers that must be avoided or kept to very low levels.
http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=22591

Children who are exposed to dust of the kind found on a farm (including animal dander) have less incidence of developing allergies.
http://www.njc.org/news/health-news/y2000/news66.aspx
http://www.cbc.ca/story/news/national/2002/09/18/dust020918.html
It seems we humans are able to handle our natural environment better than man-made stuff we produce to alter it.

[AirmensMom]

20. I believe so, too.

As a matter of fact, I can no longer work because of what artificial fragrances do to me. And most of them are so strong that they can be smelled from several feet away, even across the room. :puke:

[datasuspect]

14. i don't know about homes

but sometimes i get pretty rank with my super concentrated man musk

[Tyrone Slothrop]

16. "Fish for dinner last night?"

"Whew! Harvey still smoking those cigars?"

"Christ! Did a cow shit in here?!"

Man...I haven't seen Kentucky Fried Movie in a long time. But your post brought it all back!

[hedgehog]

17. Maybe it's because so many houses are so well sealed now.

I go with eliminating carpets as above. I think it might also be the fact that some people want a pretty smell all the time. If they can't smell flowers or mountain mist, they assume the house smells bad.

My son did install an air freshener when his roommate had a pot party in the room. He left to go to the library when the roommate and his buddies started lighting up. When he got back, the room reeked so he tried opening the door to the hall. Someone down the hall yelled" Hey - who the hell is smoking god damn pot!?!?" So my son closed the door, opened the window and bought an air freshener. Oddly enough, the roommate and his buddies never smoked pot there again.

[NewWaveChick1981]

18. My house smells like nothing.

And that's the way I like it. :) It's clean with no odor problems. I hate air fresheners, so you'll never catch me using them. I do, however, like some scented candles (like caramel or sugar cookies), so I burn those every now and then in the fall and winter. :D

[AirmensMom]

22. That's my favorite smell.

Nothing. :D OK, there's a better one ... wash the sheets and hang them out on the line. Makes the room smell like REAL fresh air, not chemical "April Fresh".

[NewWaveChick1981]

24. I love the smell of line-dried sheets too!

:loveya: The fake chemical "fragrances" don't hold a candle to that.

[AirmensMom]

26. I like the way you think!

:loveya: A lot of people just don't get it about those fake fragrances. :shrug:

[NewWaveChick1981]

28. Same here!

:hi: It can't be good to inhale that stuff all the time. Marketing execs have people (mostly women) convinced that their homes need to smell like fake flowers or citrus or berries (which I personally detest) or they're bad people. Smelling like nothing or smelling like naturally fresh sheets is my favorite!

[AirmensMom]

33. No, it's not.

I'm living proof of it. That stuff causes a list of symptoms as long as my arm in people whose bodies recognize it as toxic. It's one of the reasons we moved -- to get out of the path of the chemicals coming out of our neighbor's dryer vent. I have the feeling you could visit me and I could dispense with the "fragrance-free lecture". :hi:

[NewWaveChick1981]

40. Absolutely!

:hi: I do wear perfume, but it's mild, and I am used to not wearing it around my sister because of her allergies. I'd do the same in that situation too!

[AirmensMom]

42. ...

That's nice to know. :loveya: :hug:

[China_cat]

23. My house smells like the vegetable soup I have cooking

and sometimes it smells like the herbs that are drying or the spices in the curry. No air freshener will ever take the place of the smell of good honest cooking.

[Omphaloskepsis]

59. mine smells like..

stale beer, urine, ball sweat, and garlic. I never bring girls back to my place.

[MorningGlow]

29. Cons the sheeple

Beat them over the head with too many "your house smells--you need this" commercials and they start to believe it. Attack the insecurity is the motto of advertisers. (And one of the many reasons I didn't last long in the biz!)

[texanwitch]

31. I agree, no carpets.

I can't stand them, I have hardwood floors with a few area rugs for the pets to sleep on.

[havocmom]

35. And, judging from the spam email,

we are all very fat, we can't find out tiny sexual organs, we need to save big bucks on meds, but we have lots of money to blow on stock tips from total strangers who can't spell.

[Rabrrrrrr]

36. I haver never needed a room deodorizer. They are environmental waste.

In the few times taht I have needed to "freshen up" the smell, I open the windows, bake a loaf of bread, or just cut up a lemon or two.

[1gobluedem]

44. I HATE air fresheners

Apple-cinnamon potpurri is my favorite. So cozy.

[ElboRuum]

45. Human beings leave odor...

As do all the things they cook, do, clean with, etc.

But some people are Nose Nazis who believe that all things normal must be masked with floral scents or antiseptic aromas. Quite honestly, these "pretty smell" deodorizers in houses are actually more repulsive than most of the "normal" smells you'll find in homes.

[martymar64]

47. Christ! Did a cow shit in here?

:hurts:

[pitohui]

50. if you have a cat, your house stinks

i've noticed it over and over again, apparently cat owners lose their ability to smell cat, but your non cat owning visitors, yeah, we think your house stinks

(i don't mean "you" in particular, i mean "you" in general)

cigarette smoked indoors also stinks, as does cabbage and broccoli

yeah it's safe to say that most houses do smell pretty bad

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

53. Not all of them.

We have four cats. The house doesn't smell. Two of the cats only go to the bathroom outside and as for the other two, we clean the litterbox twice a day. The house definitely does not stink.

[cobalt1999]

51. maybe...

that's why we bake cookies!

[GOPisEvil]

52. Oh, and those plug-in things, they can burn your house down.

I ditched the ones I used to have in my house.

[Broken_Hero]

54. yeah, sometimes..

depends on pets, or your kids...and it depends on how much stuff gets dumped/spilled onto your floor. We have a huge amount of trouble with our pom pissing on the lower part of our couch...we have used steamers, and other deodarants(febreeze works, steamer works) and we keep a thick sheet over the couch, so all we have to do, is wash the thick sheet, instead of steaming a whole couch...

Damn dog won't learn, shock collar was a joke(but provided some good laughs)....

[Ramsey]

56. They do after you use those deodorizers!

Most of those things stink themselves, phony nature scents in an aerosol can.

I like to use aromatherapy oils in a water burner. Not because my hosue smells bad, but because they smell so nice.

[sendero]

57. A rare look..

... at :)

[Blue_In_AK]

58. Mine kind of smells like the Indian food I cooked yesterday...

I like it.

[Kat45]

60. Now they have "light show" air fresheners.

They've been advertising them a lot.

[riderinthestorm]

62. Yup, I'm going to confess that mine probably stinks.

But I don't mask it. Love it or don't come over.

We are horse farmers who do organic produce on the side. That means manure laden clothes are in the wash or on our bodies, dirt encrusted boots, sneakers, sandals, baseball caps, hard hats etc. that lie around the front door and into the foyer. There are always grubby saddles and/or bridles or halters are waiting to be cleaned, repaired or taken hither and thither that are hanging draped on the doorknobs, newel post or bench arms. Dogs, cats, lots of coffee and spicy smells permeate every square inch of our home... this is just to name a few of the odors one would encounter at my house. Litter box odor? Ha! Can't hold a candle to the other (literal) shit that's a part of our lives (and yes it is cleaned daily as are the stalls and paddocks).

Not only that but there's animal hair on the sofas and rugs!

Our pets sleep on the beds and sofas!

I couldn't even imagine the kind of anxiety that must permeate anyone's lives to worry enough about their daily living "odors" that would warrant the kind of house/room fresheners I see at the grocery store. They are really awful. When I go to the car wash I make sure the car wash guys know that noone's getting a tip if they spray any of that shit in my (similarly odiferously perfumed like my house) car or truck.