These tiny little chemical bombs are surprisingly bad for you
Edit: for anyone wanting some reading, lookup VOC (volatile organic compounds). Yes these are surprisingly worse for pets
Edit 2: For the folks uncertain what kind of VOC I am bringing attention to, it's the kind that are in like the ones in this post (see image above) not other things outside of the post.
Also TIL this stuff is toxic to fish, that I did not know.
When the vet said that they were extra bad for the cats and we threw them all away, the little cough that I had and my husband had also cleared up and never came back. No clue what they were actually doing in our lungs, but it wasn’t good.
I used to have a diffuser and then I read about essential oils and how awful they are for cats. It’s wild how much shit out there is just straight up awful for us and them and you can buy it at the store no problem.
Who knows what we do today that future generations will look back on as completely insane? Like using lead-based makeup, putting radioactive materials in consumer products, using mercury to treat illnesses, or giving children cocaine based medicines…
If you can think of a better way to calm down a child who's fiending for cocaine from their last dose of cocaine based medicine, I'm waiting to hear it.
Remember when they used to deliberately put tiny balls (microbeads) in body wash? So that it would be scratchy and exfoliate I guess? And then millions of deliberately added micro plastic bits would end up in rivers and oceans…
I used to use a toothpaste with micro bead-type things until I went for a cleaning and my hygienist showed me the clumps of plastic she pulled from way below my gums 💀
Holy shit I never suspected those little balls were plastic. I didn’t know what they were, and I remember wondering about what they were made of. Thats crazy
The artifical scents used in laundry and air freshener are found in our food and water now, they're found in breast milk an inside newborn babies. They impact cellular metabolism, slowing molecular pumps that remove waste and natural and artificial toxins
Polycyclic musks are emerging pollutants, and little is known about their human or environmental health effects. Musk compounds in products like lotions can readily penetrate the skin. Inhaling airborne polycyclic musks (for example, from perfumes and air fresheners) offers another source of exposure. In an earlier study published in the November 2005 issue of Chemosphere, Kannan showed that polycyclic musks accumulate in human fat tissue at concentrations up to 1 ppm. Moreover, in the January 2005 issue of EHP, Till Luckenbach and David Epel showed that polycyclic musks blocked the activity of multidrug efflux transporters that pump toxicants from cells to protect them from damage. Inhibiting these pumps allows pollutants to enter cells and accumulate.
Galaxolide is the main scent of laundry detergent, it is one of those "musks", although people outside the perfume industry would probably describe it differently than "musk" It permeates clothing and it is released by body heat and humidity. People who use it are surrounded with it constantly and their nose stops perceiving it. Those who enjoy it resort to unreasonably strong doses of it because the are nose blind to it due to constant exposure.
I've never understood people wanting perfumes in their laundry detergent. Why would you want to be smothered in chemical smells 24/7? The unperfumed detergents still get your laundry clean.
Oh I know, I studied the topic in school. It's still a technology that was widely accepted and used without understanding the full ramifications of it.
Spraying an insecticide on food you're about to eat is mind boggling to me, even if it's not supposed to hurt humans.
I can name one right now: blithely getting infected with covid over and over (and letting kids get infected), like it's no big deal. Meanwhile there's an ever-growing body of research showing that it causes brain damage, cardiovascular problems, immune dysfunction, and may be oncogenic.
Even if we were to believe the capitalist propaganda that "normal" people shouldn't worry about it because it's only dangerous to elderly and medically-vulnerable people, since when was it considered acceptable to isolate, traumatize, and endanger entire categories of people? To go around like a Typhoid Mary on the assumption that you're only harming others? For this reason alone, I assume (or at least hope) that future generations will look back on this period of history in horror.
To be fair, theres many things that we dont know are bad then they become common and when we learn theyre bad its hard to remove them without policy changes. Asbestos for example would probably still be widely used despite mesofilioma if the government had banned its use and production.
And thats not to mention the hippy cult that loves essential oils and believe theyre gods gift to man. (Same could be said for asbestos tbh)
Same with arachnids! I have spiders, tarantulas, and birds (and others), and it really helps me to keep things simple not wanting to risk any of them.
If anyone reads this and is interested in jumping spiders, because I know they're the trend right now, be aware you will have to make some household changes if you don't want them to die of dks, which is very hard to watch.
Oh and it applies to way more than air fresheners, including the kinds of air fryers and pots that are considered safe, and even air purifier options, there's a lot! Some are more strict than others, though.
Teflon = ded for most of them birds and insects. ESPECIALLY if it was overheated. I only use cast iron, aluminum/steel and PFAS free ceramic. Not because I have any pets, but because I don't want fluorotelomers and their vapors floating around.
It was giving my cats asthma like symptoms, after several vet trips and a chest x-ray for my cat we figured out it was the these plug ins, I stopped using them and all of her symptoms went away.
My friends cat has the same symptoms and I tell her to stop using them but she won't
My wife, who insists on buying all organic foods to protect the family from harmful chemicals, also insists on using these damn things along with fragrant candles. I have repeatedly point out the conflict in logic without avail.
A lot of people fall for things like that. They seem to think if they spend as much money as they possibly can, then it’s gotta be healthy and a good choice.
I think it's often just biased based. Everything I like is healthy, and if I don't like it it isn't healthy. Like antivaxxers that say the preservatives are toxic, but binge drink
Well also switching from conventional produce to organic requires no thinking, planning, research or going without. You just go to the same grocery store and buy organic cucumber instead of cucumber. Done.
The only immediately obvious answer to avoiding bad chemicals in fragrances is to avoid fragrances, and that requires sacrifice.
Have you checked the walls around the plugs, they can tend to accumulate this kind of residue sometimes too.
Maybe you can highlight to her that it is being breathed in by her, yourself, and any pets/kids you may have.
VOCs are also released by plants, fruits, and most natural aromatic substances. They're the reason you smell it. A VOC is just a carbon compound that easily vaporizes at room temperature.
It's not "it has VOC's!" that's necessarily the problem, but what VOC they're using and what other chemicals they're including.
Unscented things produce VOCs as well, like benzene or formaldehyde, which are very bad for you, and those and ethanol can be present in "Unscented" products.
At the same time you'll find natural lemon or citrus extracts that will both produce VOCs entirely naturally and act as a solvent on some plastics, but aren't going to be a big danger to you unless you're allergic, swallow a bunch of it or aspirate it.
Came here to see if anyone would mention this. Also, people seem to not comprehend that just because something has a reaction with one thing, it doesn't necessarily mean it reacts with something else. Sure, hydrochloric acid will eat away at glass. But storing it in plastic is fine.
Mind you, I'm not saying this doesn't cause issues with our lungs, just reminding people that just because something damages plastic doesn't automatically mean it will damage our lungs.
Yes, but chemicals and scary sounding names = bad.
As always, the dose makes the poison. Too much of anything is a bad thing, which is why it is so easy to convince people (especially politicians) that we should ban Dihydrogen Monoxide by listing all of the harmful things it does when there is too much in the wrong place.
I was at a school helping with a STEAM event last week and of course the classroom I was assigned to had about 5 of these things running. Instant headache
The bane of my existence, and I don't understand why people bathe themselves in this stuff. It's bad enough when my neighbor uses them - I can't imagine how strong it is in their own home.
From National Poison Control:
Despite their popularity, some evidence suggests that air freshener products increase indoor air pollution and pose a health risk, especially with long-term exposure. Air fresheners release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. A VOC is a type of chemical that turns into a vapor or gas easily at room temperature. Health problems are thought to occur as a result of the chemicals in the air fresheners and from their secondary pollutants. Secondary pollutants are formed when a product’s chemicals combine with the ozone already in the air.
According to one study, 73% of Americans use air fresheners or deodorizers weekly and 58% are exposed to these products secondhand. Up to 20% of Americans report that exposure to fragrances interferes with their work, travel, or hygiene.
What - 73% of Americans? Why??
VOCs, endocrine disruption, potential carcinogens, respiratory irritants, and more.
Not all VOCs are the same. A VOC is just any organic compound that easily vaporizes at room temperature (that's the "volatile"), and there's a huge difference between benzene and the scent causing chemicals in flowers. If you've smelled citrus fruits or you can smell the trees in a forest, that's VOCs.
Also if you smell gasoline, that's a VOC and significantly more dangerous than a flower.
Not all VOCs are the same and the poor education on it has caused people to be extremely paranoid about something they know very little about.
Not saying air fresheners are good, but just saying "they release VOCs" is not an instant indictment of them. Any living plant is going to release them too, though if given the option I'd recommend the living plants.
Just want to point out, VOCs aren’t all bad for you.
Limonene is a VOC, and it doesn’t have negative health effects. The smell of cut grass? Comes from VOCs that are completely harmless.
There are many VOCs that are bad for you, so we discuss indoor air pollution caused by products that emit VOCs, but it’s worth pointing out that almost anything you can smell is a VOC (inorganic gases aside), and not all of them pose health risks.
The idea that they are bad for you because they are VOCs is missleading. Most organic liquids are volatile, as is water. The stuff in these are not the same as the VOC that off gas from foam or paint which is what you will find if you search for VOC. The stuff in there also isnt that volatile as it needs to be heated which is the problem. Not saying that they are good for you just that looking up VOC wont tell you anything about the liquid in them.
Yes. I don’t do any kind of cleaners or deodorizers like that anymore because cats are taking all that shit on in their fur and then cleaning themselves.
I used to have a job picking up a van load of dirty laundry bags from a nursing home and driving them a town over to unload it at the laundromat who had the contract for doing their laundry.
I am intimately familiar with the smell lol. You get used to it honestly, but you do always smell it and it’s not pleasant regardless. I’m sure it’s worse inside the nursing home itself.
Reminds me of this review on fragrance oil. I usually buy the pumpkin pie scent, but they were out of stock so I was considering trying the autumn wreath one. I decided against it after reading this review lol.
I have a friend that has so many plugged in, I shit you not, when they cook food, I can taste it in the food. If I take left overs home, I cannot eat it it's so strong
You guys are making me paranoid AF. We have a ton of these at home but I barely ever notice their smell (thanks Covid) so never thought much of them. If you excuse me I have to unplug them all right now.
you dont notice the smells you live in anyway, the nose/brain acclimatizes. you gotta ask a friend. or give a whif when you come home from a long vacation.
Doesn’t even have to be a long vacation. Getting home after a day at work is enough for me. Then about 20 minutes after getting home I’m blind to it all again.
I used to be like you. I stopped using all these products and I swear my nose "reset" after a few months. Cuz now I realize how STRONG and repulsive those smells are, including fabric softeners and laundry scent booster. My partner came to the same realization when he stopped using Downy detergent.
I used samples of scent boosters on my work clothes, took a years long maternity leave and when I opened the work clothes drawer I was smacked with that scent. Pregnancy made me unable to tolerate so many scented products and I couldn't wear any of the clothes, even after multiple reaches with no scents.
That is how it is at my partner's grandparents house I can't eat anything at the house that wasn't immediately put into something and take it out of their house.
Almost two years ago, I watched a friend's dog for a week and stayed at his house while doing so. He used these because his dog would sometimes pee in the house. He used several. My duffel bag and cloth toiletry bag both still reek of the plug-in air freshener scent from his dining room, despite both being washed twice. I'm going to have to get rid of them at this point.
And this is a very good example of why you avoid having plug in air fresheners and essential oils in the same room as anything plastic you want to keep long term. These things degrade the fuck out of Legos for instance.
I've heard, but cant confirm, it doesn't even have to be the same room, nearly anywhere in the house will slowly affect plastics and maybe also silicone in other areas?
And people. Our systems are just very different, and don't show up in the same way. People who have long term exposure to these VOC's have a lot of health issues
If I am not mistaken the solution contains some kind of alchool and when it evaporates and touches the plastic voila: it melts.
I spilled some perfume, the kind you use for your room, on my drying machine and it made all the plastics crack. That was the last time I used them.
I hate those things and wife keeps buying them. She unplugged one from the wall and laid it on its side on top of my Ethan Allen dresser. It leaked and stripped a big patch of finish. So pissed at the time and whenever I move things around and see it again.
My wife left a spray bottle of that stuff to get cat pee smell out of carpet and it did the same thing to a finished dresser. It somehow leached through the container and made a 'ring' like a sweaty glass. I don't think it permeated the solid plastic. My guess is the bottle had been tipped before and it leaked out of the spray top and it spread from there.
wow I hate these things, those of us with allergies are constantly bombarded with these and it makes going places hard. I have ended up in the ER from people plugging them in at work and from trying to view vacation properties that use them. I had a bad reaction to an uber driver that covered her vents with those stupid air fresheners and don't ger me started on Scent beads, Downy and Gain just stop it. Please I am begging you
Ive had 2 separate jobs threatened because i would unplug them from unoccupied offices to prevent myself from dying. I worked opposite shifts from the office occupant to ever be able to explain how dangerous these are and how id prefer to not have to steuggle to breathe while i tried to work
oh that is terrible, at least the job I had did something about it. People were mad but they made a rule that we couldn't have them plugged in due to my allergies. I mean I did end up in the ER, they didn't have to call an ambulance because I was working at a hospital and the Nurse came and got me.
The cinnamon brooms that show up in supermarkets during the holidays are the worst, they stink up the entire store. Air fresheners are definitely obnoxious af, the goddamn brooms make me murderous. It must be so much worse for people with allergies.
Unofficial confirmation- but my dog was having bad seizures... we removed these (and the bath and body works) from the house and he's been seizure free for 4 years and I'm close to completely weening him off his seizure meds. There has gotta be something in these that is not good / can cause neurological issues.
The right answer here is that they are using acetone as a volatile for the fragrance and the towel dispenser is made out of ABS plastic. This is a normal reaction between those chemicals. It is why one should never use this type of freshener inside a car (most cars' interior plastic pieces are made of ABS)
Edit: airwick's plastic housing is most likely out of PC, not reactive to acetone
I used to use these all the time in my early 20’s. Then one day, I came home and someone must have bumped it out of the socket. The solution spilled all over my hardwood floor and it ate a big hole into the hardwood. I stopped buying them after that
It has limonene. Lemon essential oil. It melts plastic. Note: it is hell on cats like most essential oils though, their liver can't cope with even this small amount, lose these if you have pets.
I broke one of these accidentally and put it on my windowsill, it leaked, ate through the paint into the wood. Could not remove the smell. Never ever again
I accidentally knocked one of these over on the windowsill in an old apartment in college and it melted the paint right off the finish. Not sure if that's the same chemical that causes what we see in the picture to happen but a lot of air fresheners, even non-electric ones, have huge warnings not to get them in contact with paint or plastic.
i remain convinced all these "air fresheners" are just a way for corporations to dispose of toxic waste and get the consumer to pay for it because their focus groups happen to think this particular toxic brew smells like something familiar.
I worked at home depot in the garden center, but not FOR home depot. I worked for the company that shipped and stocked flowers. Home Depot had issues with birds in the garden center, so 'corporate said they had to install bird deterrents.'
Which, fine. But tell me why I could smell minty, pasty candy from 200 feet into the parking lot?
100% I complained. I have lung issues. So did my coworker.
The fucking manager told me that "if you're fine drinking grape juice at home, you shouldn't have a problem with this here. You dont have to work here, either. This is a corporate decision"
BITCH I DONT VAPORIZE GRAPE JUICE AND PUT IT IN MY LUNGS AT HOME. I drink it. Since i didnt work FOR home depot, I laid into that motherfucker.
I told him that he was a coward who cared more about the opinions of corporate than the health and safety of the people he supervises, the people who are HIS RESPONSIBILITY.
The other manager next to him said that it really seems like I'm coming at him about this..? If it seems like I'm coming at him its because I FUCKING AM! Your first responsibility is to the people who work under you, not the people who work above you.
I walked out and told MY manager (who oversaw mutliple stores in the state) that while I'm not quitting, I will not be returning until this is taken care of.
It was turned off the next day and I went back to work.
One of the greatest grifts is all the air freshener companies tricking you to believe you need their products for a “clean” smelling home. Foh with all that vile VOC nonsense. Absolutely cannot stand going to one of my buddy’s place because he sprays his place with Febreeze like there’s no tomorrow (I guess that’s his definition of tidying up the place for guests?) and that awful scent transfers to my pants whenever I sit on his couch and remains until I wash it - even worse when I’m wearing freshly washed pants and now I’m stuck with that smell until the next wash.
Couldn’t be me ever using Air Wick, Febreeze, and the rest of the obnoxiously scented nonsense. Scented garbage bags can fk right off too. I’m surprised ppl are still using that garbage in 2026? People actually like how that stuff smells?
I used to buy this crap and I couldn't tell you why, it was a habit. At some point I woke up, asked myself why I'm paying for synthetic industrial smells from Unilever Proctor and Gamble Colgate Palmolive megacorp. I'm so glad I did because once I stopped realizing these scented products, I realized how awful they smell (it takes a few months for your nose to reset).
9.2k
u/SoungaTepes 11h ago edited 5h ago
These tiny little chemical bombs are surprisingly bad for you
Edit: for anyone wanting some reading, lookup VOC (volatile organic compounds). Yes these are surprisingly worse for pets
Edit 2: For the folks uncertain what kind of VOC I am bringing attention to, it's the kind that are in like the ones in this post (see image above) not other things outside of the post.
Also TIL this stuff is toxic to fish, that I did not know.