Did You Know Your Home Already Has a Signature Scent? (Try This Smell Test)
Did you know your home already has a signature scent? And it may not be a good one!
Awhile back, the people at Febreze reached out to me to see if I would like to tour their facilities and find out everything there is to know about the product. You already know that I don’t do sponsored posts often, and I’m not going to talk to my lovely readers about something that I’m not passionate about. But seriously, I was intrigued. I gave it some thought and out of pure curiosity, I said yes.
Now I’ll be honest, I was a huge skeptic. I used to use Febreze all the time when it first came out. I know my rugs, curtains, ottomans, and couches do not get washed as often as they should (or let’s be honest, maybe not at all!) so I loved the idea of freshening those items up as part of my usual cleaning routine.
Then when I was pregnant with my son it seemed like everything, in terms of products, that was from a big brand was labelled bad with harmful ingredients. And nowadays it’s very confusing to try to find the right information out there.
The tour at the P&G headquarters in Ohio was actually really cool. We toured numerous labs and testing areas, and heard from scientists who work with Febreze and also scientists that are independent of P&G. I had 100 questions in my head going in to this and every one of them has been answered. I’m sure you have the same questions so let’s go through them:
Myth #1 their ingredients are harmful.
P&G is a huge company and they’ve been working towards getting all their ingredients for every brand on their website for everyone to search. Here are the ingredients listed for all Febreze products.
There are a number of ingredients in everything including natural fruits.
Febreze does not use phthalates, formaldehyde or flammable propellants.
Myth #2 It’s just a perfume (air freshener) to cover smells.
Febreze actually works! I’m actually amazed at the technology that has gone into this product. You can see how the technology works in this short video clip. Essentially, it traps each the stinky odour and neutralizes it. So doesn’t just provide a nice scent, it actually neutralizes the odours.
Also, if you’re like me and don’t like the perfume-y scents, Febreze makes a scent free Fabric Refresher. Also, the new Febreze ONE only emits a light, nature-inspired scent for a shorter timespan. My favorite scent is Bamboo.
And if you ever wondered how they pick the scents of their products, it really has to do with which scent smells best with the technology. Some scents we think might be great don’t mix well.
Myth #3 I don’t want to breath it in in my lungs.
First, it’s actually impossible to breathe the particles in your lungs (the particles are too large). And second, it’s not harmful.
Myth #4 I don’t need an air freshener, my house smells great and I clean it all the time.
Is it? Is your house really scent free or only has good scents?
You know when you go away for vacation and come back to your house two weeks later and that smell you smell? That’s your signature house scent. Do you wash your rug or couch or ottoman or curtains often? Where does that bacon scent or wet dog scent go in your home? We think it just disappears but it doesn’t. That smell is now stuck to those fabrics and can reappear when someone puts pressure on the fabrics or when the humidity rises. This gave me a sick feeling knowing that my house’s scent is really not that great.
What many of the scientists and employees that work at Febreze recommend to do is spray your house first during your weekly clean. Febreze’s technology traps the odour molecules , which then fall to the ground. Once you vacuum/mop your floors, the molecules are removed for good.
I seriously go could on and on with all the information I learned, but I don’t want my post to get too scientific. You have to decide what’s best for you and your family.
Jamin and Ashley from The Handmade Home was at Febreze as well and they have a terrific post with more detail that you should check out.
Try this Smell Test at Home
Unfortunately, we couldn’t take photos of the laboratories at Febreze so that some of the more classified information isn’t shared with competitors. They did so many cool tests for us in the laboratory that blew us all away. This is one you can try at home. See if you can smell the fish scent after doing this test!
Going to the Febreze headquarters was the coolest thing ever. The people are so great and are so passionate about odour, scent and getting rid of malodour. I loved their facilities and I loved finding out more about this product. I hope this helped you with making decisions for products in your home.
(Me with Morgan Brashear, Scientific Communications Manager)
Disclosure: Thank you, Febreze, for sponsoring this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
Hi Jamie,
I have 4 dogs and could not live without Febreze. One of my precious pups has a chronic illness that affects his heart and lungs. I am very careful about the cleaning products I use because some make his breathing worse. Consequently, I use a steamer on my floors and tile surfaces but living in humid South Florida you do get an odor from your furniture draperies and rugs no matter how often or how well you clean them. Febreze is the only thing I have found that works on all of those things without damaging anything nor causing distress to my pup. Thank you for the hint about spraying it first before cleaning. I intend to try that today.
Thanks for a great post
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
I’m sure you do use it a lot with your dogs. That’s awesome! With your humidity you must get a lot of dog smells 😉 I like the tip too to spray first before cleaning. My house is already smelling better.
Hugs, Jamie
Thanks for sharing this! I used to use Febreze regularly and stopped…not sure why? But it’s on my list to grab next time I go shopping!
Thanks Sheila. I know, me too. But I’m enjoying the lighter scent ones now.
Hugs, Jamie
Hi Jamie:
I have enjoyed reading your blog and can’t wait to get my copy of your book! I have used Febreze
in the past and swear by it. BTW: Where did you get the beautiful crocheted throw that appeared in the picture? I have a beautiful crocheted table cloth that my great-grandmother made that has been sitting in a drawer for decades. What a great way to repurpose this beautiful heirloom from her!
Hi Elizabeth,
Same here, I used to always use it then stopped. I’m enjoying using it again. I made that throw using a crocheted tablecloth and it’s a project in my new book!
Hugs, Jamie
When my children were small we were transferred overseas with a large corporation. One of their tips shared was for the couple of months before the move to use a housespray everyday. Use the spray first thing in the new house overseas. It helps everyone feel as if they are home.
Now my children have little ones and we still use this tip. You can also tuck the spray into your bag when you travel.
Such a great tip, Sue. Just be careful with some house sprays. Some really just blow scent into the air and don’t actually neutralize the smells. It was amazing to see experiments just like this in the lab at the P&G headquarters.
Hugs, Jamie
I used to use Febreze all the time, but my veterinarian told me it was harmful to my cats.
Hi Kimberlee,
I think that’s what we all think and when people don’t really know, they just say to avoid using it. I think it might be the actual scents that are bothersome but I have the scent-free one and would recommend using that around your pets. Febreze now has a list of their ingredients online and you could always show your vet this list: https://www.febreze.com/en-us/learn/febreze-ingredients
Hugs, Jamie
Wow! Great post jamie! Thank you so much for the information and for learning about this product. Im totally going to start using Fabreeze again!
Thanks so much, Aaron!
Hugs, Jamie
So interesting about the science behind their products and then the signature scent of your home! I’ll be honest the smell when we come back from vacation isn’t totally awesome. Fascinating stuff!
Thanks Laura! I know, right? We think we just need to open some windows and the smell goes away but it doesn’t, we just become nose blind to it.
Hugs, Jamie
Thanks i needed someone to remind me to use it, i use to, i ran out and…. i don’t know!! Your information was very interesting to know it is actually not a bad thing to use.
Thanks Marlene. It was so interesting to learn about and so happy it’s not harmful.
Hugs, Jamie
So that means my house’s signature scent is Golden Retriever times two! Well time to get spraying!
LOL! Well maybe it is, Laura. I sprayed my ottoman as soon as I got home after learning about it. I think it smelled like stinky feet. Good luck!
Hugs, Jamie
So interesting! Four kiddos have a lot of smells – lol – I guess I should get me some Febreze!
Thanks for this informative post. I’ve always steered clear of home fresheners believing what I’d always heard: “home fresheners are mere cover-ups for household odors”. After reading about your experience and about the product, I simply have to buy a bottle! How can I not? Sounds like I’ve been missing out on something wonderful!
Good info! I usually always have an air freshener around here, but now I think I’ll make sure it’s always Febreze.
I have always used French Vanilla, noe cannot find it in stores. I have tried several others but not one compAres. Please help me. Thank you.
Hi Jo,
Do you mean Febreze had a French Vanilla scent? I didn’t know that. I know they have add a bunch of new scents. They have some really pretty and lightly scented new ones (I’ve smelled them all!) that you can find here: https://www.febreze.com/en-us
Hugs,
Jamie
What about the febreze wall plug ins ?? We like those too but I worry about any toxicity. Thanks for the indo
Hi Sandy,
The Febreze wall plugins are the same technology as the Febreze spray and completely harmless to use in your home!
Hugs,
Jamie
I have always been skeptical about spraying fragrance in my house to “cover up” icky scents. In my mind, cleaning was the best option. After reading about the safety of this product, I feel more comfortable trying it. I trust Febreze is being transparent about the use of this product around pets and infants, etc. Could you tell me more about the fabric version of Febreze, if it’s safe for upholstered pieces and how to use it?
Hi Terri,
Yes, I’ve always been of the same thought…just a good cleaning should do the trick! But I never thought about my ottoman, living room chairs, rugs and curtains. Unless you’re washing those items regularly, that’s where most of the scents stay. I have a slipcovered couch that I wash and dry regularly. All Febreze products are safe to use on fabrics. There’s nothing harmful in the spray that could ruin your fabric or anything for that matter. You would just treat it the same way as you were spraying with a bottle of water as it could leave water marks, for instance on silk fabrics. But if you spray above or away from the fabric about 12 inches or so then it should be fine. I douse my furniture as I know they can handle a good spray mist!
Hope this helps!
Hugs, Jamie
We were gone for several days and had left garbage in garage and when we arrived back home the garage smell was unbearable. I used Febreez and the smell was gone. Great product. Had never used it previously but will use it again.
I love Febreze Free/Nature!! It covers the smell without adding a new scent/smell! REALLY! There is a wonderful smell of “nothing!”
Sometimes it is hard to find in stores, so I never let my stash get below 4 bottles. Also, I live in fear the Fee/Nature will be discontinued because I’ve never seen it advertised.
I’m one of those people who finds scents, especially floral, to be nauseous – if you ever need an idea for a commercial, let me know. 😉
One last thing, would you consider putting Free/Nature in an aerosol can so it has a fine mist? The spray for fabrics has large droplets and I have to avoid large areas of hardwood and tile floors to prevent a slipping hazard.
Thanks for a wonderful product! AKA, thanks for “nothing.”
Interesting article. Febreze scores an 8 on the “Think Dirty” app. I wonder if they could make a less toxic product.