Air freshners

hollydays

My OH is keen on air freshners,solid and sprays.We have a dog,and if the house has been shut up i think he thinks it smells doggy.i personally believe cleaning and opening windows is the solution,but you know when someone has something set in their mind!Also,i dont like the idea of the chemicals which i think we dont need,particularly as he has asthma.

I tend to think freshners just cover up a smell, and the only place that smelt doggy whenwe returned from a recent holiday was the one and only (hall and stair) carpet where he tends to lie a lot of the time-time to clean it me thinks.Anyone has any OS solutions to airfreshners?.

MATH

I use an oil burner in the evening after dinner and it seems to fragrance the whole of the house. In the day i prefer to fling open the doors and windows and freshen the house naturally.

I reas somewhare that you can dilute the floral version of stardrops and use in a spray bottle as a room freshner but I havn't tried it.

MrsTinks

I use oil burners and a room fragrancer (mainly because I use stardrops and vinegar a lot and I don't like the smell) from tesco - it's a spray one from their finest range and you only use a little. Carpets are the main cause of stored bacteria and nasties I can think off that harbour smelly dog smells! Get it cleaned and it'll help for now also try essential oils - either on a lightbulb (turn off light, take out bulb, then wipe with dry towel and 1 drop of oil round the top of bulb) or if you have radiators then wipe a drop or two along the top of them (added bonus of dusting it at the same time lol!)

wishingonastar_3

i do the lightbulb one posted above, and my sil swears by sprinkling bicarb every few days on the carpet where the dog sleeps, (not while the dogs there!!) leaving for 10-15 mins and hoovering it up. as for air freshners, i use as little as possible, big fan of opening windows. i also burn candles in the evening, esp after a spicy meal, as i find it seems to clear the air somehow.

hth

woas.

liz.._4

I put zoflora in a spray bottle with some water and squirt it round the room

gingin_2

You can also put a pan with a small amount of water on the stove and add cloves, herbs, orange peel, lemon peel, flower petals etc to boil away.

Biddyrolo

Essential oils and insense sticks here, or just opening the windows for what my mum calls a *good blow through*

flufff

incense sticks are fab....burning lavendar in an oil burner covers most smells.Neutradol is excellent the shakev n vac,spray and squirt varieties

dannahaz

I don't like typical air fresheners as I find the "fragrances" quite overpowering and offensive.

I like to have windows open as much as poss to allow fresh air in, but even so sometimes the house needs a bit of help.

In those cases I use an odour neutraliser. I sampled many, and most of them were still pretty offensive. But then I tried a Dettol Neutrair plug-in one. That one seems fine to me. It freshens the smell of the house without making it hard to breathe.

I especially notice it when we've been away for a couple of days. It's a pleasant smell.

They aren't particularly easy to get hold of though, not everywhere stocks them. I found some refills in Wilkinsons the other day. Apparently the refills fit the airwick plug in device.

QueenB_3

I use 40 drops of geranium essential oil in 400ml water in a spray bottle. I'm very impressed at how quickly any odour is eliminated and my house smells beautiful!

RacyRed

I prefer open windows but that is not always possible so have a Dettol neutra air automatic sprayer thing that is set to go off every 30 mins or so.

As it is has a little intermittent light and is close to my front door it also doubles as a burglar alarm :cool:

There was a fantastic thread a little while ago about making your own gel fresheners and try as I might I can't find it again. Can anyone point me in the right direction please?