The great 'clean smell' rip off

Austin_Allegro

It's occurred to me in all this talk of vinegar for cleaning etc that we've been conditioned to believe that there is such a thing as a 'clean' smell.

Nearly all the branded cleaning products have perfume as an ingredient.

When I first used value washing powder I was suspicious that my clothes weren't clean because they didn't smell like lemons/april freshness etc.

But something that's genuinely clean (sterile) doesn't have a smell!

So if you really want a smell you can use essential oils etc but remember the 'clean' smell is just another gimmick to get you to part with more of your hard-earned.

Cullumpster

Deffo agree with you Allegro,

I've started to use vinegar and things a lot more, i do keep slipping back to the bleach though as it does just smell so 'clean'

I love the smell of it..........hmmm wonder if they would make a shower gel with a 'hint' of bleach ?? I'd buy it !! :eek:

Austin_Allegro

That reminds me of a letter in the London Evening standard that made me chuckle. 'I recently heard that London Underground are spending £3m on improvements to the Northern Line. Will this include £5 for a gallon of bleach to get rid of the smell of p*ss at Camden Town station?' :rotfl:

Ticklemouse

I've bought unperfumed washing powder for a long time now because if you can't dry your clothes outside and get that real fresh smell, then I prefer to have them smell of nothing.

You don't realise how strong these smells are until they are introduced into your home by someone else. A while ago, when DS2 still used bibs, I left one at a friends house. She washed it with her stuff and brought it back to me and left it on the shelf near the front door. My whole house smelt like Fairy non-bio! When I go to my mum's, you open her front door to the 'fresh' smell of lenor.

MATH

I'm with you Cullumpster, I luuuurve the smell of bleach things don't seem clean to me without it. I also like drying my clothes outside cos of that 'outdoorsy' smell they get which you can't imitate. My cousin uses a very popular brand of washing powder and softener and when she hand down clothes from her kidz to mine it takes about three washes to loose the perfume.

Queenie

But those "clean smells" have a snowballing effect in other ways. Your clothes smell of one smell, your plugins/carpet fresheners/etc smell of another smell - so, when it comes to having a dab of perfume behind the ears, peoples noses are already on overdose from these "clean smells" that they end up using double if not treble the amount of perfume/aftershave before they can smell it properly!

Stand next to someone when you're out and about and you will *know* what I mean. A delicate, light fragrance is very pleasant, but, an overwhelming inhalation can make even my strong stomach do a double take! :eek:

My kids love coming home to *our* smells .... HM cakes/bread

I agree Austin, advertisers really are soooo powerful in their techniques of enticement. The power of smell, eh! Even supermarkets "pump" the smell of their bakery around the store to entice you into buying bread.

soon2bjobless

I agree that we are conditioned about smells to make it seem clean....

Four years ago before I really knuckeld down to become debt free I used to spend a fortune on air fresheners (the plug ins are soooo expensive!), tumble dryer sheets, fabric conditioners, nice smelling cleaners etc.

Now I dont use any air fresheners (my old man has given up smoking and thats the best air freshener of all!) - I simply open a window. If theres a pong in the loo I strike a match (we seem to have loads of boxes even though hes given up!!)

I sold my tumble dryer and line dry or rack dry clothes - I still use fabric conditioner but its Tesco blue label value stuff at 39p for 2 litres - and even then I use 1/2 the amount - for towels and tea towels I use vinegar.

I use Tesco blue label soap powder - 2 dessertspoons for whites and 1 dessertspoon for coloureds - I use to use the home-made goo but wasnt happy with it (used it for over a year to save money!)

My one cleaner is from Lakeland - its Eucaplyptus/Tea tree cleaner - you buy a bottle of concentrate and a spray trigger bottle for £5.50 - seems dear but it makes 11 bottles of cleaner so thats only 50p a bottle - and it smells fab and does the trick.

Austin_Allegro

Have got to agree that plug ins etc are a real rip off. I love the way that the telly keeps pushing new improved versions of these, there's always some new kind of gadget that shoots out perfumed chemical muck at microprecision timed intervals, or works with a fan powered by solar energy or captures the pure essence of an alpine mountain etc etc, and of course they all need frequent expensive refills.