Plug in air fresheners - Are they safe to leave on?

ripplyuk

I've been using these for a while now but my granny has just told me that they're dangerous and can easily go on fire. She says I should never sleep with one on and take it out of the socket each time I go out. It would hardly ever be on then! I like the house to smell nice when I return home.

Has anyone heard of this? Is it really risky, or no more so than leaving a TV or something on standby?

MX5huggy

Are they safe in what way?

Electrically safe, if from a mainstream uk retailer then yes in the main, there's a very small chance of a manufacturing fault causing a fire. If from some Chinese seller on eBay or a car boot then the chances of an electrical fault increases significantly.

Is filling your home with chemical fumes "safe" I'm sure the levels are below allowable levels. There was a report on indoor air quality recently saying how bad it is because of things like these.

If my wife was in your home for more than an hour she would probably get a reaction in her sinuses that would cause sinusitis lasting up to 6 weeks and requiring antibiotics and steroids to shift.

Is it safe to drag oil out of the ground turn it into plastic the never degrades. Burn oil to make glass. Dig iron ore out the ground then use more energy to make metal?

On balance there probably not "safe".

One of those marketing genius ideas, create demand for a solution to a problem that does not exist. If your house smells (you need a good friend to tell you as you don't notice your own smell) then clean it.

arbrighton

There's a report here about them
http://www.electricalsafetyfirst.org.uk/electrical-professionals/product-safety-unit/other-research/ (thanks google)

They are something that by definition heats up to vaporise the scent. However google throws up more about them causing you cancer than setting fires

Personally i find the scent cloying and artificial so wouldn't use them anyway

DRP

ripplyuk wrote: »

I like the house to smell nice when I return home.

Do you have a damp problem of some kind or live next door to a curry shop?

can you not open some windows?

arbrighton wrote: »

Personally i find the scent cloying and artificial so wouldn't use them anyway

^This.

The only place I've ever been glad of one is in a cloakroom toilet with no windows!

ripplyuk

Thanks for the link arbrighton, it's very helpful.

No damp problem or curry shops in the vicinity. Though, it's such a small house that when I cook, the smell does tend to linger, despite the extractor fan. I have windows open much more than most people I know but obviously not when I'm out. The trickle vents stay open.

Mainly, I just like the scent. I only have one, and it's on the minimum setting so it's very subtle. My mum has 6 plug-ins, along with an assortment of oil diffusers, scented candles and something that sprays at me every time I walk into a room. I really can't stand that and often get a sore throat when visiting her.

LittleVoice

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/household/glade.asp

jakemillspaek

A nice bunch of chrysanthemums works for me.
If you must use an air freshener a could of squirts from a aerosol.
Or.....the natural way.
http://www.thejoyofplants.co.uk/top-fragrant-houseplants