Quick question ... those who react badly to aerosols... Are there any bathroom sprays that you can handle ?
Trying to find a balance between getting rid of unwanted odors that don't result in me dashing outside until its dissipated in the house or grabbing my ventolin.
Im in a rather small 2 bed bungalow at the moment with a third adult moving in temporarily in November.
Apologies not the nicest of questions just at a loss on what to do to balance the 2 issues out.
Thanks in advance ☺
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Nifflerluck
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Hi, I might be inclined to look at reed diffusers or strips in a scent you know you can handle, instead of a spray. I think the aerosol propellant can be an issue with any spray, and plug-ins of things like Glade I also find an issue.
Where I used to work we had burst sprays which always set me off. After the office managers became aware of the problem they removed it from one ladies' toilet and when we moved office, we had a discussion and they put gel strips in which you could smell but didn't set me off - though they also told me what scents they were using so I could avoid eg lavender, rose just in case they were real (I can usually handle fake flower scents but not real ones!). Not sure if you can buy those for domestic use though.
Not the bathroom, but in the common area of flats where I live there has been a bad smell in the hallway and after trying to kill me with incense, the neighbour and I have compromised on an orange-scented (proper essential oil) reed diffuser. I know I can handle that scent and it hides the smell so works well. You might want to think about what scents are ok for you and try that? (eg I can do citrus, vanilla etc if good quality, but rose, lavender, eucalyptus and hibiscus are terrible for me - only takes a tiny amount!)
If you think you need a spray too (especially if whoever moves in is going to be the type to spray stuff and you want to provide something for them to do it safely), you could consider a mechanical bottle ie no propellant, filled with something you can tolerate eg a diluted version of a safe scent that is ok to spray? Leave it in there for easy use - you'll probably also need to have a chat about sprays and scents when this person moves in and why you can't use certain things and you don't want them to buy their own either. May also be worth asking them if they would mind spraying deodorant in their bedroom, not in the bathroom, and keeping the door closed after they spray.
Thank you very much for the helpful suggestions. Alot of things I hadnt thought of.
We have those gel disks for the toilet which help to a degree so maybe I should put 2 in instead of just the one.
I hadnt thought of proper essential oils so will see if I can give those a go as that could work well or the reed diffusers
I wouldnt have thought of the manual spray bottle option either so that is a good one as well thank you.
Just need to figure out what is safe and what isnt as I was only diagnosed 2 years ago and things I was previously fine with Im now reacting to and I've become reluctant to try anything though I'm going to give Koh a go based on others mentioning it which solves the cleaning issue at least.
Luckily the 3rd adult is actually my dad so hopefully should be okay. I dont think he uses spray deodrant yet will give him the do's and dont's. My wife is great and lets me know if anything is being sprayed so I can get out so hopefully my dad will be accommodating as well 🙂
It is worth being aware that all of the suggestions do pollute, and some people will react on any suggested. I am not a fan of reed versions, but I can tolerate them better if I absolutely must. Ditto with those gel discs. I have used them until I found out that my friend, also an asthmatic, cannot tolerate them. So, go for what you can manage, try to keep it all to a minimum, and for bad smells on carpets and such, consider, bicarbonate of soda instead, sprinkling, leaving it a short while and then hoovering.
I'm going to try one thing at a time and try find the balance between finding something I can handle that deals with bathroom odours yet also that won't be too much of pollutant.
I'm a huge fan of bicarb, use it on the carpets, use it to clean labels off jars when I'm making jams or stubborn stains.
I wonder if bicarb would work in the bathroom. I occasionally have put some in a container in the fridge to absorb odours wonder if it would do that in the bathroom 🤔
I don't use scents or aerosols except for the Koh cleaning system which is non-scented. But for temporary "scents" we have a bathroom extractor fan that runs for 10 minutes, then switches off automatically.
Even so, my constant mantra to my darling husband is "door closed, window open, NOT the other way round how-many-more-times?" His reply is that he's proud of it and wants to share. Well, um, thanks... I think... 🤢
Hahaha Thank you 😃 .... massive fan, even have a HP tattoo 🤣😜
We also have a door closed window open rule , well the window stays open all the time yet even with the door closed it seems like scents or sprays seep through.
Will definitely take bathroom position into account when we hopefully move in a year or so. 🤣
I do, its on my upper arm, it says I solemnly swear I'm up to no good with little footprints that start on the one side at the top of my arm and almost walk through the writing and then start fading the closer they get to my elbow.
Think a candle the best idea - so long as no one sets fire to the house! I use a candle in the kitchen if I need to get rid of cooking smells.
I have a tub of Neutradol but to me it has a strong smell. I’ve got one at the moment in our downstairs loo and it’s wrapped in tin foil with a single tiny hole in the foil to let out it’s ‘power’.
I haven’t found a single spray or air freshener or plug in of any sort that doesn’t smell overpowering - I can add washing powder and fabric softeners to that as well. So difficult to get something that doesn’t have an overpowering smell, even ones that shouldn’t.
Generally though I go for the window open / door closed approach. You can’t beat fresh air.
I should have added a disclaimer about being careful with the candle 😁 I use a tealight candle in a holder that I stand in the shower so it can't fall over or get knocked. But I guess if one lives with other people especially children it might not be so ideal.
I understand what you are saying! I react to scents pretty quickly, but not all scents. Anything botanical or strong does it for me. Maybe you can experiment with different mild scents? Febreez is something I can handle if I don’t over spray. The bottle I can handle, the aerosol spray no. Maybe it is too fine a spray? I don’t know. It is difficult sometimes to know what will set things off or not.
I think that's the thing of not knowing what will set it off yet Im sure can test with tiny amounts and see how I get on.
I actually saw something about one of the febreeze ones that is an air mist using a natural propellant derivered from corn and that its a water based formula so tempted to maybe try that if I can find it.
The regular febreeze for clothes in the manual spray bottle I can handle if its not too much as well so maybe I could handle the water based one.
I am the same way. Just be careful. Even testing scents (even when it is just a small amount) can cause a reaction very quickly. I have to mow my lawn again tomorrow and I know I will be affected for days after. Some smells just cause everything to go crazy for me. Not looking forward to it...
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