24/07/2025
Deodourisers - how do they work?
Coming up smelling sweet
We all like to have our homes, offices and workplaces smelling their best. Bad smells such as pets, urine, rubbish, mildew, cooking smells, sweat all waft into the air. So why not use an air freshener to get rid of them? Odours can be masked by a nice floral, lemon or pine scented air freshener.
There are many types of air fresheners available, but not all are created equal and not all are equally appreciated. In fact, the name air freshener is somewhat misleading. Air fresheners don’t actually improve air quality by removing impurities, air fresheners cover up bad odours with perfume.
According to a 2021 study published in the Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health journal, around one in three adults have a reaction to perfumed products, such as air fresheners.
Air fresheners contain ingredients that are associated with various health issues, and constant exposure can well be a cause for concern. Along with headaches, they can cause breathing problems, asthma attacks, skin reactions, runny noses and even cancers. Recent research found a volatile organic compound (VOC) called limonene which is used heavily in air fresheners and scented candles to give a citrus smell is dangerous to inhale on its own and can become formaldehyde when it mixes with other airborne elements. It is most closely linked with cancers of the nose and throat.
Since fragrances can affect so many of us, you would expect ingredients in air fresheners to be listed on labels so we can make informed choices. However, manufacturers often write nothing more detailed than “fragrance” or “parfum”. According to a spokesperson for the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), its members are only committed to disclosing 26 fragrance allergens. Manufacturers could cram as many toxic ingredients as they liked under the umbrella term ‘fragrance,’ without being required to name them specifically.
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