Air Freshner

[Joe4584]

I received this message from a recent guest. I was curious what product do you use?

"Thank you again for allowing us to stay in your beautiful cottage. My only suggestion is yo use Damp Rid rather than an air freshner. My husband has asthma, and I have perfume allergies that were set off my the fragrance in the air freshner."

[Greystone0]

HI @Joe4584  - very respectfully, I would not use an air freshner in my rental. And I mean no disrespect here at all. 

For a lot of people these smells from fragrance can be extremely un-welcome. I would opt for products like 'damp rid' and a dehumidifier if you are dealing with dampness. If you have a water/damp issue that is recurring it would make sense to fix the issue.

Carpet odor? baking soda can help

Other lingering odors? run an air purifier

We use a product called 'Zero Odor' (it's a spray)  in our rental when needed along with an air purifier and that combo really works well for leftover odors (food, perfume, smoke, etc).

Hope that gives some ideas. Good luck!

[Kitty-and-Creek0]

@Joe4584 @Greystone0 

I agree with the guest that so called "air fresheners" are health hazards and I would never use them in my rental. I would also not stay in a place that had them. @Greystone0 has excellent suggestions, and I'd add to open windows/ doors to let in fresh air as the best option for eliminating odors. 

[Marie8425]

@Joe4584 

Scents of any kind can be offensive to some people.  

For air freshners, I do not use but some Guests do like, I have an electric diffuser in my spaces with like 6 little scent vials Guests can do their own choice and it is easy to open windows when cleaning clears out.

Cleaning profuct scents can also cause discomforts.  The main rooms I just use soap and water most areas trying to be fancy doesn't get good reesults.

Bathroom  and wood cleaning products I use products that can be smelled my experience is a lemon smell I haven't had an issue.  Floral scents I never do.

[Hubert--J0]

Yup! they are right. We also learned the hard way and no just open windows prior to arrival. Nothing beats the sweet smells of nature unless if you live in a busy city with lots of traffic. 

[Omega10]

I have 4 damp rid hangers in my guest suite closets and use my essential oil disfuser during the remake after cleaning.

[Ellie685]

Hypochlorous acid spray works great for removing odors from any fabric or surface

[Emilie]

Thank you everyone for sharing what works for you!

@Joe4584 What do you think of these suggestions? Might you try some?

[Cindy-And-Michael1]

Hello Joe,

Get an air purifier and open windows.  We have allergies to fragrance and think Airbnb should ban scented cleaners and air fresheners.  We have had to request a refund in the past when we could not tolerate the smell.

[Charlotte1165]

I use Better Homes and Gardens warm rustic woods that goes into a plug in. I’ve never had any complaints about it and it has a very nice smell to it!!

[Charl4252]

Wiping out the fridge after each guest stay with a solution of white vinegar helps. If any smell remains, mix a little bicarbonate of soda with water and leave it inside the fridge with the door closed for a while to help absorb lingering odours.

Bicarbonate of soda also works well in cupboards that have a musty or mouldy smell. Also place moisture absorbers in the cupboards to help reduce dampness and prevent musty odours from developing in the first place.

Dried oranges & Citrus fruit, which contain natural essential oils, can make a lovely decoration while giving off a light, natural fragrance that isn't too overpowering.

For bathrooms, there are plenty of natural alternatives available in stores, and if you search online, many of them are easy and inexpensive to make yourself.

Hope this helps!

[Cristina-And-Orestes0]

Hi

Air fresheners are personal -some people like them, some tolerate them, and some people are allergic to them. We no longer use them and we switched to an ozone generator and air purifier instead. 

We purchased an ozone generator, which helps with cooking smells and smell of dampness. We turn it on for about 30 mins after cleaning is complete. The downside to it is that it needs to be run while humans/pets are not present.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B3LQK2GX/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_plhdr=t&hsa_cr_id=0&qid=1781191975&s...

We also use an air purifier on a day to day basis. It is quiet and can be used when humans/pets are present. The LEVOIT brand does a good job and can be found on Amazon, Home Depot, etc https://www.amazon.com/LEVOIT-Purifiers-Freshener-Core-Mini/dp/B09GTRVJQM/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ...

For what it's worth if a guest were to complain to Airbnb and you needed to justify how you resolved the issue these two options are more credible than air fresheners

Best of luck!

Cristina

[Dani12768]

Hey Joe, 

When I first started doing Airbnb, I had automatic air fresheners in the units, until our 3rd guest complained and took them outside and left them out for their entire stay. Since then, I’m only using sprays from Dollar store and never had any complains so far. 

Best, 

Daniel. 

[Teri1655]

As someone with asthma who is highly sensitive to perfumes and highly-scented things, I never use them in my rentals.  No one complains about their absence, but I'm sure some would complain about scents they don't like or can't tolerate.

My cleaning crew uses low-scent products as well.  Mostly, they use vinegar and water with a bit of lemon.  Clean, fresh, light scent (a bit reminiscent of a salad bar), but no guest issues.

I agree with the baking soda in fridge and cabinets to absorb any residual odors.

[Farah148]

@Joe4584 Hi, 

I use Amazon Basics Gel Odor Eliminator (activated charcoal, fragrance-free) and have had no complaints so far. I’m also sensitive to fragrances and haven’t had any issues with it.

As another commenter mentioned, I’ve also had good luck using DampRid when I need to reduce dampness. It does have a very light lavender scent when you open it, but I don’t notice any scent lingering in the room afterward. HTH.