Please make "fragrance-free" a filter

[Brian450]

There is now a HUGE number of people who are fragrance-sensitive or have MCS. I'm one of them.

The odours of conventional cleaning products, air fresheners, dryer sheets, etc. make me sick. They give me headaches, burning eyes, feelings of tightness and tingling, respiratory irritation, heart palpitations, nausea, dry mouth and many other symptoms. I've had more than one vacation ruined by fragranced bedrooms that were making me ill. Surveys indicate that about one-third of the population in the US and other countries is fragrance-sensitive or has MCS or prefers fragrance-free spaces.

Please AirBnB stop ignoring this incredibly large group of people. You currently have filters for 13 different accessibility features. Could you PLEASE add another one, "fragrance-free"? Fragrance-free properties actually exist, it's just that you can't easily find them, at least not on the airbnb site itself. (Google search can be used as a workaround, but it's far from perfect.) Thanks!

[Marc9427]

I can see why you would think that, because you are probably picturing the people who would use this feature as entitled ** who put too much faith in Gwyneth Paltrow's take on medicine. In truth, they are people with conditions like MCAS who need to travel and are grateful for any accomodations that aren't a total assault on their bodies. Because of that, as long as the host makes the accomodations the say they will (e.g., no scented products and cleaning with safer products) they can expect very positive reviews.

For example, the only fragrance free Airbnb I know of is near Sedona, is always booked, and has great ratings.

In my own experience, I have managed to find a number of hosts who were willing to work with my medical issues, and we have always been on good terms because the accommodations I asked for were relatively easy (see above) and even though I wasn't perfectly comfortable, I felt much better then I would have in an ordinary hotel or Airbnb. But a fragrance free filter would have saved me SO MUCH work contacting hosts and explaining my medical needs.

The only time I have ever heard of a person leaving a bad review was when a woman was repeatedly assured by a host that the room used unscented laundry detergent and no scented air fresheners, which turned out to be completely untrue.

As for the other points like the healthy bed (i.e. A bed that doesn't off gas the VOCs that trigger our symptoms), those are things that would make a space even better for many, but I don't think anyone would expect those things just because a place is listed as fragrance free.

I think you are also underestimating the prevalence of these conditions because people with them usually don't mention them. People who report any degree of problems with fragrances are about 20% of the population (mostly headaches and such) and severe sensitivities are about 2%. That means a number of hosts may already be practicing fragrance free cleaning of their properties, but are unable to communicate it with the large numbers of clients who would love to rent such a space. At one rental I checked out in 2021, I spoke to a cleaning lady and asked if she could use mostly vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda to clean. She replied that those were all she used because her son was "sensitive to chemicals."

**[Generalizing Content removed in line with the Community Center Guidelines]

[Brian450]

I just returned from a trip to Europe where I had stayed in an AirBnB for several weeks, which I had selected because it had mostly tile floor. I had asked the host to clean only with water and natural/unscented products and remove scented stuff, which she had done.

There was still a residual fragrance odor that bothered me, but it was tolerable, and I was very happy that I had a place at all that didn't make me seriously sick and I could live with. The host had made a good-faith effort. I wouldn't dream of leaving a bad review for that.

[Pam1839]

How do you make your property fragrance free?  I have been such for a long time.  

[Lana913]

Switch to fragrance free cleaning products. Wholefoods has a multi surface one (it’s unscented, which it’s not the same as fragrance free, but probably anyone with MCS will take an unscented over a scented version) wash sheets with only free & clear, preferably dryer sheets, because even the unscented 7th generation one has a D health grade on EWG.org, air purifier could help, but if there’s no fragrance already then there’s no fragrance that needs to filtered out, maybe just the unscented products residual, wholefoods also has a FF glass cleaner. I would say no disinfecting, maybe open request only. If you must disinfect lysol has an unscented version. But I would prefer vinegar (there’s an article that it says that it works just as well as 8 chemical disinfectants! And the smell fades after 20 minutes. You can disinfect with alcohol and peroxide too. No oil diffusers, no plug ins, no freebreze cans (they have an unscented version) I haven’t tried it, but I tried mary Ellen’s one, and it works just as well. Fragrance free toiletries. It would be so nice to not have to bring my toiletries everywhere I stay! Even if I bring it, I have to bring extra ones, because sometimes I leave them behind in the previous place. You can find out how healthy a cleaning or beauty product is on EWG.org. 

[Paan1]

Fragrance-free means that fragrance materials or masking scents are not used in the product. Unscented generally means that the product may contain chemicals that neutralize or mask the odors of other ingredients.

[Mary5822]

Yes! This is something people need to know. Most "unscented" products are worse than fragranced ones.

[Debra663]

thanks

[David10579]

I too have specifically asked a host, "do you use fragranced laundry products" and they have said, "no." When, in fact, the opposite was true. I think some folks don't understand what is contained in their laundry products. Best thing is to ask, specifically, for the name of the products they use to clean and launder.

[Mary5822]

Or even request a photo of their products' labels so you can see the ingredients, because there are different versions by country and some companies seem to change formulas on a whim.

[Ruth1316]

Thank you for discussing this very important topic! I don't know why "Fragrance Free" hasn't been added as a filter!!!                     

Take  a look at this website for the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which is our nation's largest research organization. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10051690/ 

Here's a sample from the site:  "The negative impact of fragrance chemicals on human health includes cutaneous, respiratory, and systemic effects (e.g., headaches, asthma attacks, breathing difficulties, cardiovascular and neurological problems) and distress in workplaces."   

I would like to respectfully request that AirBnB send tips to hosts to alert them that they themselves are being exposed to these dangerous chemicals, and to inform them that it does not take much to make the switch to fragrance free. Virtually all major laundry product and cleaning product manufacturers have a "Free and Clear" variety that is widely available. All you need to do first is run a few cycles through your washer and dryer with white vinegar, and you'll be rid of the scents that otherwise saturate all of your linens. 

Thanks for reading this. May more hosts go fragrance free, and may AirBnB add this filter. I am sure you can find a way to add the filter and have it work well for hosts and guests. 

[ChuckandCarole0]

Thinks so much for your knowledgeable response! Also to know....Free and Clear so seldom is......

[Michael8688]

I totally agree.  Even when asked clearly and specifically many hosts do not understand this serious issue.  And some like the one whose home I brenting now get very stroppy when a guest complains. Airbnb needs to take this thread seriously.  

[Grace1211]

I would appreciate it if people could list places they have stayed that were safe for them. I'm giving up on Airbnb until something changes.

[Dianna95]

WHat is teh name of the fragrance free rental in Sedona?

[Zheng49]

If it's the VOCs that trigger your symptoms,

would an air purifier help in that case? 

I do agree that putting VOCs in cleaning products seem to be a bad decision, and I probably wouldn't buy such cleaning products. Any come to mind? 

For the record, I don't use air fresheners, and I personally detest them. But we do use laundry detergents, and I'm not aware of any unscented ones?