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!

[Eileen462]

@Michael7336   Hi Michael!  I know if I have a guest that is sensitive to scents, I will accommodate them in every way I can, they just need to inform me at booking time and I will adjust things to suit them!  Dont give up on AIRBNB stays!  Just ask your hosts if they can help you out and inform them of your needs.  Smiles,  Eileen

[ChuckandCarole0]

Hi there Eileen, i appreciate your efforts, i have had other hosts try to accommodate in the same manner,  but just know....the toxins work into the fabrics, and walls and curtains,  and are close to impossible to get out....So unless you are using non toxic, un fragranced products, it doesn't help to just do a laundry or a cleaning using those for the  special people that inquire....it has to be really a full time commitment. I hope this helps....

[Tracy1108]

Issue is just doesn't really work if you use scented products in your Linens and towels there's just no getting it out so you can wash it once what's unscented detergent doesn't get it out.

[Lorina14]

Hi @Michael7336,

I know this is an older thread yet it is still relevant. Perhaps we can advocate hosts to use charcoal bamboo sachets in dressers or furniture that is still off gassing? I purchased a couple pieces of furniture which were fine when I aired them out initially then when I closed the door or drawer it stunk when I opened it again.  Unfortunately what a lot of people do not realize is that items can offgas for months depending on the ventilation, products used in construction, heat and other factors.

I do have air filters in my space and use non toxic cleaners. I also offer fragrance free dish soap, hand soap, detergent, toiletries but also have essential oil scented natural products for those who prefer it too.

I highly recommend all hosts to look into getting bamboo charcoal sachets to absorb any odors or off gassing from furniture as that is the thing that cured my new dresser, trashcan and storage space above the toilet.

Air filters HEPA or mycotoxin/VOC removing ones are important too. Hosts also need to remember to regularly clean their filters (furnace, air filters, etc) as dust, dander, pollen can accumulate there and impact people’s allergies.

If one has pets, kids or recent construction, air duct cleaning should be yearly. It’s amazing what I saw in the cleaning before and after when our home had ducts (we now have ductless Mitsubishi units). 

[Lorina14]

@Michael7336,

I agree a filter should be there for people to be able to search for these type of listings. 

You may also want to look into an ozone generator to remove artificial scents from your clothes, if the smell is still lingering, It also removes smoke, mold smells or anything. It is best to put your clothes in a closed bathroom and make sure no pets or people are there while it is on (it is not healthy for people or pets). After ozonating it for a couple of hours, the smell should be gone. Open the door and air it out. 

[Samantha1141]

This would be such a life-changing feature for me. And would mean that I would have access to safe housing while traveling. I have had to refrain from all the traveling that I want to do because of the obscene amount of toxic chemicals that people use in their homes (airbnb's). I have become sick from multiple airbnb's that I have booked, in the past. I now have to go through this whole vetting process prior to booking, in which I contact the host and discuss my disability and need for accommodations; i.e no toxic chemicals used in the home. I hope that airbnb adds this feature in order to allow access to people like us. 

[Steven1471]

This thread is a year old, but the topic of having a ""fragrance-free"" filter on Airbnb is still relevant. It's crucial to address the needs of individuals who are fragrance-sensitive or have multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). Creating a filter specifically for ""fragrance-free"" properties would be a significant step toward accommodating a large group of people who often struggle to find suitable accommodations.

[Steven1471]

This thread is a year old, but the topic of having a "fragrance-free" filter on Airbnb is still relevant. It's crucial to address the needs of individuals who are fragrance-sensitive or have multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS). Creating a filter specifically for "fragrance-free" properties would be a significant step toward accommodating a large group of people who often struggle to find suitable accommodations.

[Mila1840]

It's actually not "the fragrance", it's the chemicals that go with. And extends to Tide, Arm and Hammer with Oxy, Fabuloso, Febreze. So not JUST fragrance. NON-TOXIC. 

Most hosts (or guests) don't realize that this stuff is also terrible for them, their children and pets. Not just sensitive folk. It shouldn't be on store shelves and yet it is.

But yeah, I am sick and tired of copying and pasting the same questions for hosts.

Switching to scent-free doesn't mean All, Free and Clear that markets with the baby commercial. It gets a D rating on EWG for ingredients that cause 'acute aquatic toxicity, chronic aquatic toxicity, skin irritation/allergies/damage.'

We need specifics and greater awareness. 

https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/6360-AllLiquidDetergentFreeClear/

[Katie1581]

This starts getting into the weeds a bit with each person's tolerance for natural products.

Most if not all fragrances regardless of their "toxicity" have the potential to be irritating (for people with MCAS or hypersensitive nociceptors). I react poorly to most plant oils and can't stay in houses with large amounts of unsealed pine or other soft woods. Terpenes in wood are very fragrant, and most people would consider them pleasant. For people with hypersensitive receptors, they can trigger migraines, brain fog, nausea...

Having a completely non-toxic house is more subjective (are natural fragrances toxic to you?) and would be impossible to enforce (carpets, vinyl and other other plastics,  couch and mattress cushsions made of different petroleum derived foams and flame retardents etc. etc.) I've bought "natural and organic" bedding trying to avoid the offgassing of traditional foam mattresses and found I react just as much if not more to the  musty farm smell of natural wool and unprocessed cotton.

[Eileen462]

@Brian450   Hi Brian,  I wash with fragrance free just for that reason.  I know my other guests will not smell that Downy smell in their sheets and blankets but so many are fragrance sensitive and soap sensitive.  My body wash have zero fragrance as well.  Great Post!   Eileen

[Jonnalyn0]

That is so great! Would love to check out your listing.  Looking forward to more fragrance free properties. 

[Helen3220]

Me too ! These fossil fuel derived "scents" are bad for everyone, even if you don't have as bad a reaction as those of us with MCS. Using eco products to clean especially bed linen would help. Also asking guests to use the products provided. While you can't stop people using main stream toxic fossil fuel derived products while visiting, (can you?) The education is good. We must move away from the thinking that our overloaded  synthetically fragranced workd is good for us ! Those of us who are excluded from public life need some kind of recognition for our disability and consideration. Halifax in Canada is a fragrance free city , we can drastically reduce and eliminate these toxic substances if we decide too. 

[Danielle1687]

I so appreciate this thread!  I just had a flood in my apartment and had to find a place to stay for a few days. Communicating with hosts has not worked for me so far - I tried two places and both were horrible.  I don't think many realize that "perfumed products" include detergents, laundry sheets, cleaning products, etc.  Even after previously confirming with a host that they did not use perfumed products, the place was full of them to the point I could not stay.  

There are so many of us that suffer from chemical sensitivities. I wish Airbnb would stop ignoring us and 1) add a fragrance free filter, and 2) educate hosts on what this means.  No policy will be perfect, but that shouldn't stop you from doing it anyway.  

[Elizabeth3189]

I absolutely agree! We only use all natural/no artificial ingredient cleaners. Dryer sheets are not allowed in our house as they make both of us sick. Our laundry detergent is all natural, and wool dryer balls replace the need for dryer sheets.

Thank you for making this request. Many of our guests have expressed gratitude that we do not use "air freshners" and have consistently remarked on how clean and peaceful our space is. We use charcoal bags to clean mildew and odors out of the air, avoid using heavy rugs, and always open the windows wide to let fresh air in between guests.