Guest VERY sensitive to "chemical scents"

[Ned-And-Laura0]

I have a guest checking in and a week after they booked they contacted me and said they were VERY sensitive to any sort of scented chemicals.  They have asked me to remove any linens or towels completely from the space if they have been washed with scented detergent and they would be bringing their own.  (we just use regular Tide).  No febreze in the space and even cleaning agents for the bathroom and kitchen may cause them problems.  Apparently they get splitting migraines.  They appologized and said they should have asked before booking.  So on one hand, hey, great, I don't have to wash the sheets and towels after.  But I am worried when I clean the bathroom/kitchen with any sort of cleanser I will make them ill and receive a terrible review.  But I don't know how to clean without any cleaning agents.  Have you ever dealt with this?  I just have a feeling about this guest, that no matter what I do I am going to receive a bad review.  Either I clean and make them ill or I don't clean well enough (i.e just wipe down with damp cloth) and they say the place is dirty.

[Katherine466]

I have MCS/MCAS so I too need a non toxic environment. I contacted one place...non airbnb...a cabin in the mountains. She worked with me. She only used vinegar to clean and do the laundry. 5 min into the place and I had to leave. Even walking in I was hit. But, I needed to rest before i got back on the road. I could not rest. It seems if the place has had fabreeze and other toxic chemicals used for years, there is a built up. It was in the walls, furniture etc. A costly experience for me. Since i rented it for a week and there was no refund. I paid ahead of time. 

I am still looking for places to stay that will not make my health worse. I had no idea there were so many products on the market that use toxic chemicals. Products I had used all my life until health went south. 

Products that are known to cause health issues. I thought since it was on the market it must be fine. Wrong. 

[Katherine466]

I live in central  AZ. If someone has a non toxic place to stay, please let me know.

[Talya5]

Hi Ned and Laura, I was wondering what the outcome was here - did your guest enjoy their stay and was there any issue with their review?

Best, Talya Sydney Australia

[Monique790]

I would chose fragrance free accommodations if given the choice hands down. Fragrance is a personal choice but using it in rental  situation does not give your guest that choice. It’s just bad for business. Get informed about the ill effects of fragrance. 

[Rose326]

Hello. For everyone saying to use vinegar as a cleaning product, the smell is just terrible. I've tried using vinegar and water with some lemon and the entire unit had a vomit type of scent. So I added essential oils and just a little vinegar. Not sure if that just adds to the problem. Is there any type of vinegar out there that doesn't smell so bad? Thanks in advance.

[Beverley127]

Not a host, I'm a guest. I too would LOVE an option to use a scent-free rental. It is the first thing we ask the host when booking.

At home I use distilled white vinegar. I have a very sensitive sense of smell, and I'm super sensitive to artificial scent which triggers my asthma. I've never discerned a "vomit" smell. 

[Beverley127]

@Rose326 I thought about this some more -- and it occurs to me that you may be dealing with a mop or cleaning cloths that sometime in the past remained damp long enough to get mildew. It is nigh on impossible to get rid of that smell because it returns every time you wet the mop/cloths again. 

https://www.realtor.com/advice/home-improvement/what-causes-bad-laundry-smells/

[Rose326]

@Beverley127  thank you, I honestly never thought about old mops with mildew. But in this case it is definitely not a cloth or mildew issue. I used brand new rags. Even if I put vinegar in a bowl or poor it down the sink it has that smell.  My boyfriend and roomate who live with me in the main house. They also agree that watered down vinegar leaves a really bad after scent. I buy the white distilled vinegar at stop & shop. Either the big gallon ones or the small bottled ones. I equate it to a vomit type of smell. I mean whatever the smell is, its not a pleasant one. 

[Beverley127]

How awful for you. That all three of you find the smell offensive is intriguing. Is it possible that the three of you had COVID? COVID is messing with people's sense of smell -- one poor woman said everything smells of gasoline. Others lose their sense of smell entirely. 

If that's not the case, or even if it is -- try adding a few drops of pure essential oil. Not enough to perfume the space, just enough to take the edge off the vomit aroma. I'd suggest tea tree oil or lemon.

If that doesn't work for you -- take a look at EWG.
https://www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners/content/top_products/

For the record, I buy the gallon bottles of white distilled vinegar from Costco. I don't dilute it, I use it full strength.

[Pascale315]

Le MCS existe depuis 1950, toutes les personnes atteintes de MCS soit 5% de la population mondiale n'ont pas eu le COVID.. Elles souffrent d'hyperosmie (odorat très développé, à la différence de celles qui ont eu le COVID et qui ne sentent plus rien).                                                                                                              Surtout pas d'huiles essentielles pour les MCS si vous ne voulez pas les faire partir de chez vous et les rendre plus malades qu'ils ne sont.                                                                                                                                            L'air sain n'a pas d'odeur, donc aucun produit chimique (surtout s'il est parfumé) pour assainir sa maison.

Membre de SOS MCS (France) https://sosmcs.fr/

[Jennifer2672]

My cleaners use isopropyl alcohol, Castile soap and vinegar for an environmentally friendly clean without smell. I think that would be pretty easy to use for the bathroom and kitchen. 

[Pascale315]

Pas d'alcool pour les MCS, vinaigre à la limite. Le savon de Castille a l'air bien puisqu'il n'y a pas de parfum, je ne connais pas. Moi, je nettoie ma maison qu'à la vapeur et n'utilise pas de produit chimique pour ne plus mettre ma santé en danger.

[Brian450]

Long covid has increased the need for fragrance-free accomodations.  Hosts may want to read an article published by Very Well Health titled "Why Are COVID-19 Long-Haulers Developing Fragrance Allergies?"

We're overdue for a fragrance-free filter on AirBnB to help the many people who prefer or need fragrance-free accommodations. Right now, it's a search for needles in the haystack.  

To get ahead of and retire a key argument against the fragrance-free filter that came up in another thread I started on this topic:

To protect hosts from abuse and people looking for free stays, AirBnB could add it to the terms and conditions that when a host checks the "fragrance-free" box, they declare an intent to make a best effort, nothing more. Guests are not entitled to a refund if the fragrance-free policy was violated. 

With such a policy in-place, hosts would be free to advertise their fragrance-free properties. 

[Pascale315]

"ils déclarent une intention de faire de leur mieux, rien de plus. ", ce n'est pas suffisant pour les chimicosensibles cf. https://sosmcs.fr/lorsquun-parfum-ou-un-assouplissant-vous-empeche-de-vivre-quest-ce-que-cela-fait-d... 

quand c'est sans tabac, l'hôte ne fait pas de son mieux, il ne fume pas. Le parfum est aussi nocif que le tabagisme passif. Arrêtons de nuire aux autres !

[Monica107]

You can clean with vinegar, baking soda all the house. Vinegar disinfects, also peroxide. Baking soda for spots and vinegar for everything else. I don't understand why it is so hard. It is replacing some products for other which scents goes away and disinfects but much cheaper, too.

Yes, linens can also be washed with vinegar in the washing machine. Clean clothes.