How bad is the air?
By cobrateacher
@cobrateacher (8432)
United States
November 23, 2008 7:56pm CST
Having recently been ill and unable to do much other than watch tv, I noticed something very odd aobut the comercials. It's amazing how many ads are shown that deal with things to make your house smell like baked goods or holiday traditions, etc., and I don't get it. Does everyone have a smelly house? Am I weird just because my house smells like the fresh air I let in through the windows. I think even the dinner aromas are gone, and it's just fresh air now. Does the air in the rest of the US smell bad?
Should I be running to the store to get a thing that plugs into the wall and makes the house smell like cheap cologne? Why are so many people wasting so much money and increasing their eletric bills and carbon footprints? Even the smells of cleaning products fade away quickly, and all that's left is the smell of the air. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if some company starts advertising a new green way t tdo this, and we have a resurgeance of Air-Wick solids!
America, do our houses smell so bad that we have to buy a bunch of air scents?
6 people like this
10 responses
@thebeaddoodler (4262)
• Lubbock, Texas
24 Nov 08
If your house truly does smell bad for some reason, you don't have to spend money to remove the odors, just burn a candle. It doesn't even have to be a scented one, but Americans think their houses should smell like something instead of not stinking. Most of the air fresheners have so many chemicals in them they're likely to give you a head ache, or plug up your nose so you can't smell anything any way.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Even with a house full of teenage boys years ago, I don't think the house ever smelled bad. What could be causing all these odor problems?
Even lighting a couple of matches and letting them burn out will kill most odors. What I enjoy is putting a few cloves and maybe a nutmeg and a cinnamon stick in a small pot and boiling them on the stove -- the house smell so festive that way!
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
24 Nov 08
I think it is because the air a lot of homes is recirculated because of the cold weather. Along with frequent guests and the holiday season now would be a good time to market these items.
As you stated it would be pointless to use them when the weather is nice because you can open your windows. But some people use central air and never open their windows.
2 people like this
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
26 Nov 08
Yes. Nothing beats fresh air and I too love the smell of clothes dried on the line. They are stiffer than I would like but you have to take the good with the bad. When it is warm enough I have have a large fan in the window that creates a current through the house. It stays open until it gets too hot for it.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
18 Dec 08
That's great, unless the humidity is too high. All's fresh and that smells clean - our goal is that, after all!
@busyB4 (874)
• United States
24 Nov 08
I like the fresh air too!! I don't go for alot of the scents,etc. I do like candles though like someone suggested as long as they aren't too perfumy!
I love to smell the clothes that have hung out on the line.
I don't like the fact though that the air has been so hazy and so filled with something lately that amkes me stuff up to be outside for long! I miss the way it used to be!!
2 people like this
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Some areas can be worse than others. My grandparents lived in a town with a paper company and the town was literally known for the bad smell. Depending on the weather, it could get even worse. In an area like that, opening the doors to let in some fresh air wasn't really an option.
I'm not big on using plugin air fresheners though. Some are so strong they make my nose burn, especially some that are designed for the holidays. Our apartment complex has a clause in the lease about no candles, so the best I can manage is the spray air fresheners when I notice some kind of odor problem. As another poster mentioned, especially for the bathroom.
@paidreader (5143)
• United States
24 Nov 08
LOL, when Hurricane Ike was expected to hit our area, I was prepared with lanterns and flashlights just in case. When it's time to "set the mood" I can just lower the lights or drape a scarf over the lampshade if necessary. Believe it or not, we don't even have a window in our bathrooms, only a vent to help get rid of any unpleasant odors or steam from the showers.
I have to agree with you that there does seem to be an abundant amount of air freshener commercials on TV, especially for Glade. I have to admit that I have been surprised at how many different ones they have running right now. I just saw another one where the lady bit off the heads of all the gingerbread men so they couldn't tell her secret.
1 person likes this
@leenie50 (3992)
• United States
24 Nov 08
Hey Cobra,
Glad to see you back in action. As you see the commercials are brainwashing people into thinking that normal air is unhealthy or something. I want my house to smell like I just baked something, when I just baked something!! I fell for the candle bit not that many years ago, but all these plug ins and what nots are for what? The only place I want a more plesant odor would be in the bathroom, when we have company. Hugsss
leenie
2 people like this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
24 Nov 08
I'm with you! All those deodorizers are totally unnecessary unless something is quite wrong. Clean is a great smell!
XOXO,
Joanne
1 person likes this
@savypat (20216)
• United States
24 Nov 08
I think that part of the problem is that our houses are so tight now, when we close them up for winter heat or summer cooling it makes the air stale. I use candles and incense in my home and have for years. Of course we have a lot of animals who live with us, there is nothing like the smell of wet dog or cat box, even cleaned, to make you want a different smell. Add to that smelly people, or rather gassy and you use anything you can get your hands on to get rid of the smell.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
24 Nov 08
You're right, of course. I need to remind myself that the whole world isn't getting ocean breezes and sunshine all the time. That sounds arrogant, but I don't mean it that way at all. I just tend to forget about all the people who are huddled up for warmth inside their sealed homes up north.
Sorry!
1 person likes this
@julise (494)
• Indonesia
24 Nov 08
I dont live in America, but I know my country got the greatest pollution!!! very very bad air here.
If you ever heard about Jakarta, my city, its really bad to breath out side coz there're so many cars (bad ones, with bad air system etc, I dont what it called), and it just makes us cant breath
2 people like this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
25 Nov 08
Wow! I had no idea it was so bad. I guess we sort of think the way we live is the way everyone lives. Here in the US, people who pollute are in big trouble, and we work really hard at doing away with all sources of pollution. It's great to be modern and use technology, but not when it's killing us! I hope at least most homes have air conditioning!
@jess368 (3368)
• United States
23 Dec 08
LOL! what an intriguing question!
The only thing I can figure is some people may have smelly diapers and kidds in there house, and know the only way they can fix the problem is to cover up the smell...
But, I might have just pulled that excuse straight out of my butt!
I am going to need some time to think abuot this question!
1 person likes this
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
23 Dec 08
People from several other countries are living with heavily polluted air, and they really need to clean the air in their homes. Frankly, I was rather shocked to find that out. Here in the US, we're in much better condition!
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
29 Jun 10
Hi, cobrateacher. I use air freshners all of the time. I love them. They make my home smell good. I can go without using them too. My home will still smell fresh like Pinesol. I will mop my floor with this and it will scent up my entire apartment for over a couple of weeks.
@legend4u (1019)
• India
24 Nov 08
i think your ill have made you more observant smell in the air is a common thing in the modern life. and if you haven't cleaned it for a long time it will start to smell a lot. so start cleaning after you are completely OK with your health. and using scent is a good idea. it is not only America ,majority of the world is in this situation.
@cobrateacher (8432)
• United States
24 Nov 08
My house smells like fresh air. It's all the commercials for air fresheners that surprise me. Do most people have disgusting, dirty, smelly houses? None of my friends do. Are the companies just inventing a problem to sell their products?
1 person likes this
@zhuhuifen46 (3483)
• China
20 Dec 08
I once saw on the TV Discovery Program how people get poisoned and their house get rotten without advance notice until they become ill or very ill. It is because virus has accumulated to such a degree that when the house was turned down, they have been blackened and hollowed underneath. Even the complete community has been burned out to prevent virus spreading.
Inspection by professional institutions is sometimes necessary to make sure whether the indoor air is ok. If yes, I wonder if the chemicals bought from stores can resolve the issue. The root of the problem should be got rid of and be replaced by environment friendly ones.
Outdoor environment is equally important. Is there offending sources in the neighbourhood? It is beyond one's ability to handle. Complaints might be raised to the responsible agencies.
1 person likes this
