Increase in artificial scents sensitivity - anyone else?

[Rufous McKinney]

Why on earth would you want to perfume your dishes?

really. the Linen closet here outgassed the laundry perfumes from over four years ago.....

 

[lenora]

Yes, scents are a real problem. Funny story: I was in Marshall's one day a few years ago. Two teenage girls were opening and smelling candles (in the jar). I was trying to stay away from them, but was in the same aisle.
One of them said to the other, "Who would want a candle that doesn't smell?" This is probably the second generation that doesn't know what unscented candles smell like...something that doesn't cause allergies. I don't like scented ones nor does my husband.....we used to sniffle our way through an evening at someone's house.

So, yes....scents are everywhere on everything. By the way, if someone has trouble with the smell of lanolin from the sheep's balls for the dryer, just throw them in the washing machine beforehand. Yours, Lenora

 

[Wishful]

Why on earth would you want to perfume your dishes?

I forsee a market for food-scented dishwashing products. Bacon, chocolate, roast beef...

 

[belize44]

I forsee a market for food-scented dishwashing products. Bacon, chocolate, roast beef...

 

[Seadragon]

In this era of climate change concerns, one wonders what all these chemicals are doing to the oceans, rivers and the environment in general.....no-one even mentions it, maybe most people don't notice all these poisonous smelling strong chemicals in everything and everywhere these days???

 

[belize44]

In this era of climate change concerns, one wonders what all these chemicals are doing to the oceans, rivers and the environment in general.....no-one even mentions it, maybe most people don't notice all these poisonous smelling strong chemicals in everything and everywhere these days???

From the amount of scent that one is bombarded with when entering most public buildings nowadays, I doubt that anyone questions the need or necessity for it. I also read that most fabric softeners will damage a clothes dryer's lint screen, and yet people continue to use it.

 

[Wishful]

I've noticed various places, especially medical and dental offices, have signs saying "No perfume" or some such wording. Is that common elsewhere in the world now?

 

[belize44]

I've noticed various places, especially medical and dental offices, have signs saying "No perfume" or some such wording. Is that common elsewhere in the world now?

I haven't seen that; but I hope it becomes more common around here!

 

[lenora]

Hi @belize 44 and others. This has been a policy in many offices for awhile now. I should say regular offices, not just those of doctors.

Personally I'm very sensitive to odors and have noticed a sharp decline in the "perfumed air." Cigarette odor used to do the same to me and I never, ever thought I would see it banned in my lifetime.

I don't know why odors are added to so many products. How many people actually want their dishes to smell good and many other examples? I believe there is a huge market for unscented products, but then we're up against generations that have been brought up with scents, so perhaps not.

A scented product may seem like a good idea at first....but has anyone ever tried to taste one? Pure chemical smell that is so unnecessary. Sure, we like to be clean....but there is a difference. Yours, Lenora

 

[Wayne]

I've noticed various places, especially medical and dental offices, have signs saying "No perfume" or some such wording.

There was a sign at my DO's Osteopathic office that banned cell phone use. It's pretty rare to see that, but some doctor's offices recognize the dangers of cell phone EMFs, not to mention cell phone "chat" pollution.

 

[Wishful]

but some doctor's offices recognize the dangers of cell phone EMFs,

I think the ban is due to possible interference with medical devices, not belief in EMF sensitivity.

 

[Wishful]

I don't know why odors are added to so many products. How many people actually want their dishes to smell good and many other examples?

I don't think people choose a scented detergent to make their dishes smell nice. I think it's a marketing thing, linking "fresh, clean" scent with cleanliness. For the average buyer, the stronger the scent when they put it into the dishwasher or clothes washer, the more potent they think the cleaning action is. Scent-sensitive people make the effort to learn that scent does not equal cleanliness.

 

[belize44]

Just received two packages from Amazon. As usual, they reeked. I wonder if they are spraying something on them at the warehouse?

 

[Anchoress]

Interesting. I live well away from shops etc so no false smells. Just ocean air travelling at speed... But we used to see perfume as luxury so maybe young folk are so used to smelly stuff!

 

[vision blue]

@hapl808 i stopped Using Instacart because of that. The first two deliveries were great Iand the third one I thought I was going to asphyxiate. I ended up throwing out all of it a d got a full refund. When i complained on phone they had no explanation for the smell and i never used it again

In the beginning of the pandemic, with no one knew if it spread by surfaces, they kept wiping down all surfaces with disinfectants and I thought that I was going to have more to fear from the disinfectants and Covid because there’s some of those that I react violently to print so I was really glad when they discovered that it was all airborne and people eased up on wiping surfaces


Yeah the deliveries more and more stink. They seem to encourage the drivers to wear very strong cologne or perfume. So far except for the Instacart, it hasn’t permeated the food but perhaps that will change

I agree scents have gotten stronger so it’s not just your threshold. In fact you can see it on all the commercials they advertise these things called scent boosters and how laundry detergent last for months.

I think they use insect pheromones (no Siri, not Farrah moans) in some scented things to print I once put a sheey away in my closet I had washed it in a shared dryer (something i no longer can do)?and smelled perfumy . I removed it at some point, it had attracted pretty much every bug in the neighborhood but nothing else in closet had. Stoned bugs.

Amazon packages have also gotten really bad. It’s not all of them, but I think it’s some of the warehouses so some of the things that are fulfilled by Amazon come smelling of his horrible scented disinfectant or bug spray. Especially strong in the plastic envelopes that they use although they’re phasing those out. Had to return several items to Amazon because of the smell and stopped usung a non amaon clothing store since the packages reek.

Makes me so angry because I would’ve done very well in an all natural world and I’m so forced to deal with one artificial thing after another from chemical smells and big pharma fillers and 3rd gen synthetic meds. In fact, it is the so-called progress which gave me my CFS to start with. While I’m at it, I hate interstate super highways too so whoever wants to join me back to maybe 1930 with only Route 66 , cotton instead of polyester, glass instead of plastic, silk instead of spandex and no nuclear power plants, meet me on platform nine and three quarters on march 1 noon GMT
And lets leave this artificial soup behind (yes i wil take my chances with the miasma, infe tious diseases, lack of penicillin, and the Depression)!

 

[belize44]

Wow, just wow, vision blue! So validating to read all this. So it isn't just me that has put up with stinky Amazon deliveries! I wanted to complain, but didn't know to whom I should complain. I once ordered a large bag of cedar chips, planning to make sachet bags with it and place them among my sweaters. That stuff reeked and it smelled nothing like cedar.

The thing is, you never know who is going nuts with some kind of a scent. It is hard to believe that there was a time when the world wasn't so aggressively scented!

 

[vision blue]

@belize44 i contacted a small merchant at amazon and told them their bubble wrap reeked and i had to send it back . Owner was surprised and apologetic and said she checkec her warehouse and the supply was scent free. We agreed it must be amazon and she said shed complain. Losing battle i guess if only one percent of customers coujd care less. Sone stuff gets sprayed i think in international shipment but amazon is especially bad and must be i.n either their wearhouses or their envelope supply. For clothes, a chemist friend explained why cant be washed out but dont remember why.
It wasvalidating to me to read about istacart. I thought i was the only one for that it was frustrating when the woukdnt even acknowledge it

 

[Tammy]

Yes, I have artificial scent sensitivity. I have a neighbor just a few doors down who I used to visit but can no longer go insider her apt. Every room has multiple air fresheners that spray out whatever kind of chemicals every few minutes. Then on top of the automatic sprays multiple plug in fresheners then scented candles on top of that and she cleans with Fabuloso cleaner. OMG. Everything in her apt. was just dowsed in scents. I would come home and have to immediately take off my clothes to wash because they were almost wet in chemicals. In the Spring/Summer when I can open my windows , I know when she is walking by because of all the scents. She has breathing problems and I'm sure all that chemical crap isn't helping.

 

[belize44]

Yes, I have artificial scent sensitivity. I have a neighbor just a few doors down who I used to visit but can no longer go insider her apt. Every room has multiple air fresheners that spray out whatever kind of chemicals every few minutes. Then on top of the automatic sprays multiple plug in fresheners then scented candles on top of that and she cleans with Fabuloso cleaner. OMG. Everything in her apt. was just dowsed in scents. I would come home and have to immediately take off my clothes to wash because they were almost wet in chemicals. In the Spring/Summer when I can open my windows , I know when she is walking by because of all the scents. She has breathing problems and I'm sure all that chemical crap isn't helping.

That is truly astounding! Does she have pets? I can't think why someone would need so much cover up. Back when my daughter was a child, she used to go across the street to visit her friend. Whenever she came back, she reeked of some artificial scent. I decided to pay a visit and my God, I could hardly breathe. Those people had plug-in air fresheners in every room. The mother said that their downstairs neighbors were not very clean people, and that their odors would come up through the floor. Their daughter had constant congestion. I wondered why they didn't just use an air purifier?

 

[Wishful]

I removed it at some point, it had attracted pretty much every bug in the neighborhood but nothing else in closet had. Stoned bugs.

Funny! When the wild roses bloom here, the blossoms are filled with beetles having an orgy. FWIW, the wild roses do smell really lovely. I do "stop and smell the roses" ... after shaking the horny bugs out.