Febreeze

[kimberlycards]

Is there a fabric freshener that works better than Febreeze? I've tried Febreeze, the advanced formula, and I haven't been impressed with it. It doesn't seem to last long.

[DrClean]

What type of odour are you trying to get rid of and what is it on?

-- DrClean

The Best Fabric Cleaning Resource on the Web

[Frogleg]

My own, non-scientific, opinion is that nearly anything advertised as a "freshener" is going to add/mask odor, not remove it. I believe in baking soda and perhaps ('though I haven't used it) some form of charcoal to *absorb* odors and then vacuum up or discard. I'm a big fan(!) of open windows whenever I can stand the heat/cold as an effective "air freshener."

It seems to me that most offensive odors are the result of things that aren't clean -- i.e. spills and accidents, mold & mildew, cooking vapors settling, and the like. Of course one can't (often) replace the stuffing in cushions, bedding, and furniture, but I believe a thorough cleaning of everything that *can* be cleaned should be the First Resort.

I may be wrong. *Are* there other substances or techniques which actually remove, not mask, odors?

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Frogleg

OdoBan and Odor-Out are consumer available odor removers. They biologically break down the odor molecules. They don't remove the odor producing contaminant, just change its properties to one that is not odor producing. Harder to get is Ozium which is for more protein based odors like urine. There are super odor killers also, usually only available to commercial contractors. They are often geared to specific odor causes, such as the aftermath of a fire, the remaining odor after the removal of decaying corpse, etc.

Fabreeze is a very dilute consumer product, like consumer packaged Windex. If you want Windex that WORKS buy the commercial grade!

TTUL Gary

[jamie]

I thought Febreeze was an enyzyme product (along with being annoyingly heavily scented) to break down smelly sources, but I haven't looked closely at the label.

[Phisherman]

Try placing the item in the sun for several hours. Many organic molecules are broken down with UV light, and the fresh air will help.

[La Vida Xena]

I heard that the original formula behind Febreeze was originally developed to take care of odors in mortuaries and morgues, by actually breaking down the components of the odor in the air. I don't know that they'll advertise that connection, if it's true! Much more friendly to show happy mom spraying it to get rid of odors from the friendly couch-loving family doggy. Xena

[Julie Moretto]

I'm not all that impressed with any of the fabric fresheners. Nothing seems to last more than a day and if you have to spray daily for a week then that's not worth it!

[Melba's Jammin']

There's a product called AtmosKlear (sp?) that's gotten high marks from people I know who've used it. I'm in Minneapolis; don't know if it is distributed nationwide.

[Frogleg]

Where would one look for this sort of thing? WalMart? Grocery store? Janitorial supply? I must confess I don't know what supermarkets stock in this line, since I've distained "fresheners" for so long.

[Melba's Jammin']

Check the link I provided -- they might have a store locator (I don't know if they do). Might try WalMart, Kmart, Target, supermarket, Home Depot, Lowe's. . . .

[sijka]

There isn't anything that is going to last more than a day! The question is--why do you have to spray them daily???

Sijka

[Sundance]

Hi Gary,

Where do I get commercial grade Windex from? Thank you.

Sundance

[Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.]

Hi Sundance

Commercial strength, almost any janitorial supply store. Institutional strength, Sam's Club and medical supply houses. Commercial & Institutional are very close to the same product. Watch out though, Institutional SIZE is not the same as Institutional STRENGTH.

Your KEY to figuring out which Windex is commercial and which is for home use is by looking at the manufacturer. Realize that the word Windex is a registered trademark that can be bought and sold, leased, rented, franchised, etc. More than one company makes a product with the Windex label.

S.C. Johnson makes dilute products for home use, so any product labeled Windex, manufactured by S.C. Johnson, is just water and color and very little clean.

If you want the Windex with some muscle and cleaning power, buy only Windex manufactured by Drackett and you'll have a product that works the way you expect it to. There may also be other home and commercial manufacturers of Windex that I don't know about.

A lot of products are this way, by the way.

TTUL Gary

[Sundance]

Thank you, Gary, for this very useful info.

Sundance

[Barbecue Bob]

Don't believe it folks! Drackett Professional is the division of SC Johnson that produces Windex. All Windex seems to contain about 3% isopropanol and about 1% butoxethanol. The difference seems to be that institutional Windex contains about 1% ethylene glycol n hexyl ether, while household Windex contains less than 1%.

Windex is 95% water. Naturally an insitutional customer could save money by buying it as a concentrate. The concentrate isn't intended as a stronger cleaner. It's intended to be mixed, 1 part concentrate to 9 parts water.

I think it's a publicity stunt for the Drackett division of SC Johnson. Papa Gary would do *anything* to get Marcey to go out with him. Bringing SC Johnson aboard as a sponsor might be his ticket.