Fragrance, Just Say No To

Just Say No to Fragrance!

     Baking Soda & Vinegar
     Citrus Cleaners
     Zeolite
     Laundry Soap
     Dryer Sheets
     Liquid (Spray) Odor Eliminators
     Mold & Mildew Eliminators
     Scent Free Body (Soap) & Hair Care (Shampoo)
     Shellac
     Primer Sealers
     Vapor Barrier
     Air Filters
     Carbon Masks, Blankets, Fabric, Clothes

     Fragrance Free Zones by Geographic Area
     MCS Toolkit

     Melissa Kaplan’s Unscented Products List
     Fragranced Products Information Network
     Products that are safe to use
     Less Toxic Guide
     Less Toxic Alternatives – from Round Rock, TX
     Recipes for a non-toxic household – from the University of the Virgin Islands
     Non-Toxic Household Cleaners – by Kendra Cecil
     FDA – Ingredients of Cosmetic Products
     Toxics Information Project – Canary Corner

     Baking Soda & Vinegar
     To get smells out of clothes try a combination of baking soda and vinegar. The “volcano” action the produce in the laundry helps. Also, adding vinegar in the rinse helps get out baking soda, if you use too much in the wash. Soaking the clothes in baking soda and/or vinegar, before washing also helps. Baking Soda and Vinegar will get out many smells, but not all. Using baking soda and vinegar to get out smells is more of an art than a science.
     One way to buy baking soda cheaply is to order a large quantity (50 lb bag), at grocery stores that carry baking soda in the bulk section and that also give volume discounts.
     For the myriad of uses of Baking Soda and Vinegar, check out these web pages from Frugal Living: Uses for Baking Soda; and Uses for Vinegar.

     Citrus Cleaners
     Citrus Cleaners can be used to get the smells out in carpets and in clothes. Of course, with clothes you have to be careful not to stain them, and lemon juice might bleach them. There are a myriad of citrus cleaners out there – just search for Citrus Cleaners. List of Citrus Cleaners.

     Zeolite
     Baking Soda can also be used in the carpet to get out odors, but zeolite tends to work better. Zeolite also works well to keep smells out of shoes. Zeolite also works in the wash on clothes, but they may come out gritty. If Zeolite doesn’t work on your carpet, it might be best to remove the carpet. Tea bags and coffee grounds can also be used, but make sure they’re dry or you’ll end up with a stain.
     •  Refreshingly Free
     •  Allergy Store
     •  Nirvana Safe Haven – Zeolite
     •  ZeoCrystal
     •  Environmental Home Center
     •  Indoor Air Services
     •  Omni-Zorb

     Laundry Soap
     •  Bio-Pac Oasis
     •  Refreshingly Free
     •  Baking Soda & Vinegar
     •  Envirorite
     •  The Natural Shop UK

     Dryer Sheets
     Proctor and Gamble makes Bounce, Downy, and Gain fabric sheets. All contain perfume except Bounce Free (according to the MSDS). Here are the MSDS:
     •  Bounce MSDS
     •  Bounce Free MSDS
     •  Downy MSDS
     •  Gain MSDS

     Responsible Shopper tells more about Proctor and Gamble negative social and environmental impacts. It also tells more about P&G’s testing of products on animals.

     I myself prefer not to use fabric softners. But for those in your life who can't live without them, you might suggest Gaiam’s dryer sheets – chemical free and hypoallergenic – not to mention they can be used up to 500 times. They are polyester. This link also mentions that the conventional brands contain three chemicals which are on the harzardous waste list.
     •  Nirvana Safe Haven also makes non-toxic dryer sheets.

     Liquid (Spray) Odor Eliminators
     So, you’d rather spray away the odors? Febreze contains fragrance. Many Odor Eliminators for Pets don’t get out chemical smells. Here are some odor eliminators you can try for eliminating chemical odors:
     •  Nirvana Safe Haven – Photo-catalytic Spray – Removes biological and chemical odors
     •  Mary Ellen Products
     •  Nok-Out
     •  X-O
     •  ForceOut
     •  Omni-Zorb

     Mold & Mildew Eliminators; Bacterial Odor Eliminators
     •  National Allergy – Mold Control
     •  Mildew Stain-Away
     •  EcoChem – Fungal Shield; Algae, Scum & Odor Control; Pet Area Deodorizer

     Scent Free Body (Soap) & Hair Care (Shampoo) Products

Earth Soap I use the coconut oil soap.	Omega Nutrition My wife uses the rainbow bar soap	Califonia Baby We both use the shampoo	Sungold Soap Specializing in low odor, unscented soap with a minimum of ingredients. Extremely well tolerated by many.
Simmons Naturals	Terressentials	Real Purity	Aveeno
Birch Hill Happenings Base Product	Dr. Bronner’s	Envirorite	Elysian Dream
Cardigan Mountain	Ginger’s Garden	Trillium Organics	Dakota Free
Janice’s	Refreshingly Free	The Natural Shop UK

     Shellac
     To cover smells in wood and fiber-board try using shellac to seal them in. Using handmade Shellac Flakes from Shellac.net (also known as Wood Finishing Supplies and Shellac.net). Handmade flakes or buttons have gone through the least amount of processing. The flakes are mixed with Denatured Alcohol (somewhat smelly until the shellac dries), although it is possible to use Gin, Vodka, or 200 Proof alcohol. Mix the shellac with alcohol and apply with a paintbrush. It takes three coats - the first is mixed 1/2 lb shellac to 1 gal of alcohol. The next two are mixed 3 lbs shellac to 1 gal of alcohol. Shellac can also be used to cover/seal wood floors, in which case you should strain the shellac through cheesecloth, and apply with a top-of-the-line paint brush - ask your paint store which one.

     Primer Sealer
     If shellac doesn’t do the trick, you may have to use a Primer/Sealer – more smelly until airs out, but seals better. Zinsser Bin Shellac Based Primer Sealer works well. Zinsser also carries water based and spray can versions, but these have more ingredients in them. Zinsser is available at most hardware stores. If you can’t tolerate Zinsser, you may be able to tolerate AFM Safecoat. You can purchase AFM from their dealers list. If you can’t tolerate AFM, you may be able to tolerate Zinsser Bin (it goes both ways). Either way, allow 3 days to 2 weeks for things to air out.

     Vapor Barrier
     Once you’ve covered things with shellac or primer sealer; and for those things you can’t cover with shellac or primer sealer, try vapor barrier.
     •  E.L. Foust
     •  AFS-Foil

     •  Nirvana Safe Haven

     Air Filters
     If nothing else works, or on top of everything else, use an air filter. Some people prefer ozone generators to air filters. Some people say ozone is harmful to your health. Ozone will break down some chemicals. However, in the process you can create secondary products which are more harmful to your health than the initial products were. Still, in some situations, an ozone generator or blaster may be what you need. But, I’m only listing Air Filters here. For more information and for plants that clean the air, see What Would Terry Do – My World of Air.
     •  E.L. Foust
     •  Lifekind
     •  Nirvana Safe Haven
     •  AllerAir
     •  Austin Air
     •  Envirotech Products
     •  Ecologix Environmental Systems
     •  The Clean Bedroom
     •  Sweetwater LLC
     •  Organic Grace
     •  The Health House UK

     Carbon Masks, Blankets, Fabric, Clothes
     •  I Can Breathe
     •  E.L. Foust
     •  NC Chemical Injury
     •  The Health House UK
     •  Escape Mask UK
     •  Nirvana Safe Haven – Carbon Blankets and Fabric
     •  Cannondale Bicycle Corp. – Carbon Clothing - Look for the L.E. Carbon Collection
     •  Cocona Fabrics – Carbon Clothing - Click on a Store, then click on Mens or Womens, then browse through the collection. Write down the items you’re intersted in, then click Back To Store; then click Visit Store to purchase the item.