Your air freshener of choice?

monaxlisa

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jun 5, 2006
Messages
1,783
Purraise
14
Location
Under a pile of cats (and dogs)
Now that it's cold outside and all the windows are closed the cat box room tends to get a little...cat boxy. And the dog pillows are a little..doggy. I use Febreze spray and plug ins which seem to work well if I can remember to buy refills

What do you prefer to use?
Do you use anything for your carpet? I use baking soda but I want to find something else, I always worry about pet safe stuff though, I have dogs that lick the carpet from time to time
 

starryeyedtiger

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
22,317
Purraise
20
Location
USA
I only use baking soda (arm and hammer makes a pet carpet thing) on my floors for that very reason!


As far as air freshners go, I normally just buy the little cheapo Renuzit twist things. I like them- they work very well (much better imo than the glade plug ins!) and they're like .99

Around Christmas time I always buy the Renuzit plug ins though (they're kind of pricy just to use all the time, but I like them around the holidays- they have a green one that smells amazing!)

This week I had a coupon for one of those Renuzit fresh matic ultras- so I got one to try out- LOVE it!!
It works pretty wel! I'm only planning to set it for when I have company though so I don't waste it too much. I like it so much i'm thinking about going back to get one for the cat room!

That's pretty much the only things I use though, most of the time my candle warmer scents up my house really well, so I just leave that on a lot! I've got one in my kitchen and one in my bedroom.

As far as sprays go- Bath & Body Works are the only ones I like- their tiny bottles of concentrated room fragrance are great- it literally just takes one spray! (When it comes to fabrics- Frebreez is the best imo! (In a side note,the Target store brand does NOT compare to the real thing.)

Just about the only scents I won't buy are Lavender (my brother in law is VERY allergic) and anything that smells like grass (bothers me).
If I know i'm having company over with allergies/sensitivities though, I put away all of the sprays/candle warmers/ and air freshners.
 

tierre0

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
7,256
Purraise
1
Location
on the shores of Georgian Bay
I like Frebreeze air effects plug-ins as well and have one in the bathroom and one in the utility room where the cats litterboxes are..
I use Lysol spray on the mats that sit under them as well. However I generally wash the mats when I do the litter boxes, then spray them and let sit for several minutes before putting them back down..
For other area's I have Frebreeze candles that if you light for a few minutes are really effective..
 

pami

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 16, 2006
Messages
17,482
Purraise
17
Location
Birmingham
Lysol contains Phenols which is toxic to cats. Even spraying it and letting it dry is not good for a cat to be walking on.
 

althekitty

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 20, 2007
Messages
632
Purraise
1
Location
Nottinghamshire, U.K
I have this spray that is specifically for the cat box, every morning when I change the cat litter I spray it 6 times over the litter and unless he does a real stinker
, the box doesn't smell! I also had the ambi pur plug-ins but when I read on the sticky about the 100 things that are harmful to cats I took it out. I do like the febreeze though, I spray that and everything smells fresh!
 

GoldyCat

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
15,759
Purraise
4,676
Location
Arizona
Is there anything out there that is unscented? I'd like to be able to clear the cat box odor, but don't want to do it by adding a different smell to the house. I'm not allergic, but most scented things do bother me.

I have been sprinkling baking soda directly on the kitty litter, and so far it's been working well.
 

carolpetunia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
9,669
Purraise
17
Location
Plano, Texas
None! I will sometimes burn a candle -- paying very close attention to it, because I'm terrified of fire -- but to me, chemical air fresheners are just nasty. Even the few that actually smell okay are laden with toxins that I want no part of, so I just do without 'em.

In moments of desperation, though, I have resorted to a spritz of hairspray to clear the air -- probably not much healthier, but it's something I'm already exposed to anyway, so I feel a little better about it. I make sure no kitties are around when I use it, though.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
Originally Posted by GoldyCat

Is there anything out there that is unscented? I'd like to be able to clear the cat box odor, but don't want to do it by adding a different smell to the house. I'm not allergic, but most scented things do bother me.
Look into air filters. Instead of adding more pollutants to your inside air, clean it.

And face it people - candles, sprays, plug-in, etc are all just another pollutant. Too many chemicals. We get enough in our day to day lives - why choose to add more?
My FIL works in the heating and air business. He says he can always tell if when changing the air filters if the owner has been burning candles. It leaves a thick nasty, often black or brown, residue.

However if you want something safe to scent the air with you can boil some cinnamon sticks, or other various things - orange peel, vanilla, nutmeg/spices... just not all together at once.
 

calico2222

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 9, 2004
Messages
7,731
Purraise
41
Location
Over the river and through the woods...
Be careful with plug ins. I read too many stories about them catching on fire when left plugged in all the time so I stopped using them. I think they would be fine though as long as it's for short periods of time like when company is over.

For everyday air freshening, we use Lysol Neutra Air. It has a battery powered despenser with 3 different time settings and will automatically spray a short burst. Our is set at 20 min intervals I think. Two of our most fequented litter boxes are located at the end of a narrow hallway by the back door and the smell does kind of linger there so the spray is aimed right down the hall.

For special occassions I either burn candles or potpourrie. Sometimes incense, but some brands can really irritate allergies.
 

emy4cats

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
849
Purraise
1
Location
WA
I really like the Bath and Body works Wall Flowers. It is just a plug in, but in all there fragrences and they last twice as long. I like candles alot too, but Flower is just alittle too courious about fire and it makes me nervous.
 

russian blue

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 30, 2002
Messages
5,017
Purraise
4
Location
Where emerald eyes are smiling
Originally Posted by strange_wings

And face it people - candles, sprays, plug-in, etc are all just another pollutant. Too many chemicals. We get enough in our day to day lives - why choose to add more?

However if you want something safe to scent the air with you can boil some cinnamon sticks, or other various things - orange peel, vanilla, nutmeg/spices... .....
Totally agree!



Manufacturers are having a field day at our expense. Try looking up air fresheners, scented candles and health effects (human and animal).
 

carolpetunia

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Oct 25, 2005
Messages
9,669
Purraise
17
Location
Plano, Texas
Originally Posted by strange_wings

Look into air filters. Instead of adding more pollutants to your inside air, clean it.
An excellent point! We bought a HEPA filter device almost a year ago, and it's great! Works on smells, and also reduces the amount of allergens in the air.
 

GoldyCat

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
15,759
Purraise
4,676
Location
Arizona
Originally Posted by strange_wings

Look into air filters. Instead of adding more pollutants to your inside air, clean it.
Where do you put the filters? I change the filter on my heat pump frequently, but there are several months out of the year that I do not run either heating or cooling.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
^ You get the stand alone ones. They're not cheap, but if necessary I think it's a proper investment.

DH and I will be moving soon and I'm hopping that home is a bit better at dust - it seems it always gets in here. If not, I'd like to get a filter for the bedroom since he has asthma.
 

natalie_ca

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2006
Messages
21,136
Purraise
223
Location
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
I don't have a problem with litter box odour. I use Jonny Cat scoop and I scoop at least 2 or 3 times per day when I'm working, and on my days off, each time I'm in the bathroom.

However, so far as air freshers go I have to be careful because of my asthma. Some, not all will really trigger an asthma attack with the after effects of it lasting for weeks.

I found that Oust floral or citrus scent are ok, and I did buy some Febreeze once and it was ok too. I didn't much care for the Febreeze though. It was the original Febreeze scent or something, and I didn't like the smell of it at all.

I also find that doing laundry gives my apartment the very best scent: nice and clean and fresh smelling. I use Tide original (allergic to Ultra) and Snuggle lavender fabric softener.
 

strange_wings

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
13,498
Purraise
39
^Cleaning, period, tends to make things smell great. Or one can bake some spice cookies.
(now I want cookies
)

DH asthma is fairly sensitive, too, and I find more often then not that if something is going to bother him that it bothers me as well (like his mother's perfume). So in any case, we'd both rather smell litter box - generally right after one of the boys have been using it, as that's not going to make either of us start coughing.


The plain old spray Febreeze causes a hive like reaction if I get it on me or touch something it's recently been sprayed on. And I've mentioned it before, but many years ago when the product was still new one of my dad's friends had it kill their cat.
Always think about what sort of chemicals you're using and the toxic residue they can leave behind.
 
Top