| Product: |
Febreze Classic |
| Date: |
29/05/07 (258 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: less expensive thsn other less effective methods, very effective, price is reasonable
Disadvantages: price can vary widely, some people may ot approve of its manufacturer
~~~~Why I bought this~~~~
I am a big advocate of trying to discover what is causing the odour and cleaning it or getting rid of it to solve the problem. This is not always practical, or even possible in some cases. My first experience with Febreze came when we moved into rented accomodation. We were not allowed to paint, and the bedrooms and lounge had been freshly wallpapered anyway. Unfortunately, someone who lived thre before had smoked like the proverbial chimney and heavy nicotine deposits were IN the still nice to look at carpets causing that familar smoke odour. I put netradol on teh arpet to no avail. We then shampooed several times and while the water came up less pitch black each time, it was obvious there ws no WAY we were going to get al of the smell and its cause out. Friends and neighbours commiserated over our plight, swearing only a new carpet would do. This the landlord would not do.
It was then that I saw an advertisiement for a then new product, Febreze. It claimed that just by lightly spritzing this onto soft surfaces, suchas carpet, upholstery, and the inside of trainers and what not, it would actually get rid of the odours assoicated with it, and leave a ight pleasant scent. It said it was not an air freshener and did not cover up smells, but broke the chemical bonds that cause the bad odours. At £2.19 abottle, It was not overly cheap compared to air freshener, but it certainly was cheaper than renting the shampooer for several more weekends in vain.
~~How did it Do?~~~
So I took myself off to Wilko's and bought myself 2 bottles of the stuff.Upon entering the house again, the stale smoke smell hit me like a ton of bricks. I started at a patch under the sofa for a test spot, so if it lightened it, it was not visible. No issue there, so i then went to the farthest corner away from the door, and lightly spritzed the carpets downstairs. The light florally scent made me sneezea bit, but it was no bother. I probably actually sneezed due to a bit of black blow of the sprayed liquid to be honest. Anyway, after spraying the carpets, I went outside and did some gardening in order to clear my sense of smell and see if it worked. A few hours later, I walked back in. Wow! No more smoky pub smell!
I then took my second bottle and did the stairs, the drapes, and all the upstairs carpets with teh same great results. That was it, I was converted! When my husband came home, he noted the absence of the smell and asked me how I had finally gotten rid of it. I showed him teh Febreze, and he asked for the remainder of one bottle for his lorry. During his week off for our holiday, his lorry had been loaned to a tramper who smoked heavily, and who also ate and left food remains in the cab, There was a lingering smell he could not get rid of in the bed cushions and curtains. I had even washed his curtains a few times, but the smell was still there somewhat, and when sleeping with his nose a scant inch or two away, it was VERY noticeable. So i gave him the remains of my first bottle, and a package of baby wipes to wipe down the hard surfaces.
The baby wipes did as I promised and removed all the gunk from his hard surfaces, and he was amazed at the job the Febreze did on his seats, foam bed mattress, and the curtains. He was so impressed he told all his colleagues and they too had their wives pick up a bottle to keep in their cabs!
~~~What about sick baby and pet smells?~~~
Time passed, and Febreze's price went down a bit, to about £1.50 a bottle. We had children, and had the usual messes to clean...baby posset souring in the mattress, into the carpets, sick on mattresses, leaky nappy, you name it. A quick scrub to get the mess up and a spritz of Febreze later, and the bad smell was gone, banished to never return.
Our cat got hit by a car and while on cage rest, she sometimes missed her small litter tray and wet outside the box. Unfortunately, this meant she often actually wee'd outside the cage to, and though newspaper was there to soak it up, the carpet still got damp and the cat wee smell lingered. Now, Febreze does also do a pet Odour version, but I did not have any of that to hand, and used my current bottle. This one happened to be the Floral one. The floral one supposedly has a bouquet of fresh flowers smell, but I will be honet here and say it smelt like the original, just slightly more pronounced in the flowery department. It did the job admirably, and even after the fragrance faded, the cat wee smell did not return, so i was satisfied. Had I a deep carpet puppy soaking or cat spraying issue, I may have needed to try to pet strength one, but for a light accident as this, the usual version sufficed just fine.
~~~Are the own brands as good?~~~
Of course, as time passed, own brands of Febreze came out on the market. I have also tried these. Wilko's own is adequte, but I found I had to spray a much heavier mist to get teh same result. This meant I was making the soft furnishings actually wet, and using twice s much, negated any savings over price. The Tesco version did a good job as well, with no need to overspray, though on occasoion strong smells such as tobacco and vomit had to be resprayed lightly after the fragrance finished. So this was good value, but only really worth it if no Febreze was to be had or if having to watch every single penny. Recently my little post office shop also began carrying Whizz's own version of the original, and at £1, I have found it to be quite good. Every efective as teh original, but so popular the little shop often runs out. So bottom line, imitations ar eout there, but with varying degrees of success. I try to stick with Febreze itself as results are consistent, and it can be often found on offer for just over a pound from time to time, so bargain minded people can simply stock up when the offers are on and that way be assured they get the performance they need from this type of product.
~~Use around pets and other varieties to try~~~
Febreze is safe to use around pets in general , but care should as usual be taken not to spray around aquatic fish. There is an antibacterial spray version as well that may appeal to those wishing to keep it to hand to freshen bedding during and after illnesses, and a new allergen reducing one, which I have not trid yet. It claims to reduce airborne dust mites, dust particles, and pet danader from cats and dogs by 75% by anchoring these to carpets and other soft furnishings. This is so they can be safely vaccuumed away and will not become airborne to be breathed in. I have not tried this myself, but plan to next time I see some on the shelf as we have dust particulate sensititvities that cause acute respiratory distress in myself and eczema type reactions in my daughter.
~~~Where can I buy it and how much?~~~
Febreze is available at the Co-Op (where I frequently find it on offer for £1.09), from Wilkinson's, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, and other major high street stores that sell household cleaning products. The price ranges from the aforementioned £1.09 offer for original and floral varieties all the way to £3.50ish for the extra strentgth pet odour variety. These prices are for 500 ml bottles. The price not only varies slightly by the variety, but also by the cost of the retailer, as some shops are simply more expensive than others.
~~Any ethical consumer concerns?~~~
One final note is that Febreze is made by Proctor and Gamble. I quite trust Proctor and Gamble products in general, being a fan of many of their other quality and high result producing goods. However, some persons may not wish to use this product because of its origins if they are part of the consumers boycotting P and G for use of PVC (some people believe this is a carcinogen, and no not looking for a discussion on this) and its use of animals to test pet foods and the longterm effects of consuming them.P and G have my approval however for its commitment to providing my pets with quality foods witha proven clinical result, I have no beef with PVC in itself, and P and G also do great humanitarian works relating to purifying drinking water in the second and third worlds, as well s working with fair trade organisations to promote fair trade, including their own fair trade brands.
~~My personal verdict~~~
My conclusion is therefore, if you have no personal moral objections to the company, the price is well worth it for the excellent results. Just a quick spritz or two, and the house is fit even for my mother in law to come inspect..er...I mean visit.
Summary: Normal cleaning still leaves a pong, just spray with Febreze and watch it vanish
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