Cleaning Scents

One of the latest ubiquitous fragrances added to cleaning products—from Mr. Clean floor cleaner and counter spray to Downy (and some store brands ) fabric softener and laundry detergents and air fresheners-- is Febreze—which seems to have become the name of the fragrance itself..

But it is the brand name of a particular range of fragrances.

Once the most popular scent in household products was Lemon. Green Apple had a turn around the fragrance merry-go-round, as did, and Vanilla. Now it is Lavender. Or Lavander with Vanilla.

What is the next scent waiting in the wings?

To anti-bacterial or not?

Was it that long ago when cleaning a home meant using soap and water? Just when did it become necessary to use hospital-strength cleaners on your kitchen floor?

When is soap enough? What is the difference between cleaning and disinfecting? When is which necessary?

These seem like pretty simple questions. It turns out the answers, and the roads to them, are not that straightforward.

There has been some discussion about the place for anti-bacterials for some time. One concern is that the overuse of these agents result in bacteria, which, being resilient and endlessly clever, become more and more resistant to the point that virtually no remedy can adequately vanquish them.

Another concern is one agent in particular, Triclosan, which can irritate the skin and be hazardous to the environment. http://74.125.45.104/search?q=cache:Q97AT-uxe54J:www.panna.org/files/factsheetTriclosan.pdf+Lysol+AND+Triclosan&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/emci/chemref/3380345.html