here is an exchange of opinions about its potential toxicity... https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups=#!topic/alt.pets.hamsters/c7cUn8ILRtc
I am copying the text below.... KamiDscale Sign in to reply 07/04/1999 I don't know if this is true or not, but it's worth being safe than sorry. This was given to me by a friend, please read and don't flame me please. <<Febreze Is Dangerous to Pets! There have been multiple instances of dogs and birds who have died or became very ill after being exposed to Febreze, a deodorizer/air freshener. Febreze contains zinc chloride, which is very dangerous for animals. Please do not use Febreze anywhere near your pets! If you have used it near your pets or on their bedding, clean the bedding/area thoroughly to remove the Febreze, and move the animals away from the area. Please pass this information on to other pet owners/caretakers, before more animals are injured or killed, and find a safer method of odor control. Febreze: This product is marketed as something that removes odors without covering them up. However, there is a strong smell to it, but worse than that, Febreze contains zinc chloride. Many birds have already been killed after this product was used in any proximity to them whatsoever, and some dogs have also died. Other dogs have become ill without dying. This product is marketed as safe around animals, and people have sprayed their dogs' bedding to remove the doggy smell, only to discover later on that their dog became deathly ill from it. There is one dog who lost most of her hair after being accidentally sprayed with some Febreze, though this particular incident also had a second factor involved (diet change). The Febreze bottle, as of December, 1998, has a picture on the back of a dog, which leads some people to believe it's safe to use in their bedding. PLEASE READ AND FORWARD THIS WARNING TO PEOPLE WITH PETS!!!!!!!!>> Erica Strafford Sign in to reply 08/04/1999 I explained in another newsgroup that this is ONLY a rumor. I do not work for this company, but I can tell you it is perfectly safe IF USED CORRECTLY. In the case of dogs and cats, it is 100% safe, unless the product was being used improperly with the animal around. I don't use febreze, but I use tons of other things to help my house smell better (or stop smelling altogether). I have four puppies, two dogs, three cats, a python, two hamsters (not python food, though) and two fish tanks, and nothing bothers them. The only exception is when I sprayed Lysol in the garage one day, and the puppies came running over to find out what the sound was. Lysol doesn't "sink" very fast, so they inhaled it, and started sneezing. But there was no serious damage. Birds, on the other hand are VERY prone to dying from air-borne chemicals. That is why a dead bird is USUALLY the first sign of a gas leak in your house. Again, it still doesn't harm the bird unless it is sprayed near the bird so that the bird can inhale it, or directly on the bird. I don't know about rats, guinea pigs, or rabbits, though. If these animals are known to die or get sick easily from air-borne chemicals, then yes, febreze is a cause for worry. If not, then it should not be a problem. The only other situation you should worry about is if your pet chews on whatever has been sprayed. In short, if you use Febreze correctly, and you are a responsible pet owner, then it is no cause for alarm. All I have to say is you deserve the flaming. We even told you on the other newsgroup that Proctor and Gamble has this problem addressed on their website and many veterinarians around the country confirm it is safe. If you rat is still sick, you had better start looking for other causes. But stop trying to convince everyone that something is bad when there is PROOF that it isn't. Erica -- Strafford Kennels http://members.xoom.com/Labrador/ KamiDscale wrote in message <[email protected]>... - show quoted text - Tigrrrita Sign in to reply 08/04/1999 Better safe than sorry. >All I have to say is you deserve the flaming. We even told you on the other >newsgroup that Proctor and Gamble has this problem addressed on their >website and many veterinarians around the country confirm it is safe. If you >rat is still sick, you had better start looking for other causes. But stop >trying to convince everyone that something is bad when there is PROOF that >it isn't. > Mommy to: Fifi (brown/rusty? teddybear hamster girl) Jo (mink hamster girl); Puck (cinnamon/cream? teddybear hamster boy) Romeo (black gerbil) Juliet (cinnamon gerbil) Hamlet (white gerbil) Ophelia (agouti gerbil) [email protected] Sign in to reply 09/04/1999 Proctor and Gamble denies these claims ... folklore, schmolklore! check their site here: http://www.febreze.com/pet.html -----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==---------- http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own now it is up to you to form your own opinion
I can't bear any kind of can air freshener, find the scents really cloying and unpleasant and I've said for some time it wouldn't surprise me if it's eventually revealed they're bad for us.
Surely, good old fashioned housekeeping and there is no need for artificial "scents"? Marketers brainwashing consumers that our homes need to smell a particular way; growing up, the smell of home to me was the smell of baking/fresh bread and laundry dried outside in the fresh air. Now *that* is what a home should smell like
I get concerned about warnings like this. I don't doubt that the poster thinks they have a genuine grievance but, surely, animal charities and vets etc would have put out warnings about careful use of these products if they thought there was a possible danger. We get enough genuine scares about thing to not need additional worries. If I thought there was a problem with a product I would contact organisations that are likely to know - in this case animal charities and vets. Of course, conspiracy theorists would say that they have all been bought off!
Ooh yes. Though I must admit I do use scent lamps occasionally - do find them good for getting rid of any lingering food smells in the house, for some reason aroma of roasted vegetables always likes to hang about!
They're all out to get us, shiney. Probably I am biased due to my own dislike of most air fresheners, and I'm very sensitive to perfume, lots of them give me a headache, but a couple of years ago at work they took to using those automatic fresheners in the loos - you know the ones that pump out 'freshener' every few minutes. Someone in the office kept setting it to go off every 9 minutes and if you were the first person to enter the toilet after the weekend the accumulated perfume and chemical smell could practically knock you out! Luckily I think someone's now decided they're too expensive and they've disappeared from the workplace.
For me, it was the lovely smell of sulphur (like the smell of somebody passing wind after eating too many egg sarnies), that came from the local steal works, or the strong smell of seaweed decomposing on a hot summer's day.
I live in the middle of thousands of orange trees so for the 'most part' everything is heaven ... but you go through a slight period of 'rotting oranges' and it is not pleasant at all! I agree that in general keeping the house clean and fresh is enough and luckily I am able to keep windows open most of the year ... and there is no problem with us having cats. If you wash your curtains, clean your floors and generally keep things clean, all is fresh. In saying all of the above .. I do have 'febreze' and the Portuguese equivalent 'fasa' for the odd spray or two on the curtains/cloth furniture between washes as I do have cats. I also use Flash floor cleaner with 'febreze'. I cannot imagine that anyone uses such to the extent that it is dangerous to animals. I think there is a bit of 'over reaction' here Paula!
