If you are trying to sell your home-might consider getting rid of the plug-ins. (Realtor, furniture)
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If you're so "fragile" that a glade plug-in will send you into a spin, you should only be looking at new builds. My costco store has 2 pallets of plug-ins on the floor, because lots of normal (non delicate) people enjoy them.
Yeah, because new builds aren't going to outgas chemicals.
I use the plug-ins, not because I'm trying to hide something (I've had people come to my house where I apologize for the mess, and have had them shake their heads and say, "OMG, you are *so* ex-military, this place is spotless!"), but just simply because I enjoy the scent. (I like scented candles, too.)
However, when I was selling my old house, my realtor told me to ditch the plug-ins, most people didn't like them, and it made folk suspicious. I figure I'm paying him for his expertise, soooo.....I removed the plug-ins while I was selling the house, and aired it out to get rid of any lingering scents. House sold in 24 hours.
I moved into my new house, and put the plug-ins there. Again, because I like them.
But I also don't have one in every single room of the house (I spread them out), and I also don't 'mix scents'--if I have vanilla in one room, I have it in the other room.
And you do have to be mindful. I did remove one from a room because even as much as I liked it, it was too overpowering. I like the scents to be light and relaxing, not feel like I took a bath in perfume.
I still remember looking at a house which was perfectly lovely but... The owners had cooked themselves sausage for breakfast and some other unpalatable stuff and the house smelled so bad, I couldn't stay in it to see the upstairs. It was nauseating. If you are selling and have a showing scheduled, eat out somewhere.
I also believe a clean house has little to no smell at all. Sometimes a cleaner will have a lemon scent or something, but I'd never use something like lysol. Tried to sell a house one time and had read an article about staging. I put a pie tin with some brown sugar, cinnamon and a little vanilla in a low temperature oven for a nice scent in the kitchen. The real estate agent looked around with a customer and said to me very pointedly in front of the people, "did you know you have your oven on with something in it". I was dumbfounded, had no idea what to say. My house was scrupulously clean and odor free. She sounded very critical, like I was doing something wrong. I honestly wasn't smelling anything from the oven at the time. But I never tried it again.
Before I went into real estate, I was just a working, slightly disinterested, husband who got dragged by my wife and agent to potential new homes after we got our contract to sell. I didn't like anything we were finding until we came upon a condo (which I wasn't really looking for) in a place that was convenient but not necessarily wanted, in a neighborhood that didn't appeal to me visually. I know...I must have been a joy for them.
Anyway, we went to see this place and, for the first time, the lights were on, there was music playing, and it smelled like freshly baked cake to me. I'll admit that these things by themselves would not have made me purchase but combined, and with the decor and architecturally interesting design, I was hooked and we bought it that night. At the closing I asked about the smell and the seller told me that she had burned a scented candle before leaving for the showing.
When I became an agent, I started giving sellers a Yankee Candle--can't recall the specific one but they all smell good. I stopped for some reason but this thread brought back the memory. I understand that some people don't like smells but other people find them a powerful motivator.
If you are so "fragile" that an item as common as a plug-in will send you into a medical emergency, you're not "normal" and the world isn't set-up to handle you, nor should it be.
Trying to determine who is "normal" and who is not is a challenge. Good luck on that one.
Sellers are welcome to use plug-ins, leave out their toilet plungers, insist that buyers wear a plug -- your choice.
However, sellers who want to appeal to a wide range of buyers may want to consider taking steps to be sure they don't turn off potential buyers, normal or not.
If you are trying to sell your home-might consider getting rid of the plug-ins.
We were in the market to buy a home the past few months, still might be who knows yet. Two homes we went into in 45' and 48' had those disgusting plug-ins and they had one in every room!
It is not only disgusting and polluting to people like us, but can be a sign you are covering up a smell.
In our case we had to run out of the two homes within 3 minutes because we could not breathe.
What was also scary was each home had a cat, and one of the homes seemed to have a child live there.
What future health issues might your family (including pets) get from choosing to put these chemicals in your proximity to breathe 24 hours a day. The poor cat's head is level with the stuff!
You sure took a long time getting to the point that the plug-ins are scent plug-ins, not electrical plugs.
Well, now that I know what you are talking about ( ), I would be put off by a house that smells artificial and I would also be put off of a stinky house.
So, best advice? Clean it very well, air it out, and put some mildly-scented and pretty fresh flowers in vases.
Please, no artificial scents. They are a dead giveaway that there is an odor that is being masked.
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I like the idea of a plate of fresh baked cookies as well. I think it's much better then filling your lungs with toxic chemicals.
