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Comment by brnt | Hacker News Reader

I never understood the point of these, and their names are misleading: the do NOT refresh your air, they spread scent! If you think you need that, you probably should be cleaning or identify and eliminate a particular source of bad odours, not spraying masking scents into the air like a 17th century courtier in Paris.

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Not all odour sources are easily controllable (cooking in open plan apartments, pets, flat mates, toilets, etc.). Increasing ventilation also is not always practical, like when it's -5c outside, or you live on a main road where the air aggravates your allergies.

Also many people just like the scents and aren't trying to cover up anything.

Airfilters (with carbonfilters) are quite effective.

You can make a bet that those "scent" are much more toxic as you think. An filtration with an active-coal-filter solves your problem much better.

"14,000 estimated to have died from humidifier sanitizer scandal: study"

https://koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2020/07/251_293448.html

The manufacturer was Reckitt Benckiser, who is also the manufacturer of Airwick.

https://www.reckitt.com/brands/air-wick/

When HN thinks distilled and highly concentrated scents are a good thing ;)

BTW: There is ~some proof that geranium is a big allergic-igniter

> they spread scent! If you think you need that, you probably should be cleaning or identify and eliminate a particular source of bad odours

What if you think you need that because you prefer pleasant scents to the neutral absence of noticeable scent, not because of “a particular source of bad odours”?

Then why are they called air fresheners and not scent-generators or something like that?

> Then why are they called air fresheners

Because “fresh" has long been considered a descriptor of particular noticeable scents, not the absence of scent (also true, though not as relevant here, of particular tastes.)

I imagine the "healthy" connotation that the term fresh carries is good for marketing. "generator" sounds industrial, polluting.. makes one wonder if it causes adverse health effects.

You're right, and that's why I consider their name misleading: these things are thoroughly unhealthy, and may mask another source of unhealth (bad scent maybe due to hidden mold for instance).

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