Smells Begone: Beyond Covering up Odor
For both those who have shared as well as those fortunate enough to have never experienced it, I will also mention the gruesome and long-lasting putrid smells of some animal dying and slowly decomposing either under a house or, worse yet, inside a wall. Sadly, but realistically, the possibilities and types of bad smells in your home (or business) you might want to ‘erase’ are nearly limitless.
There is a sub-industry of products to deal with these unpleasant aromas. Many are brands manufactured by major household product and chemical companies (Glade, Oust and Air Wick are a few that come to mind) and are supplied as either powered aerosol spray cans or wicked evaporators. Some of the newer evaporator devices plug into electrical outlets which stimulate their function by adding a low level of constant warming to the product. There are also scented candles, incense, and other types of hand-pump spray products and deodorizing ‘delivery systems.’
Most of these have at least two unfortunate characteristics in common. 1) They deal with the unwanted scent by covering it up – some blatantly overpowering it – with a strong, presumable more pleasant smell of their own, and 2) The ingredients of most of these products contain at least one undesirable toxic chemical that you wind up spraying or evaporating into the air in your home. Finding acceptable options was not easy – but I am pleased to report having found one that eliminates those unwanted odors without replacing them with its own scent and contains no harmful toxins. The product is Smells Begone, manufactured by the Punati Chemical Group of Birmingham, Michigan.
Smells Begone comes in several sizes – most commonly a 12-ounce, hand-pump spray bottle. It can be used, as you would use other powered aerosols, directly as a bathroom spray or can be diluted into water to be used to clean large surfaces or area like floors, walls, cabinets or the inside of your doghouse or refrigerator! Unlike most of the other products on the market, it has no noticeable smell of its own. For those of us who do not appreciate the sweet, overpoweringly perfume like smell of most such products, this is a real value added quality.
It works by actually attacking and dissolving the offending bacteria which frequently cause the bad smells and destroying them, thereby eliminating the odor(s) being produces. Its ingredients are chemically simple and straight forward. It contains only an oxidizer, non-ionic ethoxylated detergent, a chelating sequestering agent, methyl salicylate and some mild coloring, Check this list against the other products and see what you think. It does not “compete” for the smell space by replacing it with something just as obvious by sweet rather than sour.
Labeled as being non-scented, nontoxic, non-staining and non-allergenic, it is available at many home supply and hardware stores as well as at multiple websites. Smell Begone gives us something we want – relief from bad smells – without replacing one obnoxious odor with another and without spaying carcinogens or ozone-destroying substances into the air we breathe every day. For me, it has worked best with organically-based odors and those with likely bacterial sources. Some people may find this product works best as a second option for certain types of odors while retaining the more standard ‘perfumed’ sprays for some uses. Either way, it costs a bit more than the cheapest powered aerosols you could purchase at you local dollar store, but it is more than worth the difference. It sure works well for me. This is one you will want to try.
