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by pcx 2370 days ago
On a related note, a lot of folks feel air fresheners actually make the air fresh. Don't they usually just hide the smell?
3 comments

Easy brain hack. Name your thing what you want people to think it does.
Totally, the reality is : smell is masked and air is full of chemical components harmful to your health [0]. Our olfactory receptors are there to protect us. It should be noted that persons with bad perception of odors are closer to their end [1]. At least, use some natural products which may be dangerous, but for those, our body has had generations of evolution to tolerate those.

There is nothing like odour destruction. It's just tricking the nose into believing that another scent is around. Odours add in bizarre ways. If something smells bad, 1) open the window and 2) solve the root cause.

[0] https://www.considerable.com/home/cleaning-organizing/are-ai... [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3561743/

Correct.

Unless they're based on whatever chemical combination makes Febreeze work, in which case it does actually eliminate odor. There's a fascinating story behind the invention of Febreeze.

"The use of cyclodextrin as a sprayable odor absorber was patented by Procter & Gamble until November 24, 2019."

Interesting note on the patent from Wikipedia.

Hiding a smell is air freshening. If you're thinking of purifying, that's a separate thing.
No, replacing foul air with fresh outside air is air freshening.
The parent is talking about a literal air freshener, not removing and replacing air.