Comments on: Visitor Tips

By: Calinda

Calinda — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 22:11:56 +0000

Wow that’s too bad. Is it every movie theater, or one in particular? Can you detect any particular odor? It could be their cleaners or air freshners as you suspect. You sure have a strong reaction to it. Do you have any other symptoms? I generally have other symptoms that are less drastic, so I haven’t had a vomiting problem. I hope you can figure out the mystery. I send you my sympathy.

By: Leonie Morris

Leonie Morris — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:57:58 +0000

Movie theartres make me vomit! I can arrive feeling very healthy, but form the moment I sit down I start to feel sick and either have to rush to the bathroom to vomit half way thru or like last night I can make it home beofree vomiting. No other place effects me in this way and I think it must be the air freshner or cleabewrs they use. Have you ever heard of this happening to anyone else?

By: Calinda

Calinda — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:20:29 +0000

Yes, you are right that is one problem with previously owned clothing. It’s hard to win sometimes. It is true that shopping in general can be a challenge if there are perfumey people around. Also, I have found it very very hard to remove scent from clothes. One friend gave me some clothes, but yikes the perfume smell is terrible. Even if you sew your own clothes, the material smells too.

By: surely

surely — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:45:46 +0000

The problem with second hand is the perfume of the previous owner. I bought a couple of things last year and had to air them out for quite a while – AFTER washing!

By: Calinda

Calinda — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:35:45 +0000

One challenge I have is going into clothing stores. Even large department stores can be hard to handle. Of course, I have to go, but I try to go as least often as possible and not linger too long. This may not be to everyone’s taste, but I shop second hand stores for clothing. There are still perfumy people there, but generally the store isn’t too bad.

By: Calinda

Calinda — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:02:29 +0000

Getting things aired out is a problem. I have a sun room that I use as my “airing out” room. It gets very warm and the sun shines directly into the room. If I buy anything new I will place the item in the room until it airs out. The length of time may vary with each item. If I have to buy something new, I will try to purchase it way ahead of time so that it can air out properly. June, I would be interested in contributing anything to your book. Let me know the title etc.

By: June Chaplin

June Chaplin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 23:06:47 +0000

About plastic garbage bags and paper towels and other paper products like diapers, toilet paper, paper napkins. Even if they are fragrance free to begin with they can pick up smells before they get to you. I find removing them from their wrapping and placing them outside in the sun often helps. Yes, I do occasionally lose some to rain and friends find the toilet paper pretty amusing.And I’ve had what looked like exactly the same unsmelly thing I bought before turn out to have an odor.
I talked to a representative of Seventh Generation which makes several fragrance free products including paper diapers. They said the diapers (and all paper goods I assume) are stored in warehouses not under their control and can pick up odors there. They make unscented plastic garbage bags too and have had complaints about them arriving smelling “good.” They figure it must happen somewhere between their factory and the final customer.
I wonder if warehouses and trucking companies and/or supermarkets spray with fragranced pesticides.

By: surely

surely — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:58:11 +0000

Thanks, June. Feel free to include a link to my site!

By: June Chaplin

June Chaplin — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 22:46:06 +0000

Great site.
I am writing a book of tips for managing in a fragrance-filled world. I have found from twenty five years of bitter personal experience that to a large extent surviving the scents is a matter of dealing with a million little things from getting a tolerable dishwasher soap to knowing what to do when a perfumed friend wants to hug you.
I’d like to include a link to this site if thats OK . I’m happy to share information.
I’d like to offer a free copy to anyone who provides me with a tip I haven’t thought of yet.

By: Steph

Steph — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:12:27 +0000

I use Scott Sponge paper towels. I’ve never had a problem. I second the Costco garbage bags. They’re great!