Getting the stink out of the bathroom. It's no fun to think about, to do, or to write about. But somebody's gotta do it. Might as well be us.
So how to do it? We've always liked the "light a match" approach. There are nice soy candles. We've always disliked spray air fresheners and have come down pretty hard on plug-ins as well.
But this is different.
This is the Aroma Pill by Method ($10). We feel sort of silly saying this, because it doesn't seem possible -- but doesn't that plug-in air freshener look kind of sleek?
It's designed by Karim Rashid and it comes in 5 different scents: eucalyptus mint, gingerbread spice, vanilla + apple, grapefruit + pear, and sweet water.
Method promises that the aroma pills are "effective without being overbearing." That's pretty much is exactly what we look for in an air freshener. That and non-toxic ingredients.
Now, because this comes from Method, a brand we love, we trust that the materials are safe -- but what about the fact that it plugs into an electrical socket? How much energy are we talking here?
We're going to do a little research and get back to you on that. In the meantime, anyone tried these?
image via method
Yeah, I've tried them, and they are too strong for my liking. The scent filled up a large two-story house (it's ok because it was my boyfriend's house and those guys definitely needed it), and there was no adjustment on the plug-in to allow for less scent. However, I did like the fact that the plug on the back swivels to allow for use in a horizontal or vertical outlet.
While I can appreciate a need for there to be a shift away from the American obsession with product consumption, I find there something short-sighted in a lot of the comments bashing "green" blogs (and it's certainly not limited to AT) for featuring consumer products that are at least more sustainable or low impact than the usual choices.
Firstly, places like Re-Nest are often the first place people thinking about moving toward a greener lifestyle start investigating the idea. Is there really something wrong with providing those people with the baby steps toward weaning themselves off of consumer crap, by at least giving them less harmful crap to buy?
Secondly, let's be honest, some of these posts come off as really condescending and full of an "I'm-better-than-you" vibe to them, which ends up being very off-putting not only for people who are new to the (well it's not really a scene, but for lack of a better word scene) but for people who are turned off by the negativity that results from such attitude (I've seen plenty of music subcultures totally ruined by the attitudes that come out once the mainstrem makes their music a trend which of course everyone who really cares about it more than superfically always resents)
Thirdly, have you really been helpfully educating people about less environmentally impacting natural solutions to needing to buy "plastic crap" if all you did was complain about a blog wrting about "plastic crap"? Short of telling people to open a window which in many cases might not actually exist in their bathrooms, especially if they live in an apartment, I didn't see a lot of helpful suggestions?
"Short of telling people to open a window which in many cases might not actually exist in their bathrooms, especially if they live in an apartment, I didn't see a lot of helpful suggestions?"
1. Don't buy it.
2. Assess the environmental impact prior to purchase.
3. Distinguish between "want" and "need"
4. Don't cover temporary odors with plastic-intensive solutions that must be plugged in to work
What sort of helpful suggestions are you hoping for? Shit stinks. So does being a blind consumer.
I have two cats, one of whom is elderly and spends most of her time indoors, so at times it's necessary for me to find some way to freshen the air. Yes, I can open windows but there's a very noisy dog nearby and at times I simply can't listen to loud barking so have to keep the windows shut. I was looking for a safe and relatively environmentally friendly air freshener and came across this site and this (now old) discussion.
I agree totally with Nathan Aaron's post above; it makes much more sense to encourage people to use less harmful products than to bash those who tell us about these products. What good does repeating the 'sh*t stinks' remark do, other than to draw attention to the language level of the poster repeating it? We are all aware of the fact that waste matter smells but some of us don't particularly glory in having that smell in our houses. If opening a door or window isn't feasible for whatever reason then it makes good sense to find another way of making the house smell fresh again. Some people may be able to tolerate bad smells, but many people can't and shouldn't be lectured by those who seem to think we should all be the same.
So, to those who are happy to 'wait it out', good for you! The rest of us will no doubt continue to search for the best products we can and we won't be lectured into letting our houses smell unpleasant if we don't want to. I don't want to; I have many friends who visit regularly and I've no intention of having an unpleasant smell wafting through the house simply because it's 'natural'. So is body odour and we'd hardly go out smelling of sweat, now would we? (Please tell me no one here minds smelling of 'natural' sweat!) It's not only our own sense of smell that matters, it's also that of our family, friends and work colleagues - I would find it extraordinary if anyone felt they had a right to force bad smells on everyone they come into contact with.
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
So, yeah, nontoxic ingredients. But what about all that plastic?
view redheadeb's profile
I pretty much love all the Method fragrance products. My current favorite are the scent sticks, which wick fragrance through reeds placed in a ceramid vase. They produce enough scent to freshen up most rooms, but without having to plug them in at all. However, the scents are very limited. Occasionally I'll buy the refill for the Method pill in grapefuit and pour that into the ceramic vase. I've used the pills before, too, and they do give off a subtle fragrance - enough to mask odors but not so much to be overpowering.
view leanneabe's profile
I know other people may have bathroom scent problems combined with ventilation issues, but my solution is to just open the window. No chemicals, no plastic, no electricity. Just fresh air. How much more sustainable can you get? And depending on where you live, you can get the lovely scent of the ocean breeze, fresh cut grass, or flowers or plants just outside your window.
view natalie.c's profile
They don't come in as gorgeous a container as the Method pill there, but I like the room sprays from Vermont Soap Company. They're nontoxic and organic - just water, essential oils, and castile soap - and non-aerosol as well.
http://www.vermontsoap.com/misters.shtml
view SisterRae's profile
Ok, I'm going to go out a little on a limb here. I really wish, that as the environmental part of AT, re-nest would focus more on sustainable building/home design, and less on frou frou products like this that aren't really part of the solution to the environmental problem we all face.
Sustainable design is a very exciting subject right now--there are new concepts coming out daily. Much of our carbon footprint is due to our buildings, and I'm really excited by the new products/concepts that might actually make a difference if applied to buildings and energy production on a grander scale.
It sort of seems demeaning to your site to be talking about bathroom odors and products that deal with it. Our problem really demands that intelligent, creative people focus on innovative ways of changing, not relatively useless things to buy. I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but quite honestly, as an avid reader, this sort of subject turns me off.
view SFGail's profile
SFGail, I 100% agree with what you've been picking up on here. Apartment Therapy has moved away from its mission and is featuring more of these sorts of crappy, plastic consumer ephemera. I ranted about two particularly egregious examples of this here and here.
How much energy was spent designing this crap? Someone drove to the office to design it. Someone drove to the factory where it was made to oversee production. The product was boxed and likely shipped around the world. Then it was unboxed and distributed via truck to stores. What's the total environmental impact of this piece of crap?
To quote Outkast, "I know you like to think your shit don't stink But lean a little bit closer See roses really smell like poo-oo-ooo Yeah, roses really smell like poo-oo-ooo."
Not particularly eloquent, but neither is covering up one smell with another that's been trucked 'round the world. Open a window or just wait it out.
view VLADCOLE's profile
I agree with SFGail. I thought Re-Nest would be more about strategy, function, and impact reduction than about cute new products that are just more mass-produced plastic junk.
view rorarora's profile
I first found AT a few years ago while looking for ideas to decorate my new apartment. We had recently sold our home, and were back among apartment dwellers. We faced a lot of decorating challenges, and I received a lot of ideas on the many areas of AT (as they were added). When green home/Re-nest was added, I was particularly excited. I am not anywhere close to living a "green" life, but I like trying. I too would like to see some changes to Re-nest, but not so great a change as SFGail would propose.
I think it's nice to include green building and energy products, but please don't make that the sole focus. I am still an apartment dweller and am severely limited in the amount of remodeling I may do.
I like reading occasionally of new products, but we have over done the air freshener theme lately. What I would have rather seen, is some reader ideas on how to refill my current air freshener dispenser, with a homemade solution. Seriously, any ideas?
When we look at the other AT sites, we see all kinds of house tours, questions, tips, plenty of great eye candy. I would like to see this approach applied to Re-Nest as well. I don't just want the pretty pictures, but I want the details: What do you use? What works for you, what doesn't? What is your best re-use tip? I want to see pictures inside your cabinets and cupboards!
Come on, living green is more than a look, it's a lifestyle, and it can't be bought!
view K8 in Maine's profile
The method aroma pills work great! And the only part that is plastic is the top (which is the plug in part, you reuse and reuse and reuse!) the bottom is glass, and is recyclable. Actually,the top part would be too! And you can purchase refills, so once you have the number of tops you want, all you're buying is recyclable glass and cardboard packaging.
The scents are a little off as to what they offer (from what you have listed here.) Gingerbread Spice was a fall special edition scent, and I believe Grapefruit Pear is only available online at their site now. And Eucalyptus Mint has been discontinued. Current scents are vanilla apple, lavender lemongrass, and sweet water. They have two special spring edition scents, Citrus Cilantro and Beach Sage; but I'm not sure if these items are available for the aroma pill or not.
- Nate
posted by Nathan Aaron on 2008-03-27 10:36:07
view Nathan Aaron's profile