apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I just googled some reviews and they were all very positive, but I do not know how independant they were. So I am very interested to hear some first hand accounts. It seems like a great product if it works well (and isn't toxic :( )

This is a pretty interesting thread discussing the bulbs:
http://forums.the-gadgeteer.com/vbbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=938

this is a neat idea for poorly ventilated bathrooms if it really works, but is everyone REALLY that worried about the way their homes smell that they need odor neutralizing lightbulbs?

maybe this is because i don't live in suburbia, but geez. things have smells. it's ok to sometimes smell things that don't smell WaterFall Fresh (tm).

sounds intriguing...but is the light output soft and warm, or harsh? This definitely matters.

so... the oponax stinks but he's okay with that.

at least he's better than those jerks that live in the suburbs.

I use the Fresh2 bulbs, one in my bathroom and one in the laundry room. I am in a basement apartment, so the brightness of the light is a plus for me. I would call it a clean looking light but not sickly like old-school fluorescents.

They do seem to help minimize the odors from the litter boxes in each room but the effect is mild. What I like is that the bulbs just remove smells. I despise perfumey air.

DO they buzz like the regular cfls seem to? Because I will replace the ones in the bedroom, odor-neutralizing or whatever, if they are cfls that don't buzz, it drives me batty and I don't want to put old crappy bulbs back in.

Sounds great for the basement where we have exposed bulbs, but will it "work" through a light fixture?

I would totally use these in the kitty litter room. The rest of our apartment is totally devoid of cat-related smells, but the litter room always has that little hint of ... Short of burning incense, we've been kinda at a loss.

jj - the opoponax is all girl.

opo - I know what you mean. I can't stand the smell of 99.99% of "air fresheners". There is some commercial that says something to the effect of "The only thing worse than the smell of fish is the smell of fish and roses". I'm just paraphrasing, but I understand the sentiment. If I cook salmon, then the kitchen is going to smell like salmon for a while. Sometimes somebody burns something in the kitchen, sometimes the dog doesn't smell all that fantastic. It's just life.

I couldn't agree more with Mags and Oppo. Why should we try to make things smell better? I for one think we should reject these silly technologies like air cleaners, deoderant, and indoor plumbing.

I would point out that these bulbs function differently than a masking spray. These actually emit oxidizing compounds that break down the molecules that cause odor.

Max - don't get me wrong, I'm all for indoor plumbing!! Also, I definitely approve of products that break down odor (the bathroom is a great place for such products) as opposed to masking sprays. I was just saying that some people (my mother-in-law is one) go out of their way to avoid ever having any kind of *normal* smells in the home.

you hit the nail on the head, mags.

i mean, don't get me wrong. i don't want my place to reek of raw sewage and scorched food.

it's the "the only thing worse than the smell of fish..." types i just don't get. ummm, it's fish. you brought it into your home, most likely to prepare and eat. if it's good fish it shouldn't smell that strongly anyway. are we so hung up on bodily functions that we don't even want to smell the food we're going to eat? also roses -- isn't one of the selling points of a bouquet of roses that it smells divine?

this is exactly what i meant when i mentioned 'suburbia'. not that all people who live there are jerks. just that it sort of encourages people to live this weirdly disconnected and sterile lifestyle where we're afraid to smell THINGS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO SMELL, like fish, garlic, good cheese, etc. growing up in the country and then moving to the city, that ethos is kind of foreign to me. in the country, you go outside, and you smell grass, the neighbor's horse shit, blooming jasmine, skunk, ripe fruit on the tree. just to think of my mother's house, off the top of my head. some of those smells are lovely. others aren't. but they exist and there's not a whole hell of a lot you can do about that in the country. i could say the same for the city (though things are probably tipped more in favor of ick smells than lovely ones). it's something that's less true for the suburbs because they are a bit more controlled, by design.

which is why i associated the phenomenon of this weird olfactory fascism with suburbia.

Elizabeth, I don't think they do work through a light fixture. The reviews I've read say that they need to be exposed to the air and have some circulation around them.

I'm going to take the plunge and buy a few. If my mom stops by my house and tells me it smells faintly of dog one more time, I'm going to scream.

I'm with Mags and opoponax in that I want my house to smell like home, not like nothing. That's why I like these bulbs. I've used them in a musty basement, next to the litter box, and in the pantry with the trashcan. I can erase the bad smells, and just keep the ones I want.

And, yeah, the pantry doesn't always smell bad, but it's nice to be able to keep the rice from tasting like curry powder just because they were on the same shelf.

I don't mind smelling the food I'm going to eat, but I certainly don't want to smell it a couple hours later after the dishes have been washed and I'm moving on to after-dinner drinks and chasing K. around the bedroom.

It's off topic, but I firmly believe that the sterile suburban product-ite is an urban myth. I have spent plenty of time in suburbs, dense urban blocks, and the country. I have found people of all stripes living in each place. You want some scared-of-life copycat material worshipers? I've seen plenty right here in NYC. I've also seen them in rural Maine (and they weren't "summer folk").

It's the people, not the places folks.

If anything suburbia most likely smells like potpourri.

It seems perfect for the winter when windows are sealed.

i was looking at these last week. i'm hoping to find a local purveyor but they're available on Amazon as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Watt-Fresh2Ti-Spiral-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B0002C9D36/sr=1-1/qid=1163102627/ref=sr_1_1/104-3933738-3596727?ie=UTF8&s=furniture

The only thing worse than fish and roses is a tiny office bathroom masked with fake vanilla bean-scented spray from the dollar store after its been used. *barf*

There's something disgusting about the smell of body functions mixed with something that smells like fake cookies. Gimme the odor neutralizers any day.

What's with the random attack on suburbia? I just don't get what's sterile and disconnected about opening a window to the smell of fresh-cut grass and flowers, rather than to the odor of curry, exhaust fumes, and marijuana. My parents -- who live in suburbia -- know more of their neighbors than I ever have in any city apartment.

Food smells like food in suburbia, too. All the big supermarket chains carry garlic bulbs -- which couldn't be said for the corner stores where I lived in SF. Suburbia is remarkably UNplanned and uncontrolled: that's why it sprawls.

And y'know, after the last month or so, I'm really tired of the culture of "isn't it cute how snarky I am" on this site. This used to be a pleasant community where it was possible to discuss decorating without every topic becoming a competition to see who has more Taste and Social Consciousness.

I will not be back, and with the new AT culture, I doubt anyone will miss me. Congratulations on driving away the tasteless suburbanites and keeping the site safe for the right people.

I'm intrigued but how could one incorporate a bulb like this in a kitchen or bath (or any room) and not have to look at it? (I don't like the idea of a bare bulb.) Also, I'm curious about any sound emanations.

Hope Erica writes back.

wende is nice :)

can you get the same effect with titanium dioxide paint?

cf bulbs work best in rooms where they aren't turned off and on frequently. unfortunately, the bathroom and closet (where the odor-killing is most useful) are precisely the places where they will be most short-lived.

as for toxicity, all cf bulbs contain sealed toxins (mercury) and should be brought to a recycler when dead. you won't be exposed to the mercury if you don't break the bulb. i think most true-value hardware stores accept them.

Yes. they work--in a table lamp or open fixture. I smoke like a stove and have yet to hear a complaint. The light is not typically fluorescent --it's warm and inviting.

I use a total of 11 of them in the house and have no smells of any kind. It's the greatest invention since the wheel.

I have two active border collies and have to say that these bulbs have done wonders for eliminating the 'frito feet' smell they produce when rocketing around the house like lunatics. The bulbs are in two floor lamps and give off a pleasant, warm light.