Product Review: Zero Odor

Let's face it: nobody wants a house that reeks of cigarette smoke, wet dog, litter box, or diaper pail, not to mention the hundreds of other unpleasant odors we often live with. There's only so much that surface cleaning can do. Using a bleach or disinfectant product to clean floors, bathrooms, and counters makes the surfaces clean, but it doesn't clean the air in the rooms. Those cleansers usually leave the original unpleasant scents, and adds an odor that some of us dislike just as much as the original stink, whether it's pine, phony citrus, 'mountain fresh" (which smells like nothing I've ever caught a whiff of while hiking in the mountains) or the ubiquitous scent of Lysol (TM). Zero Odor claims, on its ads, info-mercials, and websites, to actually remove odors from the air, while leaving no scent of its own in their place.

I have three dogs, and although two of them are basically indoor dogs, and the third, while a large dog, rarely smells "doggie" like some dogs do (typically water dogs, who have an oily coat), they nevertheless manage to leave an odor indicating their presence in the house. It's not often overwhelming, unless one of them has an accident, which is rare and generally my fault, or becomes sick. In those cases I wash rugs, clean floors, and spray sofa cushions with Febreze (TM) - ooh, another "fresh scent" which is completely unnatural! But still, a lingering odor remains behind. I won't even mention bathroom odors after this line, but products like Oust (TM) and Neutra-Air (TM) mask them well with overwhelming citrus, and the air in the room stings my nose for the next three hours. Also, because I do have Multiple Chemical Sensitivities (MCS), they tend to trigger asthma attacks and rashes, so I had to stop using them.