Think green - home technology removes household odors

May 20, 5:34 PMChicago Home Technology ExaminerMaryan Pelland

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 (Photo by Urban Data)

Now home technology helps create ambiance in your home. Science and technology combine in products claiming to remove and destroy household odors that we once could only mask. One product line is Fresh Wave, marketed to people who think green.

In Victorian times, bathing was hit and miss and household cleaners weret oxic enough to remove paint or de-nap any carpet in 30 seconds. Housewives used white vinegar (still effective!) to de-smellify homes. Hauling rugs outside, they beat the boogers out of them or gave up and ground herbs into their carpets.

I wouldn't have survived with my acute sense of smell. My finicky nature demands fresh air. I found Fresh Wave products by accident and the company, based in Chicago's suburb, Barrington, was kind enough to provide test products for unscientific evaluation. My home smells clean and natural with these products and a little goes a long way.

OMI Industries, the parent company, says they've solved industrial odor problems for two decades and launched their home line in 2003. The line includes nonaerosol sprays, pearl packs, gels, candles, carpet shakes, liquid cleaners, and more in a single "flavor".

" (Made with)...extracts of soy, lime, pine needle, aniseed, clove and cedar wood, Fresh Wave products are biodegradable and non-toxic. From the basement to the garage to the kitchen, you can eliminate odors virtually anywhere…."

The day I got my sample kit - every one of OMI's home products - I got energetic and cleaned my house with the new goodies. I lighted a candle, put pearls in the vac and sprayed my furniture. Loved it! The smell is woodsy-outdoorsy with lime a truly identifiable accent.

I didn't feel like a pine tree had crashed through my roof nor as though I'd gotten trapped in an elevator with an old lady dowsed in Jean Nate. To me, it was like opening the windows on a crisp spring day - I kid you not. But I learned moderation.

Having been in the house all day I'd grown accustomed to the aroma. My daughter came over, walked in the door and said, "Wow. It smells overpoweringly organic in here."

I cranked back quantity and really like the results. My husband, who gritches loudly about a hint of any kind of chemical esters (synthetic perfumes), enjoys the lightness of Fresh Wave, used appropriately. I'll tell you, I had a real problem in my basement - dank and musty, no way to cure it. After a month of using the right product down there, I have no hint of bad smells. This stuff is worth a try. 

Green odor killers I haven't tried:
Citrus Magic
Nature's Paradise
Exstink