Please make "fragrance-free" a filter

[Brian450]

There is now a HUGE number of people who are fragrance-sensitive or have MCS. I'm one of them.

The odours of conventional cleaning products, air fresheners, dryer sheets, etc. make me sick. They give me headaches, burning eyes, feelings of tightness and tingling, respiratory irritation, heart palpitations, nausea, dry mouth and many other symptoms. I've had more than one vacation ruined by fragranced bedrooms that were making me ill. Surveys indicate that about one-third of the population in the US and other countries is fragrance-sensitive or has MCS or prefers fragrance-free spaces.

Please AirBnB stop ignoring this incredibly large group of people. You currently have filters for 13 different accessibility features. Could you PLEASE add another one, "fragrance-free"? Fragrance-free properties actually exist, it's just that you can't easily find them, at least not on the airbnb site itself. (Google search can be used as a workaround, but it's far from perfect.) Thanks!

[ChuckandCarole0]

As a hostess, i state in our description we use 100% cotton linens, non toxic products and to please leave strong fragrance behind if you are staying with us....For folks posting here, we think we are disabled or sick, because we are the canaries in the coal mine, but in reality, anything that has "fragrance" or "parfum" in the list of ingredients, is a masking term for thousands of chemicals manufacturers do not have to disclose. These ingredients contain neurotoxins that contribute to ADD, Depression, and Dementia amongst other conditions.....we are the lucky ones, because we can smell em! They also hit our immune, respiratory, and endocrine systems in the same manner as second hand smoke, so for all those host/esses who ban smoking on their property, you should be banning these as well.....

When i am looking for a place to stay, i message the host/esses before i book. I don't inquire if the place is non toxic or fragrance free, i ask, "what laundry detergent/cleaning products do you use? We travel with our own linens, but if you use any Febreeze or those Glade plug in thingys, they would pretty much do us in"....I have had pretty good success over the years with this line of inquiry....but also just had guests whose fragrance ruined a duvet and actually got down into the mattress....please please people...our children are dealing with ADD and Depression, our friends are getting dementia....Wake up please, and yes Airbnb, please make a category for non toxic.....it's hard to totally guarantee fragrance free, as some guests will wear fragrance in their body care products and not even realize it....then it's in the linens, and like fabric softener, is insidious and never comes out...... 

[Annmarie81]

I also have mast cell activation syndrome. Rentals are tough since they don't list this and have no idea of the seriousness. It could put me in the ER or kill me. I usually stick to a small number of hotel chains that work with me on linens and products. 

[Eileen462]

@Annmarie81  Hi Annmarie, Since learning of this, I have been using ALL Fragrance Free detergent and fragrance free body wash.  Will that do correctly with someone with your condition?  I dont like fragrance products on my body myself and my laundry but I do not have a condition.

[Jennifer4601]

I am one of those thousands too! It’s an increasing number of people- a hidden epidemic truly- as more and more people’s bodies reach an overload of environmental toxins. I get debilitating migraines and seizures triggered by synthetic fragrances. Plus there’s tons of evidence and research out there now about the “fragrance loophole” that  allows over 6000 undisclosed chemicals known to be carcinogenic and endocrin disrupters to be hidden in the ingredient “fragrance”. I understand why it seems so far fetched to those who aren’t affected and can’t smell what we smell- but we’re canaries in the coal mine. It’s not healthy for anybody even if you aren’t getting sick. And terrible for infants and children too! I desperately wish Airbnb and hotels would have a fragrance free option too. 
It’s true people/places that have used strong smells for a long time it’s practically impossible to remove it once it’s there, but at the very least it would take the edge off for the sensitive people and increase awareness about all this. 
Just read an interesting article in the New York Times that scented body products and detergents account for 50% of greenhouse gasses in LA! So not only would people be protecting their own health and the health of loved ones, and strangers (and why shouldn’t you care for your neighbors and strangers), they’d also be contributing to positive environmental change. Aloha 

[Andrea2460]

I hate to be a wet blanket but in my check in instructions, I ask the guest to let me know if they are sensitive to fragrances.  Of the thousands of guests, there were less than six who asked for accommodation.  Not that I will stop asking, but just making an observation.

[Jozi9]

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