Vacuum bag fragrance

[justjunque]

Hey all,

I guess this really could have gone in any category, since it's not actually about a specific vacuum.
Just something kind of fun.

In my Electrolux machines, I use Home Solutions Clean Sweep chips for fragrance.
Aside from the simple fact that I like them, it takes me back to my youth, and the very first time a salesman came to our home to demonstrate an Electrolux. I had never experienced a vacuum that made your house smell nice, and it just made the Electrolux seem even more magical to me.

However, I've discovered yet another little quirk about myself, in that I like to use the Clean Sweep ONLY in the Electroluxes.

I know there are other products out there to create a fragrance in your bagged vacuums.
I'm just wondering if anyone else regularly uses them, and if there's a brand or specific scent that you just really like and recommend.

Thanks!

Barry

 

[honestjoe68]

Hello!

I prefer the Sebo Fresh (scent sticks) in Lime Scent for my Sebo Felix Bagged Vacuum or I also enjoy the scent of Home Source beads in Fresh Lemon scent. They are made with real lemon oils so it’s not a sickening fake smell. When I change to a new disposable bag on one of my bagged vacuums, I put a new pouch of the Fresh Lemon “Beads” and then I gently rub them all around the bag, rolling the beads around the inside of the bag with my two hands from the outside of the bag. The fragrance of the Sebo Lime scented “sticks” don’t seem to last as long as the Lemon so sometimes I put a new Sebo Lime right on the motor filter Underneath the new Sebo disposable bag, then it’s smell lasts longer.

Other than that, I never use any fragrance powders or the type you sprinkle onto the floor and vacuum up, as I find it simply clogs up the pores of disposable bags or makes a mess in bagless vacuums.

I don’t do this, but I have been told by other vacuum collectors some use a new dryer sheet inside their vacuum bags to add freshness. This is helpful for older or vintage machines as there is little risk of damaging the machine as long as you put the dryer sheet inside the disposable bag and Not directly on the vacuum parts or dirt bin.

Since I have a dog, I find the only way to keep your vacuum smelling good is to EMPTY it every time you use it and wipe out the bagless dirt bin with a wet wipe or Lysol type disposable wipe (thank you Roger Lang) and let it dry completely before putting it back together. As for bagged vacuums there really is no perfect way to keep them smelling brand new and totally clean unless you waste partially full bags and throw them away too soon before they are full. So the Lemon beads are the best I’ve found to help with bagged vacuums.

I find on my high end bagged vacuums like my Miele and Sebo that the “dog odor” is never an issue as they both have high filtration and I use the “Pet” type filters with charcoal. So if I am using multiple vacuums from my big collection, I tend to use that one bagged vacuum until the bag is full before changing to another bagged vacuum from my collection. That way it goes back into my “vacuum room” with a brand new bag inside it for odor free storage.

Thanks for a fun and different thread @justjunque

 

[tolivac]

I use BOTH the Sebo sticks and the "Lux chips.Like Em both.When ?I stopped in the Lux place to get bags the sales guy gave me several packets of the deodorizer chips.Bought the Sebo sticks at the Sebo-Miele place.One time I picked up a stinkbug with my Avalir-put a Sebo stick in the bag and puicked up the Lux chips-the stinkbug smell gone and used the rest of the bag.The bug was crawling over my floor-Kirby in hand and we know the rest.the bug was near one of my lights.

 

[luxlife]

These are working well for me

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Citrus-Magic-Litter-Pods-Outdoor-Fresh-6-ct/160285376

They don’t smell synthetic and they really cover up the bag smell.

 

[n0oxy]

laundry crystals

I use laundry crystals with my bagged machines, just dump some of the floor and put the hose near them so the vacuum can suck them up, kind of fun hearing them get sucked in as well. Makes the bags smell really good. It's really fun to do this with a central vacuum hose, I use all of my central vacuum machines without pipes so you can hear the crystals take the full ride from one end of the hose to the other.
Mike

 

[justjunque]

Laundry crystals

Thanks for the input folks!

Mike:
I was just about to add to my own thread, that I just made this discovery by poking around on the interwebs.
While searching for different vacuum fragrance ideas, I found several people recommending laundry scent crystals!
Downy Unstoppables, something called Washer Whiffs, etc.
I might just have to try some of those!

Barry

 

[rowdy141]

I used Tumble-Dryer Freshen Sheets to rid a Kirby cloth bag of that old stale stench. They're paper towels, like J-Cloths, with impregnated fragrances, activated by heat & air. Place one or two between paper bag and outer cloth-bag.
I nearly resorted to expensive Aftershave dripped on the bag. The smell was driving me nuts.
I suppose car air freshener 'trees' and similar dry, hanging, fresheners would work?

 

[kenkart]

T wish the Lux chips

Were the same as they used to be, I don't like the new ones nearly as well, same for Odorific, I loved the old stuff! Filter Queen pine oil was great too...Anything I like they quit making,,,LOL

 

[myles_v]

I normally use a dryer sheet or laundry fragrance beads. I'm actually not a huge fan of the Clean Sweep chips but I do have some that I use with my Lux machines.

 

[jonthevacguy]

Essential oils on a small cotton ball

will make the home smell great...essential oils are 100% natural, and you can control the strength by varying the number of drops. Inexpensive and effective...instant pine forest or whatever.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

My late mother used to pick up

"Snow White moth crystals. They came in an orange can.
Sometimes, just a cinnamon stick OR a few cloves in the bag smell nice too.
I would recommend NEVER using a powder...like "Love mt Carpet" It's awful, and, if you ever used a Constellation......well. I'm told the 'fog in the room is incredible".

 

[justjunque]

Clean Sweep

Hans; thank you!
I thought the Clean Sweep smelled different back when Mom got the first Electrolux!
But I even mentioned it to someone at Aerus in an e-mail once, and they claimed that they haven't changed.

Jon, and others who use essential oils:
Does the fragrance last, or does it fade long before the bag is full?

We really don't have pet odors or anything to try to cover up.
We have one cat, and he doesn't stink up the house or anything.
And his pine litter doesn't track into the house.
I just like the vacuum to produce a pleasant scent while I'm using it.

Barry

 

[jonthevacguy]

Barry

It depends upon the amount used, but I can usually smell the oils for quite a while using only a few drops.

 

[rvarley]

I have never used any vacuum freshener that worked once the bag started to fill. They cover the odor with fragrance at best. A fresh bag, a water filtration vac or a well cleaned bagless vac are my solutions to stinky bags. Getting rid of my dogs might be another solution. I'd get rid of the vacuums before I did that.

 

[kirbylux77]

I use essential oils as well as laundry crystals in my vacs. But with a twist....for the essential oils, I use it on a small piece of felt in the exhaust filter compartment on top of the HEPA filter. The laundry crystals I put in a mesh baggie from the pet shop used to hold activated carbon when making a carbon filter for a fish tank, & put that in the bag compartment separate from the bag. That overcomes the problem of the scent going away as the vacuum bag fills up if you put the scent in the bag.

I have also used the Lux Clean Sweep chips sparingly in the past, & still have a supply on hand. Also, the tip others have shared on here about putting activated carbon in the bag to eliminate odours works too, BUT it's best to use it only when the bag starts to smell, not when it's new. What I do is put a couple tablespoons on the coffee table & let the vacuum suck it up through the hose, doing this makes the carbon go to the bag walls & on top of the dirt & work effectively.

Rob

 

[dandagreer]

Odors Away

I found this product on Amazon after reading in a thread here that it was similar to Kirby’s old Sweet Aire scent. It has a very pleasant cinnamon-spice smell that is not overpowering. I put a few drops occasionally on my HEPA bag machines and it smells lovely for weeks.

 

[jonthevacguy]

Rob

Great idea re: the activated carbon...probably make sure the carbon dust is removed, only the pieces present. Also, great idea putting the essential oils on the filter. Oreck outer bags have a small pouch for a tab, that would be a good place for an essential oil cotton ball, then the cotton could be accessed for additional drops of oil as needed.

 

[kirbylux77]

Jon

The activated carbon I use is in granular form, there is no "dust" separate from it. The link below is the exact product I use. You can also get carbon in pellet form too, but I would imagine it wouldn't work as effectively for odour control.

Oreck isn't the only brand to incorporate a fragrance tab holder into their bag system. The Lux Intelligence/Aerus Guardian Platinum canister also has a spot to insert a fragrance cartridge at the back near the filter. Also, Hoover used to do it in the 90's with their bagged direct air uprights, & if I am not mistaken, according to our European members Miele used to have a spot in the filter area where a scent stick could be placed, same as the Sebo scent sticks look like. I am sure there are a few other brands that have done this in the past I am not aware of. Sure would be a nice feature incorporated into modern high-end vacuums.

David - The Odors Away looks good & seems like a few of our members in the past have tried & liked it. It also seems to get fairly good reviews on Amazon. I think I might just have to try some myself if I can find a Canadian source to buy it from.

Rob


http://https//www.aquacadabra.com/fluval-activated-carbon-900g/

 

[ctvacman]

I take the part of the febreeze plug in that goes in the glass jar out and suck it up in the bag. It’s kinda like a huge sebo stick, it’s very concentrated though and no amount of pet hair can over power it.