Baking Soda Myth

[tolivac]

I am going to try those laundry scent boosters as well.Since they are large beads-no bag clogging.I have a few bagged central vacuums that came from a MD dealers trade in pile.Thinking getting one of his MD bagged units as well.Planning to use it as a "monster vac" paired with my Kirby or metal Royal.One of my NuTones has twin motors and the other has one single 12A motor.Also will use the long hose on my NSS M1.Have paired that with a Kirby.Works well!
Germs on the poles-since man seldom goes there-it is actually quite sterile.
Bags--would rather have these-since dumping a bagless central unit is one real pain is the you know what!!My Mom had a NuTome bagless central unit in one of her homes.She would have central units put in.That bagless thing was HORRIBLE to empty--worse than a Shop Vac.Imagine a years worth of stuff--many gallons of home dirt--you get the idea.Would rather this be in a bag.Just lift out-throw in the trash.No gagging on dust.Put in another bag-Done-and you don't get dirty.Had to take a shower after dumping that machine.One of her other places had a B&D central unit that used a bag-done in less than 5 min changing bags.Told her she could do it-but had me do it on my visits.Didn't mind the B&D.All the central units I have use bags-same with the proposed new MD unit.It has a giant open Filtrete bag like a giant TriStar bag.Then a cloth bag under the disposable one and a filter on top of the motor inlet.

 

[jodan3399]

I will agree with human.

I can't even count the number of machines I've seen totally trashed by that carpet fresh stuff, let alone the number of electronics with circuit boards caked with the junk.

I have a 37" LCD TV setting downstairs right now that was shutting off every 15 minutes, boards where caked with it...it doesn't even blow out with compressed air, you literally have to scrub it off with a stiff paintbrush or toothbrush. Nasty stuff.

 

[tolivac]

Baking soda and sodium carbonate-both of these show up in rug and carpet freshners.BOTH can be hard on plastic body machines as well as metal ones.Those materials erode direct air fans,and if the stuff collects in areas in the machine it will eventually eat the plastic.And these will also eat up paper vacuum bags besides clogging them.

 

[kirbysthebest]

Baking soda

I second what everyone else said.


1.  It's corrosive,


2.  It can damage plastic and metal


 


It is also a very effective deoderizer. 


 


We get a lot of calls in our housing department regarding apartments and bed bugs/fleas etc.  Baking soda along with it's cousin Borax is very effective in flea control in carpeting. They dehydrate the critters and they die.   Somewhat effective with bedbugs as well. 


 


Though I am drifting, want to add the best flea/bedbug control, vacuuming.   Vacuuming often reduced the population, as well as leads to the little buggers demise through dehydration from the strong air flow and losening of their cuitical layer.


 


It is recommended that you dispose of the bag after each session of critter removal.  I can see a Rainbow very helpful, but the people in Section 8 housing probably won't have access to a $2,000 vacuum .


 


 

 

[luxlife]

Vermiculite................

This is very useful for anyone who wants to make their own scent formula for the vacuum.You can buy it at most garden stores, just look through the bag to make sure it isn't all crumbled to bits. Its absorbs the essential oils and it remains totally dry, non corrosive, etc.

There's a company called Greenleaf that's been making these scented sachets for years and they are advertised to be "vacuum safe".

There's also a great company for fragrance materials called Hayward Enterprises (see link). They sell a lot of "designer imposter" fragrance oils and also they have very good pricing on Grade B and Grade C essential oils.

http://haywardenterprises.com/

 

[suckolux]

The Downey upstoppables work pretty well! Just not too much, strong

 

[electrolux137]

Gain In-Wash Scent Booster beads

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When I went to the grocery store the other night, I couldn't find this product. I asked an employee about it and he hadn't heard of it. He checked the store computer and said they don't carry it. This is one of the largest grocery chains on the West Coast!

 

[sebo_fan]

Well..I discovered last night that those Lenor Unstoppable fabric scent beads are absolutely useless. They burn off the scent when washing has been put in a tumble dryer and dried off.

However. They are far better being used in a bagged vac as the scent lasts for ages.

 

[alexhoovers94]

 

[dysonman1]

Charles, here are the gain beads.

 

[electrolux137]

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Thanks, Tom. I was at another grocery store today, a much larger one. That store carries the Gain product as well as Downy. I squeezed all the containers and did a "sniff test." The two that I liked best were Gain Original and Downy Fresh Blossoms, so I bought one of each. It will be interesting to see how these do as air fresheners. Thanks for the heads-up on this product.

 

[sebo_fan]

Second thoughts with Fabric conditioner beads.

I was having a conversation in another group regarding Lenor Unstoppables which looks like your GAIN beads. A few members told me the following info:

"Butylphenyl methylpropional and Benzyl Salicyclate are both considered to be hormone disruptive and human immune system toxicants, not something you'd want to be breathing in. There is also the disposal warning on the back of the bottle

"Avoid release to the environment. Dispose of contents/container to hazardous or special waste collection point. ".

Also Benzyl salicylate can be allergic to human skin and if it is added inside the bag of a vacuum cleaner the heat from the airflow may melt the beads.

 

[suckolux]

Well damn!

 

[sptyks]

Well, there goes that air freshener solution right OUT THE WINDOW!!!


 

 

[electrolux137]

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"Benzyl Salicylate -- Fragrance (Parfum) from natural essential oils. Benzyl Salicylate is a naturally occurring component of essential oils, such as Ylang-Ylang Oil."

http://usa.weleda.com/ingredients/benzyl-salicylate.aspx

 

[electrolux137]

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Butylphenyl methylpropional

A synthetic pale yellow liquid with a floral aroma.

Functions: Used as a fragrance additive. You can find it in various personal care products such as perfume, aftershave lotion, hair shampoo/conditioner, hair dye, moisturizer and body wash.

Safety Measures/Side Effects: The topical application of this ingredient has been shown to cause irritation and allergic reactions in many individuals. The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) has restricted its use in fragrances because of the potential dermal sensitization. The European Cosmetics Directive lists this ingredient as an "allergenic" substance, requires all cosmetic products containing it to indicate the presence of Butylphenyl Methylpropional.

http://https//www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/butylphenyl-methylpropional

 

[kirbylux77]

I have used the Bounce Bursts "outdoor fresh" scent beads. Decided to try them earlier this year after seeing the Gain beads mentioned as a solution to stinky vacuum bags. They do work rather well, but I find I prefer using scented fragrance oils & putting a drop or two on the bag or filter, or using activated carbon in the bag.

A couple of tips I have for using the scent beads:

1. Avoid putting the scent beads in the bag when it is new. Wait until the bag starts to smell, then put them in. What I have found when using scented tablets in vacuum bags in the past is that the dirt buries the tablet in the bag, & when the bag starts to smell it makes the tablet useless. If you wait until the bag starts to smell & then put the tablet in, that does work very effectively. So of course this logic would apply to using scent beads.

2. Don't put the scent beads directly into the bag. Go to your local pet shop & buy some of the mesh drawstring bags that are used for activated carbon in fish tanks. A 2-pack of bags can be found for around $5 dollars. Put the mesh bag right by the pre-motor filter in the bag chamber. It will allow the scented beads to let off the most scent without being buried by dirt in the bag, & depending on how much you vacuum & how quickly you fill your vacuum bags, you can make the scented beads last for 2 to 3 bags instead of just 1 bag, so you wind up saving money as well as having the scented beads work better. It also allows scented beads to be used in bagless vacuums.

Rob

 

[suckolux]

So what's the vote guys, are we using them still or no??

 

[tolivac]

I have used the Featherlyte deodorizers without any difficulties.Since its the Christmas season-using the "Cinnamin" scent.Remember the Gain and similar was not originally designed to be used in vacuum cleaners-its a laundry additive.May try the gain anyway just for the heck of it-but otherwise will stick to products designed to be used in vacuum cleaners-such as Featherlyte.The Kirby tablets work,too.I don't use the scents until the bag starts to smell as above.If the smell is really bad--replace the bag!Run the vacuum with the new bag for a few min to further dissipate the smells.

 

[sebo_fan]

Thanks for that added info, Electrolux137 but even when using the first site for the search of benzyl salicylate, here's what it says.