I’ve never understood the American obsession with scents. We slather ourselves with perfume and then get on public transportation neatly subjecting everyone around us to what we think smells good. I’m not even going to touch the American obsession with bathing. I mean, let’s be real for a minute. Unless you work construction or some other job where you actually get dirty during the day you probably don’t need to bathe every day. Yet, that’s the American standard complete with scented shampoo, soap, “body wash,” lotion, and the like. It was the American obsession with air fresheners that brought today’s thought to mind.
Normally, the restroom at a restaurant either smells pretty neutral or smells like some sort of industrial air freshener (lemon, floral, and orange being the most popular scents in that order). The restaurant I ate lunch at today had a bathroom that smelled like waffles. And as I’m standing there washing my hands and being bombarded by the rich, sugary smell that triggers so many wonderful associations (brunches with friends, lazy Sundays where all I do is eat and take four hours to read the entire paper) and all I could think was “why don’t they make this smell in a spray?”
See, most air fresheners work by bombarding your nasal passages with chemicals and actually overwhelming them. Repeated exposure to most air fresheners will actually reduce the acuity of your sense of smell. The list of chemicals on the side of a container of air freshener is absolutely rife with what should be, by all rights, considered hazardous toxins. Despite this, people buy Glade Plug-Ins and the like by the truckload. OK, if my nasal passages are going to be subject to other people’s toxic crap, let’s at least make it smell like something enjoyable.
Imagine this…a house that always smells like baking bread. Or what about cinnamon rolls? Waffles? For the omnivorous among us, a grilling hamburger? Lemon cake? Coffee (really good coffee, not that burned shit that Starbucks sells for $4 a cup)? Clean laundry? Blueberries? Warm leather? A grilled cheese sandwich? Popcorn? Mom’s spaghetti sauce? All scents that have powerful associations for many people.
We’re clearly not going to give up chemicals so lets use ’em to the best advantage.