by EOMsAdmin
Open the door. The room is quiet, the linens are crisp, and the air smells like…nothing. That’s not an absence of care; it’s a design choice. At EarthOMs, especially at higher tiers, we default to a fully fragrance-free standard for housekeeping, laundry, and “room scents,” with one optional exception: a sealed, guest-use-only essential-oil mist some Hosts may offer. Below is the why, grounded in published research and policy, followed by a simple, effective, scent-free cleaning playbook. References to the mentioned studies is listed at the end.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from everyday products – such as cleaners, air fresheners, and laundry additives – accumulate indoors, often at higher levels than outside. That’s basic indoor air physics and a consistent finding in U.S. guidance. (1)
Common fragrance terpenes (like limonene) can react with small amounts of indoor ozone to create secondary pollutants – ultrafine particles and aldehydes – beyond the original scent. Controlled experiments and reviews in the indoor-chemistry literature have documented this mechanism for decades. Put simply: you spray “orange”; chemistry makes something else. (2)
Large population surveys report that a notable percentage of adults experience headaches, respiratory irritation, or other symptoms when exposed to fragranced products, and many prefer fragrance-free environments. This isn’t rare, and it’s not limited to people with diagnosed conditions. (3)
Fragrance mixtures are complex. Some specific fragrance substances have triggered restrictions abroad. Most notably among these being Butylphenyl Methylpropional (Lilial), prohibited in EU cosmetics since March 2022 due to reproductive-toxicity classification. This doesn’t mean “all fragrance is dangerous,” but it shows why blanket “smells good = good” is too simple for modern hospitality. (4)
Phthalates have historically been used in fragrances (e.g., DEP as a fixative). The FDA’s current position is that phthalates “as used in cosmetics” don’t present a demonstrated safety risk; simultaneously, global reviews on endocrine-disrupting chemicals continue to raise concern about certain phthalates and exposure pathways. For a premium stay serving diverse guests, including those who are pregnant or fragrance-sensitive, the sensible choice is to eliminate added fragrance rather than litigate ingredient-by-ingredient. (5)
Bottom line: Scented products add VOCs to indoor air; those chemicals can transform into other compounds; and a substantial slice of the public reports symptoms around fragranced products. Removing added fragrance reduces avoidable uncertainty while improving clarity for guests.
This is not a moral stance; it’s a quality and risk-reduction stance consistent with the research above.
You don’t need perfume to communicate clean – you need process. Here’s the short list we recommend because it works, travels well across teams, and keeps indoor chemistry boring (that’s a compliment).
Let the room’s materials, light, and temperature do the talking. When the air is neutral, guests notice the hand of the textiles and the calm of the space – not a plume of “fresh linen.”
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