What are scent booster beads made of?

[kenmoreguy89]

What is the soluble substance scent booster beads are made of?
It looks some sort of soapy-waxy compound but never actually found out what exactly.
Salt perhaps?
Any info? [this post was last edited: 5/12/2021-09:06]

 

[spiralator60]

Scent Booster Beads

This is an interesting question that you raise, one that is not directly addressed on many product label ingredient's lists.

Searching for the answer led to this US patent, currently assigned to Procter and Gamble (P&G), providing a clue to what is in this particular brand product:

US7867968B1 - Laundry scent additive - Google Patents

A laundry scent additive having polyethylene glycol and perfume. The laundry scent additive enables consumers to control the amount of scent imparted to their laundry.

patents.google.com

 

[rolls_rapide]

Lenor Unstoppables 'Fresh'

Polyethylene Glycol
PARFUM
Benzyl Salicylate
Hexyl Cinnamal
Citronellol
Eugenol
Aqua
BHT
Colorant

Basically a waxy perfume concoction. But they may cause allergic reactions:
"Polyethylene glycol as a cause of anaphylaxis"

Polyethylene glycol as a cause of anaphylaxis - Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology

Background Polyethylene glycols (PEGs) or macrogols are polyether compounds and are widely used as additives in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food. Case report We report on a Caucasian patient experiencing recurrent severe allergic reactions to several drugs. An extensive diagnostic workup...

aacijournal.biomedcentral.com

 

[rolls_rapide]

Even worse...

The 'Scent of Ariel' version:

Polyethylene Glycol
PARFUM
PARFUM
Aqua
Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
Coumarin
Citronellol
Benzyl Salicylate
Linalool
Limonene
Urea
Hexyl Cinnamal
Eugenol
Methoxypolyoxymethylene Melamine (MW>500000)
Hydroxycitronellal
Magnesium Chloride
Butylated hydroxytoluene
Sodium Sulfate
Sodium Hydroxide
Propylene Glycol
Colorant
Xanthan gum
Hydrochloric Acid
Formamide, N-ethenyl-, homopolymer, hydrolyzed, sulfate
Diethylene Glycol
PEG-33
Colorant
PVP
Sodium Bisulfate
Colorant
2,7-Naphthalenedisulfonic acid, 5-(benzoylamino)-4-hydroxy-3-[2-[2-(2-methylphenoxy)phenyl]diazenyl]-, sodium salt (1:2)

 

[iheartmaytag]

I like em

I never used the entire capful, but they came in handy for my mother when she was alive. They gave her clothes a fresh smell that she enjoyed.

I also like to put about a tablespoon full into a new vacuum cleaner bag to have a fresh smell through the house, to refresh just throw a few on the floor and vacuum them up as I go along. A big canister will last forever.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Polyethilene Glicol.
So that is the stuff.
Thank you!!!

 

[foraloysius]

I certainly have to stay away from that kind of stuff! I almost never use softener or something like it. Only just a tiny bit of Ecover softener if necessary for example with sweaters that tend to get static.

 

[askolover]

The only thing I use scent booster beads for is to suck up into the Kirbys to keep them fresh.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

They are really expensive for what they are.
I used to put dryer sheets inside vacuums.
Talking about dryer sheets I know of people putting the beads inside dryers and they are heat pump dryers!
All that glycerin like stuff will end up clogging everything in no time as those heat pump dryers already are prone to get clogged.
You can fix the dryer eventually but not dumb people..

 

[mrboilwash]

Is vacuum cleaner deodorant a German thing only? I think Vorwerk came up with it about 30 years ago. Still a niche product today but it`s only 99c as a store brand imitation.
Wouldn`t waste those darn expensive Unstoppables for anything else but laundry.

Client Challenge

 

[kenmoreguy89]

No it is not. They sell the sticks and discs etc here but never smell good to my nose
And I agree, too expensive to put in the vacuum, but also in laundry for that matter!!!

 

[foraloysius]

My Electrolux vacuum that I bought 10 years ago came with some scented pearls standard in the box, I tried a few once, just a tiny bit of the dosis for one bag. I didn't like the scent at all, so I don't use them.

 

[louvac]

Vacuum Cleaner Deoderant

What I currently use and in my opinion, it's harmless. I use cotton makeup rounds and dab them with scented oils that one would use in a potpourri dish/decanter. Then insert them into a fresh filter bag-I prefer NOT to suck them up for fear that they may get stuck somewhere. In Kirbys or other machines with outer bags, I will place the scented cotton round in between the outer bag and filter bag so that as the filter bag fills with dirt the cotton round will not get smothered and lose it's effectiveness.

I also have used the women's perfume paper samples that come with a Kohl's or Macy's or magazine. Simple tear the, up into pieces and suck 'em up!

 

[rolls_rapide]

I remember you could once buy lavender-scented vacuum cleaner paper bags, probably in the late Seventies, early Eighties. They were the Hoover Senior/Junior style, grey coloured. I don't remember the brand, they were probably just generic spares.

 

[yogitunes]

a simple Car Tree freshener placed inside the vacuum works wonders....I prefer Vanillaroma.....