Travel Blog

This post is not really about diets, instead it is about a pet peeve of mine. I happened to be allergic to a lot of things. I also suffer from chronic bronchitis. So I am very aware of various environmental and non-environmental agents in the air that might affect my breathing ability. This particular post is about Deodorizor Spraying in Hotel Rooms after they have been cleaned. This is to add air freshener to the air and supposedly make them smell nice.

If you have ever had to struggle to breathe then you will know what I am talking about and just how scary it can be. Even to gain enough air in your lungs to avoid fainting is a pretty scary thing. To have this caused by something in the air that is really not necessary is just plain cruel. This is what Deodorizor Spraying in Hotel Rooms can do to people who have allergies etc.

Many people smoke and some people will smoke in hotel rooms even if they are designated as non smoking rooms. I want to emphasize several points  about this post. First although I do not support smoking at any time, this post is not about smokers. Secondly I think it is rude for people to smoke in hotel rooms when they are designated as non smoking rooms.  However the real issue for me is how the hotels deal with odors they find in the room after a guest has vacated the room.

Deodorizor Spraying in Hotel Rooms Whether it is Needed or Not

Deodorizer is commonly sprayed in every hotel room immediately after the cleaning staff has cleaned the room. It is part of their routine whether the room smells or not or whether a smoker was in the room in or not. The idea is to make it smell nice and fresh and to eliminate or hide any odors that might linger from cleaning or previous guests.

For some people, myself included, the moment I walk into a room that has been sprayed with this deodorizer, I begin to cough and experience shortness of breath. I have discovered that my bronchial tubes react negatively to this chemical and begin to swell, squeezing the air way and making it very difficult to breathe. My last episode also involved recovering from a cold and being in a smoky situation for an hour or two. Basically I was hit with three bad situations at the same time and required a visit to a clinic for a breathing treatment to open up my airways, TWICE.

Serious Issues

This is quite serious for many people. The hotel was helpful as much as they could however it is a large hotel and every room is sprayed routinely.

First of all they moved us to a new room that had not been occupied for sometime and we found this very satisfactory until the next morning. When we left for breakfast, the cleaners went in immediately, cleaned the room and sprayed!

After airing out this room, it was not too bad, however every time we stepped into the hallway, all we could smell is deodorizer from all of the other rooms. Even the main area of the hotel used this stuff to reduce the smell of smoke. In the US , they apparently are afraid to band smoking indoors. They are behind Canada in this regard.

What to Do About Deodorizor Spraying in Hotel Rooms

We have learned to request rooms that have never been smoked in for starters. Secondly we ask if deodorizer has been used or is routinely used. Sometimes you have to be patient while the hotel manager proudly explains that they use this chemical to make their rooms fresh and nice smelling for their guests.

Once he has finished, calmly and politely explain your problems with deodorizer. Then request if the hotel can place a deionizer in the room for an hour to remove all of the chemical from the room.

Most hotels will gladly do this for you, once you explain the problem and it does work.  Sometimes this is better than opening the windows. Since some hotels do not have windows that you can open. Or the environmental issues outside may cause the same issues. The deodorizer really does work.

Why Don’t the Hotels Make Changes?

At first you might think that they do not know about the problem, however this would be incorrect. I spoke to the manager of one hotel to tell him why we were checking out early. He acknowledged that this was a common complaint by many guests. But they had to use the deodorizer to clear the smell of smokers who routinely ignored the non smoking rules.

What it comes down to in the view of the hotel management is that smoking guests carry more economic weight than non-smoking guests. So they will continue to use the deodorizer in their rooms.

Guidelines to Follow

• Stay in Non Smoking Hotels if you can
• Stay in non smoking rooms
• Request that the room be deodorized
• Ask house keeping to not spray the room if you are staying more than one day
• Eliminate all other possible irritants – e.g. feather pillows
• Request a new room if it is too over powering
• Change  hotels

Most hotel managers will be very helpful. They will do everything they can to assist you. So do not hesitate to ask in a polite respectful way. But at the same time do not take no for an answer. After all it is your life and your health. If you have ever experienced the raw fear of struggling to get a breath, then you will not be afraid to make some of these requests.

Readers who have experienced this problem and have additional comments and ideas about what to do, please add your comments to this post. Deodorizor Spraying in Hotel Rooms can be a big issues for many people.

Save

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.