Guest Sparks Debate Over Expecting Air Freshener in Friends’ Bathrooms
A Mumsnet user has sparked a debate over one small bathroom amenity she believes hosts should always keep on hand: air freshener.
The individual, posting under the username @HangryBrickShark, asked other Mumsnet users whether it is reasonable to expect people to have a spray available when friends or family visit.
“We always have air freshener in both our toilets in case friends or family get caught short when visiting us,” she wrote in a Sept. 9 Mumsnet post.
The user added that they also keep it around for anyone who wants to freshen the bathroom after using it. The user further admitted to disliking finding out that someone else’s bathroom does not have any.
The Person Thinks It Is a Courtesy for Guests
The poster said they understand that some people tend to avoid scented products because of asthma or similar health-related concerns.
The poster’s asthma caveat is not just hypothetical. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says chemical irritants found in some household products, including air fresheners, can worsen asthma and, at sufficient concentrations, trigger a reaction.
However, in homes where that is not a known issue, they appeared surprised that keeping a spray air freshener nearby is not simply standard practice.
The Mumsnet user even pointed to their workplace as an example, explaining that a Glade air freshener is set up to automatically spray into the area around the sinks.
The Question Drew Hundreds of Replies
The question was posted in Mumsnet’s “Am I Being Unreasonable?” forum, where users regularly ask others to weigh in on everyday debates, discussions, habits and etiquette questions, the better to see a scenario from an outside, objective perspective or determine what the greater established norms are.
And plenty of people apparently had thoughts about this one. The discussion had attracted over 600 replies.
As of Sept. 14, 3692 people had voted in the Am I Being Unreasonable? poll. The votes show 94% of voters thought @HangryBrickShark was being unreasonable, while 4% sided with the user.
One defender compared another issue of hygiene, referencing “this tiktokker who i love and think is amazing, but she refuses to have a toilet brush,” adding, “I’m like, what if someone (usually a man) has no choice but to poop in your toilet and finds he cant clean it?!”
One user who did not agree with @HangryBrickShark said, “No, I don’t want a load of synthetic headache-inducing horrible smelling chemicals in my house. I’ll take my chance with the poo.”
