More people have sensitivities to scents than you might think. While you might believe you’re doing the world a favor by spraying down your living space with air fresheners, some people don’t take to artificial scents very well. In fact, surveys of over 2,000 Americans found that almost 20 percent of respondents reported adverse health impacts from air fresheners.
For asthmatics, this number is substantially higher. One study found that 64.3 percent of asthmatics reported one or more types of adverse health effects stemming from exposure to fragranced products.
At the same time, people don’t always understand how severe allergies to these scents can be. One survey from 2008 about the public perception of allergies found that more than a third of people believe allergy sufferers exaggerate their symptoms, and 81 percent of people with allergies claimed that their relatives do not take their allergy seriously.
One woman experienced this issue firsthand, sharing her story on TikTok in a video with over 1.1 million views.
What Went Wrong With These Plug-In Air Fresheners?
In her video, TikTok user @denaranna explains how she “told my boyfriend’s mom about how I’m, like, severely allergic to these things,” holding a plug-in air freshener. The TikToker clarifies in a comment that she and her partner had been renting the space from her partner’s mother and that his mother “moved in on us.”
According to the TikToker, her allergy is fairly severe. “My face swells, my skin burns, I can’t breathe, I get a migraine, I get nauseous,” she says. Consequently, she says her partner had a conversation with his mother, who said she would stop using them.
However, even though many of them had been unplugged, the TikToker noted that she was still having symptoms.
And so, she began to search, finding every plug-in air freshener unplugged—until she reached the closet, in which was a plug-in air freshener.
“There it is!” the TikToker exclaims. “She literally hid it!”
In the comments section, the TikToker said that she and her partner plan on moving out soon.
Commenters Share Their Thoughts
In the comments section, users offered their views on the TikToker’s situation. Some sided with the mother, arguing that it was technically her house. However, others directly countered this idea.
“So because it’s ‘her house’ it’s okay to cause someone’s allergic reaction? You’d feed someone with celiac disease gluten, because ‘your house your rules’. That’s just messed up,” noted a user.
Further users shared their own similar stories.
“My mom is allergic to all nuts , for all my 25 years of life my mom on her birthday get banana bread with nuts in it from my dads mom,” wrote a commenter. “She also refuses to spell mine and my siblings names right because she doesn’t like how theyre spelled.”
Finally, a few users offered advice in response to this predicament.
“Girl don’t marry into that family. If she’s sneaky now, she’ll make your life hell in the long run,” declared a TikToker in the comments.
@denaranna How do I even respond to this #fyp #mcas #ehlersdanlos ♬ Club Penguin Pizza Parlor – Cozy Penguin
The Mary Sue reached out to @denaranna via TikTok direct message and comment.
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