PureAyre Odor Eliminator

One of the little tricks I have for deciding what products to buy is to look at the warning label.

If the label screams CAUTION! or DANGER!, I think twice about putting the can or bottle in my pantry or bathroom. 

So even though I find it ... helpful to keep a scented spray in the bathroom, I'm not fond of the bilingual (Spanish and English) caution warning on the back of the bottle. Most of these scent sprays are pressurized, which explains the bulk of the warning (keep away from fire, flame or pilot light, container may burst at temperatures over 120 degrees Fahrenheit, do not puncture or incinerate, etc.) There are also bold warnings to keep the product out of reach of children and pets, and an additional warning that deliberately concentrating and inhaling the contents can be fatal.

Phew. 

In contrast, the unpressurized spray bottle of PureAyre Odor Eliminator label is much friendlier, sporting the big bold letters "COMPLETELY SAFE AND 100% READILY BIODEGRADABLE".

Now that's what we like to hear! 

Where our old scented spray didn't even bother to provide us with an ingredient list, PureAyre explains that it's made of just distilled water, food grade enzyme technology, natural mint and food grade preservative.

So how does it work and what's this about 'food grade' ingredients?

First the 'food grade' part. According to PureAyre, the enzymes and preservatives it uses are not only non-toxic, but actually edible. That's right, if you're cooking up an odiferous dish of liver with garlic and onions, you can actually spray PureAyre around the kitchen without worrying about risks from ingesting any droplets that settle on the food. 

(PureAyre does include what it calls "Common Sense Precautions" on the label, noting that PureAyre is not meant for internal use! It also says that in case of direct eye contact, you should rinse your eye with cool water if necessary. But frankly that's probably good advice if you got anything sprayed in your eye!)

So back to the original question - how the heck does PureAyre eliminate odors anyway? PureAyre says that the naturally occuring plant-based enzymes in its spray actually break apart odor molecules to clean the air and permanently eliminate odors.

Want more information? Wikipedia has a nice page on Enzymes and wikiHow talks more about enzyme-based odor removal. 

Note that if the odor source comes from a stain or spill on a carpet, rug or sofa, you'll need to find a way to penetrate to the source of the odor to completely eliminate the smell. PureAyre has a booklet (available online in English and French) that explains useful techniques on deoderizing carpets, fabrics, furniture, floors. There's even specific advice on eliminating skunk spray from pets or eliminating odors onboard boats and RVs. 

Does it work? You betcha. In our testing, we found that PureAyre performs better and more quickly than the old scented spray. It really does seem to eliminate the unpleasant odors rather than just masking them or covering them up. And we really like the minty smell that PureAyre leaves in its wake. (We think it was smart of PureAyre to add the minty scent since most everyone is a fan of mint. But perhaps there should be a completely unscented version too for people who prefer no smells at all?)

Personally, I'm looking forward to taking a small spray bottle of PureAyre with me to Europe this fall. If I find myself in any smoky hotel rooms - or perhaps even smoky restaurants - I can take out my PureAyre and start spraying! 

Where to buy:
You can buy PureAyre online ($19.99 for 22-ounce bottle to $175 for a kit that includes a portable electric fogger).

Offline, find PureAyre at PetCo Stores (nationwide, $7.19-$10.39 on sale) and at Whole Foods (West Coast only).