These Little Beads Completely Remove the Dog Smell Embedded in my Vacuum
I always have at least one dog in my house (as God demands). Right now there are TWO! So there’s dog hair… all over… constantly. One rarely discussed part of having — and tidying up after — dogs in your house is that your vacuum will smell like dog. It’s not horrible, but it’s obnoxious to be cleaning and have your vacuum emitting a hot dog smell (not to be confused with a hotdog smell, which would be better tbh). I took my Dyson vacuum into the Dyson Hospital a few months ago because I thought it was broken, and the absolutely lovely Dyson expert not only told me my vacuum wasn’t broken, but answered all my Dyson questions including, “How do I make my vacuum stop smelling like dog.” It was bittersweet to hear this was completely normal, and my vacuum actually smelled pretty good compared to some of the other doggy ones they see (gross!). So I wasn’t disgusting, but there wasn’t really anything to do. The Dyson Wizard told me most people who are bothered by it just vacuum up something that smells nicer than dog hair and see if that helps.
I didn’t want to sprinkle baking soda or potpourri on my floor and then clean it up in hopes of it deodorizing my vacuum, so I just accepted my fate and tried to ignore the scent every time I ran the vacuum. Then I was troubleshooting (AKA shopping) and I discovered Fresh Wave Odor Removing Vacuum Beads. I’d used some Fresh Wave products before, and these beads had good reviews, so I ordered a bottle. These are basically just little beads you put in your vacuum canister and then as you vacuum they deodorize. When you clean out the canister the beads go in the trash with all the dog hair, or whatever it is you vacuum at your house.
It is not nearly sufficient for me to say the Fresh Wave Odor Removing Vacuum Beads work. They do, but like, they DO. Running my vacuum was like being faced with the scent of every dog that has set foot in my home all at once. It made me feel like while I was cleaning, I was also dirtying. These beads make it smell like NOTHING. Occasionally I get a faint whiff of the scent of the beads themselves, but that’s it. I never expected these to work so well, but they do, and now I can’t vacuum my house without them.
Before vacuuming, you simply measure out a capful of beads and pop them into your vacuum canister. BUT! A tip for anyone using a Dyson or other canister vacuum with a similar setup: Be careful how you drop those beads in. If you just pour them in they will go in the center which will just lead them to fall out of the vacuum. Pour around the sides. I also do all of this over my kitchen sink, so that if any bead goes rogue I don’t have to worry about a dog eating it. The beads are tiny and translucent and virtually impossible to find if you drop them, and while these beads are non-toxic and non-hazardous to people and pets, I don’t think that applies to eating them, or at least I don’t want to need to know.
Having a stank-ass vacuum is apparently unavoidable if you live with animals, but you CAN breathe easier with Fresh Wave Odor Removing Vacuum Beads. They really, actually do what they promise, and a chore that used to make me feel like a stinky failure now makes me feel accomplished and tidy.
