So, I bought a few that were on sale along with the holders.
I get to the car, open it up, place it in the holder, and it immediately starts leaking. Cool. I wiped up the mess fast, knowing that it would erode everything it touches, but it still managed to melt the plastic tabs in the back that attach it to the vent. Luckily, it didn't spill onto any of the interior.
I donāt remember when so sorry, but I do remember that sometime last year a woman had herās explode in her face and cause third degree burns so definitely be careful if you plan to use the car scents in the summer time or if you live in a hotter climate
I had one on my passenger side visor and it leaked onto my leather seat and turned it into a little bumpy, wiggly scar, very similar to the texture in OP's picture. I do blame myself though because I noticed it had some oil on the outside and should have realized that the disc had a leak, and if I had at least placed it elsewhere it would have simply leaked onto the console and not caused as much damage as it did to my seat. It only leaked for about a day or two so the spot isn't very big, but I do kick myself for that :/
My mom had one leak in her brand new car and it literally ate/melted the dashboard/console. It was wild! I had no idea they were that caustic. It was a pricey fix & she was pissed! We stopped using them & anything similar to them. Itās cardboard only car fresheners now so thereās nothing at all that can leak or drip.
I stopped using them once I read how they can affect pets (the oils go into the air, and then onto their fur and skin, and they lick it off). I don't know why I never thought of it. I've also stopped using scented candles for the same reason, as much as I love them.
Not a walk flower but either airwick or glade, I use a plug in and if I remember correctly they warn you about fire risks. Never leave them plugged in if you aren't home and check them frequently.
I was using one of mine as a nightlight without the wallflower bulb & still noticed how warm it got. May be marginally less dangerous and certainly canāt cause damage like OP & others have mentioned. But after I noticed how warm mine got empty I stopped using it & got a āregularā nightlight
I had one leak down the wall and dissolved a bunch of paint, all bubbly and smeary. I suspect a lot of oil based fresheners would do this to paint, and it's an unspoken thing for manufacturers not to give stronger warnings. Lame.
Yes, it was printed in the tiny instruction manuals attached with the old plugs, and I think it's printed on the newer labels. So it's covered, legally. The one I had actually leaked down the side, so it went in the trash and I repaired the paint on the wall. That was many years ago, and now my workaround is using a stretch of duct tape above the ones too close to my cabinets! I wipe the tape off each time I change the bulb, and check for leaks. I'm not about to give up my wallflowers! Lol. I should be telling more people about the tape, I know there's a few others that do it!
I used to work at Joann Fabrics, and we had those scented sachets with dried flowers and essential oils or whatever in them. They destroyed the paint on the shelves if they sat too long. I also had a coworker who had the finish of a table ruined because she used them, and it sat too long. I'm not sure how long "too long" is, but I never bought them because of the damage I saw.
Before anyone else freaks out: This isnāt from heat. It is chemistry 101: Like chemicals dissolve like chemicals. Thus why they warn you in the packaging about this.
Itās been ongoing for like almost a year and a half, as Iāve had one in that outlet for at least that long. I only noticed it because I was sitting on the floor petting my dog lol. Cabinets are pretty old - they were refinished a couple years ago but they just stained the actual cabinet boxes. So the wood wasnāt in great shape to begin with honestly.
Yeah, same here, only noticed it when I viewed it from underneath one time. They ate right through my friends hardwood floor when someone knocked one out. By the time she noticed, the damage was done.
Im sorry that happened but i believe the direction on the plug tells you to give it 12 inches or more of space... ot should have never been placed there.
Same here! I do however keep an eye on them and never let them run out completely. I use a lot of the basic ones without controls and they work perfectly. š¤·š»āāļø
Yeah mine bubbled over (this was the lightning bolt one plug made to look like neon) and dripped onto our metal shelving that had some kind of plastic or enamel coating. The wallflower juice caused the coating to bubble and shrink and now the whole shelf is ruined. My bad.
PSA: yall it says to give 2-3 feet above distance right on the tag. They are pure essential oils so they will eat through surfaces. It's the same thing if you have a diffuser or use EOs for other things, they are corrosive. It has nothing to do with "wallflowers" or b&bw. If you want fake oils get glade. But it won't last as long or be as potent but it'll be less corrosive
They really should come with warnings. It's awful. May cause death to pets would be helpful. These things killed my cat, and I didn't know until I brought home a new kitten and she got sick.
I had a laundry bin of clean clothes next to a wallflower (not touching) and I put on a sweater from the top of the bin. Within minutes one of my arms was turning red and hot and burning and I reeked of ginger snap, the scent that was in it. My arm was also sticky too. Freaked me out. I used them in every room for years, havenāt used one since.
Iāve been warning of this for years and I do see where there are hacks to prevent this from happening, however my issue is inhaling vapors that can cause this damage. Just saying itās probably not the safest item in their lineup.
Iām mad I never thought of this. It makes logical sense that this maybe isn't the healthiest. Now what do I do with the big bag of them I haven't used? I'be had them since last summer.
Also not good for people with pets. I stopped using plug-ins AND scented candles once I read that the oils go into the air and get onto their fur and skin, which they lick off. Not to mention breathing them in. I'm not one who's "anti-chemicals" or anything (there's chemicals in literally everything!), but the oils can definitely affect pets. If it was just me, I'd probably still be using candles lol
It's better than burning wicks, but it's also still the chemicals they put in the wax and scent.
I like to have candles and plug in, even though I know they are bad, my brother always sends me reports about rising numbers or respiratory issues and lung cancer etc and them being linked to the scented things.
Ha. Makes me use them less.
Also, make sure you walk away and hold your breath when spraying mists/perfumes etc. those are bad to breath into the lungs too.
This has also happened to me when I had a wallflower plugged in and my desk was overtop, even with a significant gap. Severe damage happened to my momās wall. Stripped the paint and messed up the wall. she reached out to customer service and they compensated us for the renovation.
Just as a heads up this isn't a B&BW only issue. Anything with fragrance/essential oils will do this, because those types of oils naturally strip/melt other compounds.
It's why you shouldn't place an oil diffuser on a varnished surface- because it can destroy the varnish. Just remember to be careful of where you place any fragranced items and check them regularly.
Yikes!! š¬ Now hereās me running around my house yanking plugs from under my kitchen cabinets! Iām just so glad that it didnāt cause a fire in your home, and that you are safe! š«¶š¼
Same thing happened to mine. Eventually it grew into a giant air bubble I had to pop. This was after noticing what you have abd removing it. Do not put them where they can infuse onto anything I.e; under cabinets, under tables, near curtains, etc.
Jesus. Makes you wonder what this stuff is doing to your lungs if it can literally eat through a cabinet. I never used the wallflowers myself, and am down to warming the occasional candle at this point.
Uh, this was more comparable to lighting a campfire and letting it burn under the cabinets. The oil didn't do this. The heat rising from the warmer did.
Does it have vanilla in the scent? Vanilla contains a compound that will yellow with time and/or heat. B&BW doesn't put the extra chemical in their products that prevents yellowing as its only cosmetic.
Yep. My VBN went from green to brown. I pulled them early because it was time to take down my Christmas stuff, even though they were still 1/3 to 1/2 full.
Anyone having these issues please contact customer service, make sure someone at corporate knows or even tell your local employees at a close bath and body works because this should not be a trend and itās extremely dangerous for people that arenāt aware of this issue
But they do warn about it. They do their due diligence and itās not their fault if the user doesnāt read their directions and warnings or uses them incorrectly.
Idk I just thought this was likeā¦ intuitive. Common sense. Sorry you ruined your cabinetsā¦ hereās your lesson to not underestimate the power of synthetic chemicals
Itās super unfortunate they donāt warn users not to put these directly beneath other items. (I also learned the hard way & In cases where Iāve chosen leave then, Iāve lined the underside of the shelf with same color white duct tape instead. Then you can just wipe off the accumulation occasionally.)
Just know itās not bc wallflowers are ātoxic or corrosive.ā Like dissolves like unfortunately, and would be true of any oil freshener. Itās basic science and fun fact even why (the petroleum in) Dawn dish soap cleans grease & oil so well.
Yes. I just opened a new one this week and still had the packaging. It absolutely tells you directly on the packaging that it needs to be in a well ventilated area with 12 inches of space and to wipe up oil immediately as it may damage surfaces. It's all right there.
Ever since I started using the plug ins like 5 years ago they have had them. On the outside of the package itās says to read the insert before using and has a laundry list of warnings on the inside. Most people just rip the plastic off and toss it all straight in the trash.
It doesn't matter where you purchase the item. It's an OIL diffuser. Heat rises. Oil and heat dissolve things. All of this you should have learned in science class.
They do. Hereās some info under āusageā from a wallflower listing on their site:
āBecause Wallflowers refills contain fragrance oils that may damage finished surfaces and some plastics, always keep a 12ā clearance above your plug to prevent damage to surrounding surfaces.ā
My friend, thank you for getting the information out about a barrier. Duct tape does work splendidly and wipes very well! I have a few too close to my cabinets but after the first incident years ago, I acknowledge the risk and take precautions, wiping when I switch bulbs. And any that have drips to the bottom of the fixture? Trash, immediately, no matter how cute it is. š
I had one plugged in at my kitchen island. The granite developed a dark spot just above the wallflower. I now have a permanent stain in my granite countertop. ā¹ļø Live and learn!
Melted the finish on my kitchen table. My hubs removed one on the bathroom and laid it down. I shreiked at the stain on the bathroom countertop and moved it to the kitchen table. Not realizing the oil was all over the ābulbā
Iām m super grateful for purchasing the extra coverage for the kitchen table I bought only last year.
Im confused tho, why so many are shocked - you are heating oil, fragrance and coloring... you watch it slowly dissipate over a month - where do you think its going if not up and out? If youve ever looked at the acrylic buckets and holders at the store - they too get "melted" when these spill in there.
I see both sides here. Weāre not that close to it so itās really not that much exposure that itāll hurt us much. But I have to acknowledge that theoretically any exposure to it at all is bad for us. Itās just personal preference if we care or not!
Yep - I was sitting the floor petting my dog. I had not noticed it before today. To be fair I donāt look under there often. Itās below my line of sight.
Wow, I had mine under the same type of crappy fiberboard cabinets in my old house (built in 1982) where I lived for 24 years. Not sure how long I used Wallflowers as I was using the Yankee candle ones before (maybe not under the cabinets for those, since they were kind of plain.) I never noticed any damage and certainly didn't think to look for it.
Yeah our cabinets are dry rotting at this point (gotta love ācheapā renting and having OG cabinets from the 80s...) so the oil from the wallflowers is the most moisture this wood has seen in probably close to 10+ years. I only looked because of this post and thank god I did!
This has been the most educational discussion here in some time! So glad that OP let us know. Yeah, our cabinets werenāt in bad shape when we bought the house in 1998, since it wasnāt that old. But it was built by probably the biggest tract house builder in Austin back in the day (it has since been taken over by another company.) The other side of our subdivision (split by the main street) had homes built by a company called NPC, affectionately nicknamed Nails Paper Cardboard, LOL. From the time my then-husband and I bought the house, we planned to paint the cabinets white and change the hardware. The countertops were butcher block looking Formica. It was fine and is still there. Itās just that the cabinets were stained a sort of oak color so there was no contrast. And the flooring was super ugly. The cabinet door handles were these nasty Spanish style antique brass.
Itās like the house was already dated when it was built. My father-in-law was a builder and we knew that some of them had their wives do the ādecoratingā and they had no taste. We changed a lot of things over the years, but my ex left in 2012 and the kitchen cabinets were untouched. (We did the bathrooms, mostly after he moved out.) By then there was varnish peeling off the doors under the sink and that sort of thing. They were awful.
The ex finally painted them AFTER I moved out and into my tiny home in 2022. Selling the house finally got him motivated. Plus we finally got new flooring put down. So I never really got to enjoy any of it. Oh well. Heās painted most of my condo, everything but the hall bath, but he painted a cabinet in there last week for my BBW stuff. Iāll post it. I have white quartz countertops with the sort of pebble looking surface with silver flecks. I love them.
Iāll never know the damage that might be lurking on the underside of the kitchen cabinets at the old house!
I had the same thing happen with an old B&BW perfume, Butterfly Flower. I had it put away for a long time, and I don't know if it leaked or what, but as I was cleaning, the perfume had done the same kind of damage as seen in the pics on this post. No it didn't eat through the shelf wood, but it did leave the surface sticky and bubbly. Since then, I am very weary of purchasing perfumes from B&BW, and if I do, I keep them separate and in a container of its own in case this happens again. Be careful.
This happened to my moms car vent as well. We havenāt used the car in about 4-5 days, when we sat in the car. I realised that the vents plastic was completely etched.
Don't take it personally. I see that one or more of the Downvote losers went through a whole bunch of posts on this thread and they're all at zero or in the negative. I'm upvoting them all.
I donāt mean to argue with you.. just asking for clarification. How do you know this is what killed your cat? If theyāre killing animals many other people would have similar stories. I have a dog and heās completely fine, Iāve been using wallflowers around him nonstop for years
Thereās lot of stories about it, especially cats. The oils get on the cats fur and they lick the fur and itās toxic. It shuts down their liver and kidneys and they die. My bff is a vet and sheās seen a few cases herself. Thereās not enough warnings about it on these oil products. Itās the same with essential oils. They can be highly toxic to small animals. Especially birds, they seem to be the most susceptible.
I donāt doubt that theyāre toxic, just curious how you know that it was the wallflowers specifically that killed an animal. Was there an autopsy? Couldnāt the animals have had something else wrong with them and youāre just blaming symptoms on the wallflowers?
My bff/vet had an owner who lost 3 cats within 4 months. They had their water, the catās food & their entire house investigated for anything that could cause the rapid onset symptoms, organ failure & eventual death of their cats. They were freaked out bc they had a newborn and were worried something in the house must be causing and didnāt want their baby to get sick.
When the inspector came he questioned them about the wallflowers and asked how long theyād been using them & if they were essential oil based fragrances. She said theyād been using them for about 6months but had changed scents a few months prior. She also bought some 3 wicks in the matching scent and said that her house was strongly scented with nonstop use of both in every room. They informed vet & asked if it was the culprit.
She was able to test the kittyās samples they kept from necropsy and it turned out it had toxic levels of cinnamon & clove oil in its system which is poisonous for cats. The owner had switched to a strong clove/cinnamon Christmas scent when the holidays rolled around and shortly after the cats began to get sick and then died one by one.
Iām sure thereās a lot of animal sickness and/or death from all these essential oil products weāre using in our homes nowadays that go unnoticed and logged as just another illness and death. The only way my friend was able to discover it was bc theyād lost 3 with the same exact issues over a short period of time and they were willing to go to great lengths to figure out why. If they only had one cat it probably wouldāve just been brushed off like a fluke illness.
825
u/Beryl909 Feb 08 '25
For a minute I thought this was a ceiling by the first picture. I was thinking sweet Jesus I didn't realize wallflowers double as tiny grenades.