Deodorising sprays in Japan

It’s been quite a while since the last time I translated a DIMSDRIVE survey, so I’m quite happy to present this one from them on deodorising sprays, which you should note excludes personal hygene-related products!

Demographics

Between the 9th and 15th of April 2013 7,089 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.4% of the sample were male, 0.4% in their teens, 4.4% in their twenties, 18.6% in their thirties, 30.6% in their forties, 25.7% in their fifties, and 20.3% aged sixty or older.

My wife uses a lot of them every day! When we hang our quilts out to air, we use one which is supposed to prevent pollen sticking to the covers, so I suppose that’s OK, but just about every fabric surface in the house also gets sprayed with various potions that don’t seem to do much except make the floor a little sticky! It also seems a cop-out on the housework; shall I do some detailed cleaning, or shall I just squirt something over everything that doesn’t move?

Research results

Q1: What household smells are you concerned about? (Sample size=7,089, multiple answer)

Toilet smells	36.1%
Drain smells	31.5%
Rubbish smells	31.1%
Sweat, body odour	27.8%
Fried food and other post-cooking smells	27.3%
Washing, clothes smells (including drying smells)	22.2%
Shoe smells	21.7%
Tobacco smells	19.1%
Mold, etc smells	18.3%
Pet smells	12.6%
Vehicle smells	9.8%
Other	1.0%
Not concerned about any household smells	21.0%

Q2: Do you currently use a commercial deodoriser (excluding body use items) at home? (Sample size=7,089)

Yes (to SQ1)	62.0%
No (to SQ9)	34.3%
Don’t know	3.7%

Q2SQ1: What kinds of deodorisers do you use? (Sample size=4,399, multiple answer)

Toilet use	72.2%
Room use	65.7%
Clothes, fabric use	44.3%
Refrigerator use	23.6
Rubbish, drain use	14.5%
Pet use	8.3%
Bath use	2.9%
Other	1.4%
Don’t know	0.7%

Q2SQ2: What style of deodoriser delivery mechanisms do you use? (Sample size=4,399, multiple answer)

Mist spray	68.2%
Counter-top	40.5%
Hanging (in closet, etc)	14.7%
Spray can	10.2%
Other	0.4%
Don’t know	2.8%

Q2SQ3: How often do you use these sprays? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users)

Every day	15.5%
Five or six times a week	7.0%
Three or four times a week	17.6%
Once or twice a week	31.9%
Twice or thrice a month	14.5%
Once a month	4.4%
Less than once a month	6.1%
Don’t know	3.0%

Q2SQ4: What scents are the sprays you are currently using? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Unscented	28.9%
Floral (other than lavender, rose)	19.5%
Greenery, forest	17.7%
Green tea	17.0%
Citrus	12.9%
Soap	12.7%
Rose	12.2%
Lavender	10.2%
Herb	6.2%
Mint	6.2%
Non-citrus fruit	3.2%
Tropical	2.6%
Other	1.2%
Don’t know	5.6%

Q2SQ5: What kinds of items do you use these sprays on? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Clothes (other than suits, just dried clothes)	48.8%
Suits, uniforms	43.9%
Carpets, rugs	43.3%
Bed, pillows	41.8%
Curtains	40.7%
Sofa, cushions	40.0%
Bags, shoes, hats, etc	20.9%
Just dried clothes	15.9%
Vehicles	13.1%
Kotatsu (hot table)	12.3%
Pet items	5.4%
Baby items	0.8%
Other	1.2%
Don’t know	0.3%

Q2SQ6: Where do you buy these sprays? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Drug store	77.2%
Supermarket	33.0%
Home centre	24.9%
Discount store	15.5%
100 yen shop	3.7%
Mail-order	1.5%
Convenience store	0.9%
Other	0.3%
Don’t remember	0.2%
Don’t buy them myself	1.9%

Q2SQ7: What brand do you use the most? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users)

Febreeze (P&G)	57.5%
Resesh (Kao)	28.5%
Flair Fragrance Clothes Refresh Mist (Kao)	4.8%
Look Kirei no Mist Bedding Use (Lion)	1.1%
Style Care Clothes Mist (Kao)	1.0%
Unscented Air and Cloth Deodorant Mist (Kobayashi Seiyaku)	0.9%
Room Deodorant Power Scented Shower (Este)	0.8%
Clothes Style Guard (Lion)	0.5%
Fansu (Daiichi Sekken)	0.1%
Clothes Kirei Kirei (Lion)	0.1%
Naturease (Kobayashi Seiyaku)	0.1%
Air Deodorant Ion Mist (Okamoto Sangyou)	0.1%
Habinasu Deodorant Mist (Vision)	0.1%
Aller-jet (Fumikilla)	0.0%
Etiquette and Travel Clothes Deodorant Spray (Koji Honpo)	0.0%
Gatsby Wear Deodorant Spray (Mandom)	0.0%
Other	1.8%
Don’t know	2.5%

Q2SQ8: What are the important points regarding clothes and fabric deodorant sprays? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Strong deodoring power	55.7%
Kind of scent	53.2%
Price	45.6%
Has refill packs	28.8%
Has anti-bacterial effect	26.4%
No, little effect on people	22.1%
Doesn’t discolour items easily	21.5%
Easy to use, easy to grip	20.3%
Active ingredients like green tea extract, silver ions, etc	20.0%
Unscented	19.2%
Strong, weak scent	18.8%
Capacity of spray	18.4%
Long-lasting scent	16.0%
Maker, brand	15.6%
Fineness of mist	13.5%
Quick-drying	9.2%
Number of sprays per bottle	7.9%
Bottle design	4.8%
Can use as hayfever countermeasure	4.4%
Bottle shape	4.3%
Other	0.1%
Nothing in particular	1.3%

This final question was for those who do not use deodorants.

Q2SQ9: Why do you not use deodorants? (Sample size=2,431, those who don’t use deodorant, multiple answer)

Not necessary to use	21.1%
Expensive	17.7%
Don’t like the smell	17.4%
Deodorant effect is (seems) poor	15.5%
No products I might want to buy	10.5%
Not good for humans, pets	9.7%
Difficult to use	4.2%
Discolours items	3.2%
Use something other than commercial products	2.1%
Might leave a smell of gas, etc	1.8%
Not sold in the shops I frequent	0.5%
Other	2.6%
No particular reason	31.4%