Solid Room Deodorizers Or Fresheners
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Home Workshop Tools & Equipment · CPSC Code 974
Down 27% over 5 years
The verdict
Solid Room Deodorizers Or Fresheners carry a danger score of 31/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 1,026 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 27% over the last five years.
- 31/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 1,026
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 5.5%
- end in hospital admission
- 0-4
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 974 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 31/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for solid room deodorizers or fresheners - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume1,026 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)5.5%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-27%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Solid Room Deodorizers Or Fresheners (CPSC product code 974, in the Home Workshop Tools & Equipment category) generate an estimated 1,026 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 20,519 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 31/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 27% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2017 (2,765 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2008 (80 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for solid room deodorizers or fresheners is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,601 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burns, thermal to the face (1,199 cases). The 0-4 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 7,398 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 5.5% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 39 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how solid room deodorizers or fresheners fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 3,913 | 3,485 | |
| 5-14 | 1,471 | 1,175 | |
| 15-24 | 1,178 | 1,584 | |
| 25-34 | 923 | 1,266 | |
| 35-44 | 703 | 1,432 | |
| 45-54 | 481 | 1,079 | |
| 55-64 | 549 | 640 | |
| 65-74 | 43 | 445 | |
| 75+ | 107 | 47 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Poisoning | |
| Face | Burns, Thermal | |
| Hand | Burns, Thermal | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| All Parts Body | Anoxia | |
| Ear | Foreign Body | |
| Hand | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Face | Burn, Scald | |
| Eyeball | Derma/conjunct | |
| Upper Trunk | Other | |
| Head | Internal Injury | |
| Hand | Burn, Scald | |
| Finger | Burns, Thermal | |
| Face | Laceration |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
22YOF WENT TO URGENT CARE THIS AM DUE TO CLEANING A WAX MELT WITH HER TOOTHBRUSH, THEN BRUSHED HER TEETH. URGENT CARE WAS CONCERNED AND TOLD HER IT WAS AN ALLERGIC REACTION. DX: SORE THROAT, STREPTOCOCCAL SORE THRAOT, THROAT PAIN, ACUTE NON-RECURRENT STEPTOCOCCAL TONSILLITIS
65YOF STATES THAT SHE HAD A TART BURNER ON HER STOVE WHEN A FIRE STARTED AND SHE BURNED HER RIGHT HAND NOTHING STATED ABOUT THE FIRE DEPARTMENT DX: THERMAL BURN TO RIGHT HAND
30YOM STATES HE WAS RECENTLY EXPOSED TO INCENSED FLAME AND SUSTAINED A SMALL BURN TO HIS LEFT LOWER EYELID AND PERHAPS HIS EYE AS WELL. NO EYE PAIN BUT SEVERE PHOTOPHOBIA. FD INVOLVEMENT UNKNOWN. DX: ABRASION TO LEFT CORNEA; BURN
30YOF FROM HOME WAS MELTING AIR FRESHENER WAX WHEN IT CAUGHT FIRE, GRABBED THE POT OF WAX TO THROW IT OUT AND SUSTAINED SCALD BURN TO THE BACK OF LEFT HAND AND LEFT FOOT, FIRE DEPARTMENT UNKNOWN DX: PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN TO HAND, PARTIAL THICKNESS BURN TO FOOT
64 YOM WAS LIGHTING INCENSE WHILE WEARING OXYGEN AND IT FLASH BURNED HIS FACE 2 DAYS AGO, UNKNOWN FIRE DEPARTMENT. DX: FACIAL BURN
58YOF WAS A SHELTER WHEN SOMEONE LITE AN INCENSE STICK AND SHE INHALED THE FUMES AND STARTED WHEEZING DX: INHALATION
45YOM WAS SCRATCHING HIS EAR WITH AN INCENSE STICK AND NOW HAS SEVERE PAIN DX: PERFORATED TYMPANIC MEMBRANE
57YOM PRESENTING FOLLOWING POKING HIMSELF IN THE L EYE WITH A BURNING INCENSE STICK. DX: LT EYE INJURY
69YOM FLASH BURNS TO FACE FOLLOWING BURNING INCENSE, BURNS TO FACE, CHAR TO BILATERAL NARES, LEFT NECK BURN, DX: FACIAL BURNS
35YOF PRESENTS WITH LIP SWELLING (NO TONGUE/THROAT INVOLVEMENT) AFTER BOBA AND NEW CAR FRESHENER. DX: ALLERGIC REACTION, ANGIOEDEMA,
3YOF PRESENTS WITH FATHER COMPLAINING OF EYE INJURY. FATHER STATES HE THNKS PATIENT GOT SOME *** POWDER FOR CARPET IN HER EYE. DX: CORNEAL ABRASION
3YOM TOOK A BITE OUT OF A *** AIR FRESHENER SCENTED DISC THINKING IT WAS A CUPCAKE NOW HE'S GOT NAUSEOUS VOMITING WITH A DRY COUGH DX: TOXIC EFFECT OF SOLID AIR FRESHENER
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
Caller purchased Linen sachet August 25th, 2012 and while driving home with the sachet still unopened she began having a very bad headache with an acrid taste in her mouth. Her daughter said it smelled musky to her. When caller arrived home she placed the still unopened bag of sachet in one room and went to another, then the acrid taste and headache went away. She returned to the retailer September 5th, 2012 to return the sachet still unopened but was told that they did not accept clearance items back to store regardless of reason but advised her to contact CPSC. She has not contacted the manufacturer and has no way to contact them since there is no information other than the country of manufacture. She has had no medical treatment She picked the sachet back up to look at it while calling report in to hotline then headache and acrid taste in her mouth began returning so she put it back in the other room. She would like to have the ingredients tested.
Walmart Product Mainstays Electric Wax Warmer, for use with wax cubes, has been in use at our residence. Our son complained that the Wax Warmer became too hot to burn more than 30 minutes at one time. The ceramic container itself becomes hot to the touch. The Wal-Mart Stores scan code for this product is: 7 21366 01040 2. Above the bar code is the information: White - MS15-059-012-03. We wanted to let you know about our concerns of unattended Wax Warmers possibly starting a fire.
So, our 60-lb dog was dxd with atypical Hypothyroidism this past May, 2023 & started on thyro meds. He did great. Then ~5-6 weeks later, mid-June, he began displaying increasingly worrisome neurological symptoms (sx), which began with confusion, nystagmus, an eye squint (Id initially thought maybe hed scratched it on a hike, but then the other sx presented & worsened), a serious flinch/head dip whenever wed reach toward him as if he was experiencing depth perception difficulty, a pronounced head tilt/wobble, difficulty walking (ataxia), uncoordination, weakness, body sores. When we consulted our vet, we both wondered if the new meds may be the cause, so we stopped them. However, the sx all worsened that week, to the point he was crying frequently, sleeping/staying in bed a lot, walking sideways with a sidewinder-like walk (an inability to walk forward in a straight path at times), & fairly unable to navigate his world here, but we noted he would get a bit better once we were outside on our daily walks, or just outside in general. So, the thyro meds were restarted, per the vet, along w/ Prednisone, in case it was a tumor, or similar, until our appt with the neurologist a couple of weeks out. A few days later, we decided to all go away for 4th of July. Within a day, his sx all radically decreased there. 1-2 days later his sx were pretty much gone. We counted our blessings that he had greatly improved, & figured maybe hed had another episode similar to one hed had late December, 2022, although it wasnt exactly the same experience (and we NOW suspect the December episode may have been the first one related to the Bath & Body Works Wallflowers Home Fragrance PlugIns b/c I started using them more regularly around the early winter holidays). After returning back home a few days later (around 7 pm), he again displayed the same sx the next morning (12 hours!). So, I figured, its something in this house precipitating these sx. My first thought was the multiple B&BW W
Our Scentsy melting dish exploded in fire last night, the inside is all black and it burned a hole thru the bottom burned the doily and table top under it. The wiring under the bulb socket shorted out and melted the wires. I immediately contacted Scentsy via email and was sent an automated response stating that Sentdy would be in contact within 2 business days, to date iv NOT heard from them. I truly believe this is a fire safety issue that needs to be addressed promptly! I have pictures but your web site is not allowing me to use my Ipad. Thank you, [REDACTED]
I bought the Air Wick Color Changing air freshener which is a candle inside a frosted cup. The frosted cup changes color when the candle is lit (or when it feels warm, such as the touch of a hand). When the candle wick reached the bottom, the battery and mechanism at the bottom of the cup exploded and the wax flew all over the surrounding area (walls, picture frames, furniture, carpet, stairs, jackets hanging on the wall, toys). I found the pieces of the battery as far as 20 feet away from the candle. There were three distinct battery pieces that flew off the device to different locations. Thankfully, my children were not at home during the explosion, and no injuries were sustained. But from the look of where everything flew and the hot wax that flew on the walls this could have caused very serious burns and injuries to my children.
One of the light bulbs popped on my truck wax warmer. I have several of these and have never had an issue so I thought maybe it was just the bulb in the light. I turned it on today and shortly after the other bulb popped and that along with my TV and other truck warmer that I have plugged in the surge protector went off and I could smell something burning. I immediately unplugged both of the warmers from the surge protector. It messed up the surge protector and threw my breaker. The product was a scentsational truck warmer in black. I have them in other colors as well but I don't think I'll be using any of these anymore since I fear what might have happened if it wasn't connected to a surge protector
Wax warmer purchased from Family Dollar will not power off in off position, must be unplugged to turn off
This report concerns the Better Homes and Garden Wall Accent Wax Warmer sold at Walmart. The switch malfunctioned. First I turned it on and when I came back a few hours later it was off. I turned the switch on again and noticed that it was loose. I started to walk away and the switch shot out of the unit and hit the bathroom door quite forcefully. I guess it was from the spring in the unit. I attempted to put the switch back in the receptacle and the unit sparked and got very hot. I took it out of the wall and almost burned myself. I don't know why this happened but I would assume there is something faulty with the mechanism inside. The video shows that currently the switch freely moves back and forth without resistance.
Showing 8 of 39 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to solid room deodorizers or fresheners on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are solid room deodorizers or fresheners?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, solid room deodorizers or fresheners have a danger score of 31/100 (low risk). An estimated 1,026 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from solid room deodorizers or fresheners?
The most common injury is poisoning to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 4,601 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from solid room deodorizers or fresheners increasing or decreasing?
Down 27% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for solid room deodorizers or fresheners injuries?
The 0-4 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 7,398 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by solid room deodorizers or fresheners?
Of all ER visits involving solid room deodorizers or fresheners, approximately 5.5% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (94.5%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with solid room deodorizers or fresheners?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Home Workshop Tools & Equipment
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 31/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 0-4 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.