What do you know about Febreze?

My boss occasionally comments that working at MOHAI is like "stepping back in time." This is not a nasty comment about the organization being backwards or even a cheesy statement about how magical museums can be--it is about the people we deal with. Both she and I get contacted by the public with questions and donation offers. The people we talk to are usually old, and when asking them to send you relevant information you have to ask questions like, "do you have access to the internet?" and "do you know anyone who has ever used a scanner?"

The other day I received a letter that completely boggled my 27-year old brain. It was addressed to my predecessor, but it fell to me to answer it. It was from a woman who had written previously about a mold problem that had appeared on some vintage garments. While treating the dresses according to my predecessor's advice, a friend of hers had added her own twist: after treating the garments she was spraying them with Febreze. Now if you are a conservator you are recoiling in horror, but to those of you without that background, just know that generally it is never a good idea to just spray random chemicals in the direction of historic fabric. Plus, a simple read of the label proves that Febreze makes no claims about killing mold or treating mildew- all it is is a "fabric refresher."

But her unwise conservation decisions were not what surprised me. I went to grad school to learn things the average person doesn't know, so I shouldn't be shocked that the general public isn't as up on clothing care as I am. The surprise was that she had never heard of Febreze. The letter explained that her friend had discovered this fascinating product called Febreze and she was writing to ask if I had any knowledge of, or experience with this mysterious new invention.

But the even more astonishing thing was this: the communication was sent in the form of a hand written letter, and the writer enclosed a self-addressed envelope for me to send my reply. A self-addressed envelope in which to send my reply. In other words, for this woman, there was no way for her to get information about Febreze other than by picking up a pen, writing a letter to her local history museum, and waiting for her letter carrier to bring the reply several days letter.

I was so charmed that I dropped everything and responded right away (although my letter was typed and printed out). I tried to be as diplomatic, non-condescending, and helpful as I could. I feel a little bad for making fun of her on this blog, but I think this is a case where the internet is a pretty safe forum.