Yes, I’ve added my preference for natural products in my profile and will mention it to pet parents from now on!
Thanks for the suggestion but seeing as our indoor cats have all lived very healthy lives for at least 18 years each and up to 21 I think it is safe to say that the products we use are safe and do not pose any threat to them. And we trust our veterinary hospital that sells the type and scent of litter we use. 
Do you consider it your duty to warn others about the dangers of alcohol, non-organic food, chemical fertilizers in their yard/garden, sugary drinks in their fridge, etc? If you feel strongly about a lifestyle choice that is perfectly legal and commonplace, you need to screen your sits better, not try to convert HOs. I am vegetarian but it would be very arrogant of me to tell a HO that they shouldn’t eat meat.
You may have good intentions, but it is patronizing and controlling to impose your views on HOs. For all you know, they may have done their own research and concluded that the benefits outweigh any risks.
“hearing” about something is not a strong motivator for me to change my behaviour. If we believe everything we hear, we might end up believing planet earth is flat.
We are all free adults who make free choices; I don’t intend to educate anyone, much less to tell a HO what products to use in their home or how to look after their pets. If I got some kind of reaction that could clearly be attributed to a product during a sit, I would have to see how strong the reaction was, try to mitigate it as much as possible, and ultimately talk to the owners and see if we could find a solution together.
As a physician I used to try to educate people about scents. I would point out to them that I could trace their location in the building following their perfume. That it was difficult to get their scented products off of my hands and coat after I left them. How it could affect their health.
I’m not sure it helped.
My own mother with severe asthma has a household similar to what you describe and I’ve tried for years to get her to stop. The only thing that worked was my husband once had a migraine triggered by an essential oil she had, and he was going to stay in a hotel for the night. Since then, the smells disappeared for our visits and later she admitted her asthma was better.
When we do housesits or go into an Air BnB we definitely unplug the scents, move some to a closet, buy our own cleaning products. But I wouldn’t try changing a homeowners mind about them or buy different products for them.
There are many substances that we can smell. Fruits and flowers and faeces. Which ones do you try to educate people about?
@pietkuip Come on, I think it’s clear we’re talking about artificial scents
Those are the exact same kinds of molecules. And the expensive perfumes are totally natural.
Thanks so much, tlubkin : ) Perhaps because you’re a doctor people reading these posts will trust your input more, and will understand that artificial fragrances in our household products are factually harmful to life.
Thanks, Deb. I don’t have allergies, I haven’t had this issue before and my messages to them which I re-read 10x before sending : ) are incredibly nice and non-threatening. Some people are simply not open. They approach life with resistance and denial. Everyone else I’ve pet sat for has been open and also used eco, human and animal friendly products.
I meant artificial scents but it can be any.
People can be allergic or sensitive (one example is causing migraines ) to any scent, but with artificial scents you add to it the smell extra molecules of preservatives, fixatives, solvents, aerosols which are inhaled and can cause chronic problems just like poor outdoor air quality.
Within a doctors office, or any public place, one risk is of an exposing others to the risk of reactions. For example many hospitals now prohibit certain lillies in bouquets because of allergic reactions.
Thankfully people have the choice to use or not use them. It’s not really up to us to tell other people, especially totally unrelated individuals, how to live.
If that were the case, where would we draw the line?
THANKS FOR ALL YOUR INPUT, THS community. I’ve concluded that since even on this forum there is so much resistance to the idea that artificial fragrances are harmful, the way forward is to clearly indicate in my profile and when I speak to a HO that I need to avoid artificial fragrances/scented household products. Thank you to @Tlubkin, @Kbco and @anon10466095 for acknowledging the validity of the situation.
I would not tell someone what to do, but there are ways of sharing info that are perfectly legit, especially if the info could save them and their pets from chronic nagging conditions or worse.
@LFM Whether something is harmful or not, adults can make their own decisions. We all know smoking is harmful, yet many people smoke. As someone who is very sensitive to smells, I would never sit in the home of a smoker. But I don’t feel it’s my place to tell others how to live their lives.
As sitters, we can decide what situations we are willing to sit in. I’ve been in some overly fragranced homes and I can typically air them out and remove things like diffuser sticks and plug in air fresheners. I have on occasion re-washed bedding with my own detergent since the hosts used highly fragranced detergent. When I’m traveling by car, I bring my own air purifier and typically put it in the bedroom. If you only want to sit in homes that use all natural products, just add it to your profile and application and discuss it in the video chat. I have sat in many homes that only used natural products, so there are sits out there that meet your criteria.
I don’t think that most forum members are dismissing the idea that artificial fragrances are harmful. We disagree with the idea that you need to educate HOs on how to live their lives. Why do you think that you know more than the HOs about this topic?
I think if it’s that important to you, don’t do the sit. If you have advised them of the issues with chemicals and cats and they choose not to listen, it really is up to them I guess.
If the animals appear healthy and not stressed, you can’t tell owners what to do in their own homes.
They are exactly the same molecules as the scents in nature. It was in an elementary chemistry class in highschool that we synthesized isoamyl acetate which smells like bananas, precisely because it is the same molecule as in bananas.
Or vanillin. There are just not enough vanilla orchids, so most vanilla flavour in food is chemically synthesized, some as a byproduct of cellulosa production from wood. Vanillin - Wikipedia
Some chemicals make you cry, like syn-propanethial-S-oxide but it is the same molecule as in onions.
What it comes down to: Even if what the OP believes were irrefutably proven, hosts could still choose and live as they please and decide what they want for their pets.
Some might be open to hearing what you have to say and you might be able to influence some. But ultimately if you can’t deal with the fact that people have freedom of choice, that’s unfortunate but such is life.
When it comes to dealbreakers for sits, it saves time and avoids unnecessary trouble if you’re upfront at the outset. And bemoaning that hosts don’t want to switch and/or pay for your spending for substitute products is unrealistic when they never agreed to that in the first place.
Apart from @pietkuip, I don’t think anyone has shown any resistance, most of us have simply said that people can make their own choices, especially when it comes to their homes and pets and it’s not a sitter’s job to educate homeowners.
That is exactly the advice you’ve been given by most people on this forum.