Before you read this post, watch this video. Trust me.
If you haven’t heard about this YouTube sensation, well now you know. The folks in marketing for Poo-Pourri should get a gold medal. This delightfully offensive commercial has resulted in a huge increase in sales for the company, and I have to admit it got me intrigued. I was skeptical, but I ordered a bottle just to see if all the buzz was warranted. I’ll spare you all of the gory details – but suffice it to say that the product actually works.
I blog about workplace issues, and in a dark humor sort of way, Poo-Pourri has relevance. As the commercial states “nothing is worse than stinking up the shared toilet at work”, and so Poo-Pourri can be every working woman’s (and man’s) worst kept secret. So here goes – my Poo-Pourri review – stop blushing, we all go.
First – it comes in a super cute bottle that could easily pass as a purse sized hair product. The starter package, which I ordered, also comes with a travel size that looks like those breath sprays that cheesy guys used to use. So inconspicuous? Check! But does it actually do what it claims?
The instructions say to shake, and spray 4-6 sprays onto the surface of the water in the bowl until covered. The bottle I received said it would smell like lavender, but it smelled more like a mild citrus cleaning product – which is great for flying under the radar. The scent isn’t really what matters with this product, however. It’s not an air freshener, and it doesn’t cover up unwanted odor with perfumes. I’m not 100% on the science behind it, but the oils in the spray seem to make a film on the water that traps smells inside. I can’t tell you how much I expected this product not to work. I was thinking back to my disappointment when Febreeze first came out, and it was just an oddly smelling perfume spray for stinky items. I expected to have a lemony scented experience that only slightly masked the true culprit. Much to my shock (and excitement) there was truly no smell. I was in serious disbelief. You could truly use this product in all of the scenarios mentioned in the commercial – work, a party, your boyfriend’s and you could keep all of your dignity intact.
So why am I going public about one of the most private and embarrassing things that we all do? I have to admit, I went back and forth on posting this review, but ultimately, I felt it would be helpful to a professional woman laden with workplace anxieties. It’s kind of sad, but I don’t remember any lessons my mom taught me as a kid more vividly than the admonishment that I should always wait until I got home to do my worst… no matter what! For some reason those words have stuck in my head for decades and so I have compromised workplace productivity due to discomfort. It’s nice to know that I now have a secret weapon in my purse for emergencies. I can honor my mom’s rule while avoiding unnecessary “tummy troubles”. I don’t know how much use I’ll get out of my Poo-Pourri, but just knowing it is there is pretty nice indeed.
So if you’ve been considering purchasing the product you saw advertised in that hilarious YouTube video that caught your attention, I say go for it. In my opinion, it’s worth the money and can be a godsend for professionals who, like all human beings, feel the call of nature- sometimes at inopportune times.