On June 29 2019, the Facebook page “Be My Guest” shared a meme about the purportedly widespread, incorrect use of Glade brand air fresheners (archived here):
Under text reading “I’ve been doing it wrong all my life,” two Glade air fresheners were displayed. On the left, with a red X, was what is likely the way most people open the product: unscrewed from the bottom. On the right, this with a green checkmark, the familiar air freshener is shown unscrewed from the top to expose a center core rather than the scented substance.
The claim was not new; a YouTube video from August 2018 makes the same claim (but somehow stretches it out to over six minutes of exposition):
In the comments, a viewer transcribes the directions from a similar Glade Air Freshener and declares that the video’s claim is correct:
DIRECTIONS FOR USE: Tear away wrap at the bottom where it’s marked “peel & tear here to open.” Twist and lift cap to activate. Place solid air freshener anywhere in your home to enjoy continuous freshness. USES: Any room where continuous fragrance is needed.
Similar directions are listed on the Glade website:
Tear away wrap at the bottom where it’s marked “peel & tear here to open”.
Twist and lift cap to activate.
Place solid air anywhere in your home to enjoy continuous freshness.
Based on the written instructions, it is easy to conclude the images are accurate and Glade air fresheners are intended to be opened as they are in the image on the right side of the meme. The Glade website does not feature images of the back side of the packaging, just the front.
However, an Amazon listing for “Glade Solid Air Freshener, Clean Linen, 6-Ounce (Pack of 6)” featured the packaging from several angles, including a diagram of the intended manner of use (ie, how to unscrew the container properly):
On Twitter, @Glade confirmed that the instructions above are accurate, and that the original poster was not “doing it wrong” after all:
Instructions for use printed on Glade air fresheners are ambiguous as written, but the illustrations that accompany the text on the packaging make them clear. As the packaging demonstrates, the containers are supposed to twist up from the bottom to expose the colored, scented solid air freshener. Images showing the product unscrewed from the top and exposing the center core do not accurately show its intended use.