Dubai, UAE, March 16, 2016:   The Febreze Glass House Challenge proves to special guests Hatoon Kadi and Chef Osama El-Sayed that Febreze does not mask odours but truly eliminates them, leaving behind a subtle fragrance and transforming homes from Smelly to Smiley!

Dubai, March 14th, Monday: Saudi Comedian Hatoon Kadi and renowned master Chef, Osama El Sayed, took the Febreze Glass House Challenge to fight off the Middle East’s toughest household odours at a press event here in Dubai. A recent survey run by Febreze, revealed that the smell of  ‘Keshna’ (a combination of fried onions, garlic, ginger and spices used as a base in popular Saudi dishes) is considered  by the people in the region  as the toughest and most common household odour. Febreze invited Hatoon and Chef Osama to take on the Febreze Glass House Challenge and prove the superiority of Febreze against ‘Keshna’ in the ultimate battle against household odours!

Set up in the heart of Dubai’s THE BEACH by Meraas the Febreze Glass House was the perfect stage to fight the Middle East’s most persistent household odours. The day started with Chef Osama cooking up a delicious mixture of ‘Keshna’ to create the smells of garlic and onions within the Glass House. After having filled the house with pungent ‘Keshna’ smells, Hatoon and Chef Osama along with Pieter Hommez, R&D expert at P&G, put Febreze to the test. 

Febreze proved to be up to the challenge as it not only eliminated the pungent odour as opposed to simply masking the odour, but it also left behind a fresh fragrance. Leading Saudi comedian Hatoon was invited as special guest into the house to experience the freshness first hand for herself. Speaking on her experience, Hatoon commented, “Having entered the Glass House and on taking in the freshness, I was convinced I was in a beautiful garden or a luxurious spa. The fragrance and aroma was subtle, not overpowering and a genuine treat! I would have never guessed that it was a room filled with garlic, onions and Keshna odours. Febreze didn’t just mask the odours, but completely eliminated them!”

Chef Osama El-Sayed went on to add, “As an experienced chef I can tell you that food, once cooked normally, smells great! But the odours they create while being cooked can be quite pungent and unpleasant. Be it cooking fish, onions, garlic or even ‘Keshna’ the Febreze Glass House Challenge proved today that Febreze can truly eliminate the toughest household odours!”

Additional Survey Findings
Four most reported household odours include spices, cigarettes, fish/seafood, and toilet/diaper. As the table below indicates, their rankings in terms of ‘most common’, and ‘toughest to get rid of’ are fairly similar.

Occasions when guests come over

• Overall, close to two-thirds report that their guests come over for ‘special occasions’. Among other events, most reported are dinner parties (44%), followed by festivals (38%), parties (30%), and birthday parties (27%). 
• Higher proportions of women have guests over for dinner parties (51% vs. 39% men). 
• Slightly higher proportion of KSA residents host guests during festivals than UAE (42% vs. 35%). 
• As one might expect, people with children are more likely to have guests over for birthday parties (35%) than others. 

*Footnote Survey run by Yougov from the period of January 1st 2016 – January 31st 2016