If you watch almost any TV channel long enough you will see
a commercial for an air freshener.
Whether it is Febreze or Lysol telling you they remove odors or Glade
telling you they create a “more tranquil atmosphere” in your room someone is
going to try to sell you something to clean your air.
The Problem With Chemical Air Fresheners
The problem is these products do not clean the air; they
actually pollute the air. Therefore,
when you buy an air freshener you are spending money to decrease the air
quality in your home when what you want is the exact opposite!
If you know anyone with asthma (or if you have asthma
yourself), you already know that these toxic products are tough on the
respiratory system. Consider yourself
lucky. Many people spray, plug in, and
burn wax melts or candles in hopes of making the air fresher.
According to the EPA, these air fresheners are made of
ingredients such as formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, dichlorobenzene; and
the aerosol sprays contain propellants.
So if you have musty smells, do you really think the answer is
formaldehyde? Formaldehyde is used as an
embalming fluid. Spraying air freshener
is like embalming your family while they are sill alive! Dichlorobenzene is a known respiratory
irritant. OSHA has even set limits of
exposure to this chemical in the workplace.
That is what you want to spray in your air? The solid fresheners, candles, plug-ins, and
wax melts mostly contain the same ingredients.
If you care about your indoor air quality, you will stay away from these
products and take a different approach to controlling odors in your home.
Go to the Source of the Odor
The most common sources of odors in the air are mold spores,
bacteria, and cooking/smoke odors. If
you have a musty smell, it is probably molds or bacteria causing the
smell. To get rid of the smell, treat it
at the source.
If the bathroom is musty because of mold, increase air
circulation and do not throw wet towels in a pile on the floor. If you re-use a
towel, make sure you hang it up. If possible, add an exhaust fan to the
bathroom or open a window when taking hot showers. If you have poor air circulation in the
bathroom and cannot add a fan to the room, do not keep a laundry hamper in that
room. In the bathroom, eliminate smells by cleaning with vinegar and baking
soda. Sodium percarbonate is great for
getting rid of mold and mildew and it will not pollute the air. Most of the products with this ingredient
have something like “Oxy” or “Oxygen” in the name. Look for this ingredient on
the label.
Natural Options for Air Fresheners
If you have cooking odors or smells from smoke, you can
place a bowl of vinegar in the room. The
vinegar will get rid of the smell. If it
is especially strong or in a large room, you can put several bowls out. Vinegar has a strong smell at first but it
dissipates quickly and when it does, it takes odors with it.
If you need to deodorize your sinks, drains, and garbage
disposals just grind up ½ a lemon with a cup of ice cubes. You will get rid of the odor and sharpen the
blades at the same time.
You can sprinkle baking soda on the trash to get rid of
garbage smells. If your trash can
smells, wash it out! Just use soap and
water; and the smell will be gone.
If you want fragrance
in a room, you can do this without adding chemicals to the air. Just simmer a few spices in a small amount of
water or orange juice. For a fresh
smell, just simmer ½ a lemon in a small amount of water.
If you like floral fragrances, you can purchase essential
oils (be sure to get the real thing) and just put a drop in water and
simmer. If you want to spread the aroma
through the house, transfer the warm oil and water to a bowl and sit out in the
room for an hour.
