A Breath Of Fresh Air

I think it’s safe to assume we all want our homes to smell pleasant. Especially if you have pets or young children, you may even be more sensitive to this. My first thoughts when someone stops by usually goes: “Does it smell like dog in here? I really should have washed his bed.” “Eeek, all those dirty diapers upstairs.. Is the smell wafting down?” “Ugh, what did I cook last night?? Oh yeah, I burnt dinner. Does it smell like burnt sweet potatoes in here?”. Then I usually offer some wine, because we all know you can’t smell as well after a glass of wine.. Ok, I know that’s not true, but hopefully it’s easier not to focus on smells if you have some wine in your hand. A relaxed guest is a happy guest

So what do you do to make sure your home smells nice? Most people rely on plug-in air fresheners and room sprays, or maybe scented candles. While you might be happy with the fake scent masking your home’s odors, you’re actually adding a lot more indoor air pollution than you realize. Most air fresheners are made up of hundreds of different chemicals; many of which don’t have to be disclosed because it’s considered proprietary information. Of the chemicals found in most synthetic air fragrances, some are responsible for everything from certain types of cancer, hormone disruption, and even severe allergic reactions. These products are found on store shelves with no safety warnings, but scientists at the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health have found many harmful substances after studying them, including Phthalates:

Phthalates are hormone-disrupting chemicals that can be particularly dangerous for young children and unborn babies. Exposure to phthalates can affect testosterone levels and lead to reproductive abnormalities, including abnormal genitalia and reduced sperm production. The State of California notes that five types of phthalates—including one that we found in air freshener products—are “known to cause birth defects or reproductive harm.” Young children and pregnant women should be especially careful to avoid contact with these chemicals. –http://www.nrdc.org/media/2007/070919.asp

I’m not risking my children’s health (or my own) for my home to smell good, so luckily there are some healthy alternatives. Many of these actually smell better than fake air fresheners in my opinion. After you ditch the summer breeze plug in and smell something fresh and real, I think you’ll agree too! Here are some easy options:

Nontoxic Candles

While traditional candles are made of petroleum by-products, which release harmful soot into your air, natural candles made of beeswax or soy wax can actually help cleanse your air. Beeswax, in particular, releases negative ions which can eliminate dust, odors, toxins and other particles from your air. Look for candles scented with natural essential oils instead of ones that list fragrance or perfume. Some of my favorites are ones from Honest Co, The Coye Candle Co., or I even like to use just basic beeswax candles like these. They release a nice light, slightly honey-like scent and burn for a long time. In fact, all of these natural options have much longer burn times than traditional candles, meaning you’ll enjoy them for a much longer time.

Oil Diffusers

You have two choices here: Electric oil diffusers (similar to a humidifier) or reed diffusers, which I’ll talk more about below. We use this electric diffuser in our house and I’ve been really happy with it. You add water to the base and a few drops of whatever essential oils you prefer and within minutes the whole room is saturated with the scent. This is a particularly good choice if you want your scent choice to also have therapeutic purposes (mood lifting or congestion busting, for example) or want to fill a room with a new scent fast, but most of these appliances only last 5-7 hours, so unless you refill it, it will be about as short lived as burning a candle. It’s great to run one right before company comes over though! The other option would be reed diffusers. You can buy them, but they’re actually really easy to make. Just take an old jar/bottle, some wicker reeds, a carrier oil, and the essential oils of your choice and viola! You have a steady scent to freshen any room you place it in. Here’s a DIY. These are especially great for smaller rooms like bathrooms. Just remember to flip the reeds over every so often to keep the scent strong and fresh.

Room Sprays

You can find some ready-made natural room sprays that work really well. Once again, I like Honest Co.’s version since it lingers in the air for a long time and has a great price. It also does a really good job of deodorizing fabric, which is great for curtains, rugs, or even the dog’s bed. This happens to be another item that is incredibly easy to make though, and you may even prefer to since you can customize the scent. Here is an easy DIY for it. Buying your own essential oils may seem expensive at first glance, but a little goes a long way so they last for ages and once you have them, you can keep using them for a variety of things.

I asked my friend, Lacey Grim, who is pretty knowledgable about oils and a DoTerra rep for her thoughts on this. In addition to some of the ideas above, she also suggested placing a cotton ball soaked in essential oils in your air intake or air vents and using essential oils to clean with since the scent will linger in the air. Certain oils can actually help detox the air and she said lemon, lemongrass and the DoTerra blends On Guard and Purify work best for this. If you’re using these oils to detox the air or for therapeutic purposes, it’s best to go with a higher grade, pure oil and never to heat the oil in anyway. For more information, you can read my original post on fragrance here, or see my guest post on home air quality over at FreeLoveBeauty.com. With all these ideas and pointers you should find it easy to fill your one with nontoxic scents! Here’s to healthier air!