- Home
Are Air Fresheners Bad for Your Health?
The chemicals used to create and dissipate those sweet smells are often comprised of ingredients that emit VOCs. Complaints have arisen related to children experiencing seizures, diarrhea, and earache from exposure to conventional air fresheners. There have also been several cases of adults fainting from inhaling fragrant air.
Are Air Fresheners Safe For Children and Pets?
Families with young children or pets need to choose the right type of air freshener—or no air freshener at all. Products like evaporating fragrance beads and reed diffusers are easy to swallow in quantities large enough to cause serious medical problems. The most common health complaints associated with air fresheners are headaches, breathing difficulties, dermatitis, and neurological problems.
Find and Eliminate the Source of Bad Smells
Keeping your home clean with VOC-free cleaners will reduce unpleasant odors and freshen the air with pure, natural scents. When you notice an unpleasant smell, find the source, and remove it immediately. Taking out the trash can have a profound impact on indoor air. Clean the area with good old cleaning basics like vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice rather than those VOC-filled cleaning products. To remove odor from carpets and furniture, simply sprinkle with baking soda, let sit 10 minutes and then vacuum thoroughly.
No scent is better and cleaner than good old fresh air. Whenever possible, throw open those windows and let Mother Nature cleanse and replenish your inside air. Proper ventilation, as well as air filtration, throughout the home, should be checked regularly to allow air to recycle. Products like ERVs and HRVs are made to refresh inside air even on frigid winter days. Allergist Claudia Miller explains, "Products intended to keep homes smelling fresh can set people up for a lifetime of chemically-induced illness, and repeated exposure to small amounts of household chemicals can trigger symptoms to previously tolerated chemicals. The best smell is no smell."
What Is the Safest Air Freshener to Use?
If you must have a scent, there are many ways to more safely introduce new fragrances to your home without those harmful VOCs. Essential oils, VOC free candles, incense, flowers, and herbs are easy and natural ways to freshen up the air in your home.
Essential Oils
Essential oils are deliciously fragrant and comprised of 100% pure, naturally occurring oils, typically harvested from plants. Essential oils can be diffused in a simple clay diffuser to release flowery and earthy scents throughout the home. They can also be added to homemade candles and sprays. Be sure to choose real, 100% natural essential oils—but go easy with them; too much of a good thing can become an irritant.
How Do You Make Your Own Essential Oil Air Freshener Spray?
To make air freshener spray at home, choose your favorite essential oil or natural extract (vanilla and lavender are popular).
- Heat one cup of water in a saucepan.
- Add ¼ cup baking soda and stir to dissolve.
- Remove from heat. Add a few drops of natural extract or essential oil. Stir to combine and let cool 2-3 hours.
- Using a funnel, pour the liquid into a spray bottle.
Flowers and Herbs
Flowers make for a beautiful centerpiece and also carry a fragrant scent. Treat yourself to a bouquet of flowers, grow your own or add aromatic indoor plants to your decor. Even growing lemon basil, clipping some stems, and putting it in a vase of water can be an excellent addition to any room.
Herb sachets and potpourri are additional natural means for freshening their air. Stuff transparent net bags with dried flower petals, herbs, or wood chips. You can place sachets in clothing drawers, cabinets, and around the home to keep things smelling clean and fresh.
Scents From the Kitchen
Of course, what smells better than baking cookies? Fill your home with the mouthwatering smell of chocolate chip cookies or freshly ground coffee wafting up the stairs.
Cooking dinner in a slow cooker is another way to make the house smell good all day long and limit kitchen messes. Beverages, like apple cider, can also be made and kept warm in a slow cooker, releasing sweet smells for chilly autumn days and dinner parties.
Even if you're not much of a cook, you can whip up some lovely scents in the kitchen. Just fill a saucepan with water, and some spices and herbs and let it simmer on the stovetop.
Bottom Line: The Best Air Fresheners are Natural
Air fresheners may smell delightful, but many do still contain toxic chemicals and emit harmful VOCs. If you must have that burst of citrus scent, look for sustainably produced air fresheners or consider natural methods for sweetening the air. Things like essential oils and natural, 100% beeswax and soy candles are equally easy to find. They will release those intoxicating scents without making you sick!
Laura Bourland
Laura grew up in the California suburbs, far removed from environmentalism, but nature always has a way. She uprooted her life in 2015, moving to the countryside of Washington to live a more sustainable and simple life on 12 acres. She and her fiancee are learning on the job as they attempt everything from gardening and natural pest control to eco-friendly building and home improvement.
