There’s nothing quite like coming home to a clean, pleasant smelling home after a long day at work. While there are many ways to achieve a homey atmosphere, many of products commonly used to freshen up your home do quite the opposite.
Luckily, there are safer alternatives that can make your home smell wonderful without harming your family and pets. These alternatives serve as excellent non-toxic odor removal solutions.
Drop The Air Freshner
It’s shocking to see warning signs of the label of your favorite air freshner warning that inhaling large quantities can be dangerous or even fatal but this is far from an exaggeration. They claim to be the ultimate odor removal solution.
In fact, these products are entirely man-made and contain harmful substances. Some of the chemicals, like phylates (which helps the perfume linger longer) can cause serious allergic reactions and even trigger asthma attacks (1).
They also “fragrance” a cocktail of over 3,000 chemicals that’s also used in perfume, scented candles and personal hygiene products. Over 900 of chemicals are considered toxic and cause serious health problems like reproductive disorders and cancer.
1991 a study performed by the EPA found that these chemicals could cause “central nervous system disorders, dizziness, nausea, uncoordination, slurred speech, drowsiness, irritation to the mouth, throat, eyes, skin, lungs and GI tract, kidney damage headache, respiratory failure, ataxia, and fatigue, among other symptoms and illnesses” when inhaled (2).
Alternatives like scented candles aren’t much better. In fact, studies on the safety of scented candles uncovered that they actually often contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde (3,4).
This harmful chemical has serious health effects when heated by the flame of a candle and inhaled. These include serious damage to the respiratory tract, skin and eyes and increased risk of Leukemia, dementia, reproductive disorders, developmental problems (5,6,7). Fortunately, there is a way to make your home smell wonderful without harming your family and pets and this is a DIY odor removal solution.
How To Make Your Own Room Spray
This non-toxic alternative will have your home smelling great in no time!
You’ll Need:
- Essential oils of your choice (10-20 drops)
- 1 clean spray bottle (tinted glass is best)
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 500 ml distilled water
- A medium sized glass or stainless steel bowl
- A funnel
Instructions:
- Pour the baking soda and essential oil in your bowl and whisk together using a fork.
- Use the funnel to transfer to the mix to your spray bottle and fill to the top with water.
- Store in dark, cool place and shake it before use.
- Spray on furniture, linens or in the air to refresh your home.