We love the smell of the ocean air, earthly scents of the woods, sweet fragrances of blossoming flower gardens, or the scent of a single rose. We love them so much we want to capture it, bottle it, spray, mist, fan, and candle it.
Yet it’s greener and healthier for consumers to just smile and pass by those products that smell oh, so “good” sold in many stores. But are they so good?
If you’re curious to know what the ingredients are in air fresheners, you can go to http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/ and
get a shocking education that will make you think twice about the next air freshener you buy.
Butane, a chemical in cigarette lighters, is also known as a Hydrocarbon Propellant. It is an ingredient often used in air fresheners. It can also cause chemical frostbite from an aerosol spay.
Now imagine this, spraying your home with an air freshener that contains butane. You don’t spay it once or twice, if you’re like most people you dance your way through your home spraying here and there with butane!
Then, you take a nice deep breath to smell the “freshness” in the air.
Nope. What you’ve just done is inhaled butane into your lungs.
The sad part is this: Manufactures of air fresheners do not disclose, (or are required) to list every ingredient in their products.
So what can you do? Here are some simple tips and ideas to create an “air” of pleasurable scent in your home.
· If you are covering up a smell in your home, better to find the original offense first – it will only get worse
· Open the windows in your home
· In a clean, empty spray bottle, mix your favorite essential oil with water and spritz around the home (be careful not to leave this around kids as oils are flammable).
· Use scent diffusers. Many craft stores have these. A small vase is filled with scented oil. Long sticks are placed in the vase which soaks up the oil and its scent is diffused into the air.
· Make you own or start using soy candles with “clean” burning
· Make sachets. Use small cotton bags, fill with your favorite scented potpourri and place them around the house, or hang them on doors, etc.
· Pour a small amount of your favorite essential oil in a small pot of water. Slowly heat it and let simmer on your stove. Hmmm.
In the end, basic and simple is the healthiest way to go. You’ll not only breathe easier, but you’ll be healthier too.
Lesly Federici RN, BA, CWC
www.greenrn.info/
copyright 2009
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