GreenYour.com

The aroma of warm cinnamon buns wafting through the air, the heady fragrance of roses mingled with jasmine, or the fresh scent of just-peeled tangerines appeal to many people. But if you bring these fragrances into your home or car in the form of air fresheners you may be getting more than you bargained for, with possible consequences to your health and the planet. Luckily, there are simple eco-options to clear the air.

How to choose eco-friendly air fresheners

Whether you're a crafter or a fragrance-purist, we've got some great ideas to reduce odors and sweeten the air in your home or vehicle.

First, eliminate your smell sources. Air fresheners, eco-friendly or not, mask odors temporarily. To eradicate the smell you need to get to the root of the problem: a mildewy basement, stinky sneakers, poorly-ventilated apartment, poopy diapers, spoiled food, or whatever the offender. Find ways to minimize the odors from these smelly sources to minimize your air freshener needs.

If you're not able to totally wipe out those nasty indoor scents, try using some natural air cleaning methods:

• Open the windows! To clear out odors, as long as weather conditions and outdoor air quality permit it, just open the windows and turn on a fan to bring in more air.
• Sprinkle some good ol' baking soda. That old standard, baking soda, absorbs odors. What doesn't this stuff do? Sprinkle some on stale carpets and vacuum after a few minutes, put a box in your fridge to tame food smells, or place small bowls filled with baking soda in spaces such as bathrooms and closets. Make sure to keep the bowls out of a child's reach or you'll have other problems to worry about.
• Use plants and cut flowers. Fresh flowers, in pots or cut, introduce chemical-free fragrance. Potted houseplants can also help take volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide out of the air as shown by research done by Dr. Bill Wolverton for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Boston ferns were the best at removing formaldehyde and the peace lily was tops for reducing acetone.[1]
• Plug into the freshening power of essential oils. Essential plant oils, such as lavender, lemon, verbena, or bergamot offer pure fragrance that can be used in sachets, organic potpourri, or even with a drop or two placed on cotton balls placed strategically in your home or car (again, away from kids). You can make your own room spray by mixing eight or nine drops of essential oil(s) to 600 ml of water in a spray bottle. Or simmer water and cloves, cinnamon sticks, or other spices and herbs on the stove.

Find it! Eco-friendly air fresheners

Too pressed for time to think about home-grown air freshening ideas? Try these pre-made options:

Eco-friendly air fresheners help you go green because...

• Unlike traditional air fresheners, they don't send chemicals into the air which can create indoor air pollution and which can add to the formation of smog.

Conventional air fresheners in all their forms (sprays, solids, gels, oils, plug-ins) do the job of scenting the air but with ingredients that aren't so pleasant. The basic ingredients in air fresheners are formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, p-dichlorobenzene and aerosol propellants.[2] These chemicals can irritate eyes, skin, and throat and some may cause cancer and brain damage.[3]

Air fresheners also contain chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals offgas or evaporate into the air as the products are used. VOCs contribute significantly to ground-level ozone (smog) production and particular health problems.[4] Research by the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that exposure to a VOC called 1,4 dichlorobenzene that is found in many air fresheners may be harmful to the lungs.[5]US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies of VOCs have found that levels of several chemicals average two to five times higher inside homes than outside.[6]

Many air fresheners also contain synthetic fragrances that can cause sensitive people to have allergic or asthmatic reactions. The minuscule droplets in a spray of aerosol air freshener can easily be breathed in or absorbed into the body.[7] While a spritz here or there or the occasional use of an air freshener probably won't cause harm; frequent, long-term use especially in small, poorly-ventilated spaces can considerably pollute the indoor air.[8]

There's also the danger of tots trying to taste air fresheners that they may mistake for yummy treats. Close to 10,000 of the nearly 12,000 reports of hazardous exposures to air fresheners received by the US Poison Control Centers in the year 2000 were from children less than 6 years old.[7]

Related health concerns

A recent Natural Resources Defense Council analysis of 14 air fresheners found that most contain chemicals called phthalates that may affect hormones and reproductive development, with greater potential risk to infants.[9]

Glossary

• volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Organic solvents that easily evaporate into the air. VOCs are emitted by thousands of products including paints, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials, and furnishings and they may cause immediate and long-term health problems.
• phthalates: Phthalates are additives that are widely used in plastics and other materials, mainly to make them soft and flexible. They have applications in industry, in medicine and in consumer products. There is public concern about phthalates because of their widespread use and occurrence in the environment. Phthalates can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system, particularly the developing testes, according to animal studies.
• ground-level ozone: The main component of smog, ground-level ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) react chemically with nitrogen oxides (NOx) when it is sunny and hot outside. Many urban areas have high levels of this summertime pollutant but rural areas can have increased ozone levels too as wind can carry ground-level ozone hundreds of miles from where it originates. Breathing ozone can cause a number of respiratory health problems plus it damages ecosystems and vegetation including crops.

External links

• Cleveland Clinic Health System - Household Chemicals Chart: What's in my House?
• Oregon Toxics Alliance - About Air Fresheners