Last time you walked into your residence and smelled a nasty, smelly odor, what did you do? Did you reach for a can of commercial air freshener you bought last week and started spraying the place? If you answered “yep, that’s so me!” then this post is definitely for you, my friend!
That Smells Formaldehyde-Free!
Most air fresheners contain chemicals that you will not want to be putting into your air so voluntarily. The EPA says the four basic components in air fresheners are formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, p- dichlorobenzene, and aerosol propellants. Hmmm, yeah no thanks. I’ll pass on scattering those into my household air.
Wait, hold on, I am just supposed to live in this stink then? The answer is heck no! There are natural options to clean and purify your air without the need to spend your hard earned money on toxic methods.
Here are 5 simple and natural air freshener solutions for your home.
- A continuous and decorative option to purifying your air is using various household plants. For example, the dwarf date palm tree works well to remove formaldehyde from the air. Employing the use of this palm tree can combat the past use of those other air fresheners you were spraying so much. Other plants that do well at giving you a fresh breath of air include: Boston ferns, rubber plants, English ivy, peace lilies, golden pothos (I have this one in a pot next to me as I write!), and different flowering plants as well. Ok, sure those plant options are more a proactive approach, but they don’t fix my problem when I walk into a smelly situation!
That’s true. Good point, so let’s look at some possibilities you can use when you want to more aggressively attack a stink:
- Break out the vodka! Maybe not the expensive stuff though! You can use vodka, which contains ethyl alcohol, in combination with some essential oils and spritz the mixture into your stinky air. Using vodka to remove odors is a natural approach and allows you to satisfy your fix of spraying something at the smell after all. You can also just use the natural essential oils and a reed diffuser if you want to spread a nice smelling scent around your home.
- Attention coffee lovers: those coffee grounds can be put to good use. Coffee grounds work well at absorbing odors emitted from garlic or onions. Who wouldn’t love the aroma of coffee over a questionable stench?
- Perhaps you’ve heard of using baking soda to absorb odors. However, wouldn’t you like a fresh lemon scent to be left behind as well? Use a baking soda and lemon combo to accomplish this! Check out this how-to video:
- You still want to keep spraying something because you want to kill bacteria, huh? Ok, how about combining one part white vinegar and four parts water in a spray bottle to disinfect and to remove odors in the air. This method will allow you to rest at ease knowing you took care of that bacteria you may have been breathing in.
You are now armed with several alternatives to the commercial sprays out there. Enjoy breathing easier!
Source: Fix.com Blog
Feature image courtesy Ken Owen