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I cant even sit next to someone that has used a powerful laundry soap on their clothes. I have nasal polyps and man if every chemical doesnt drive me up a wall. OP, why the need for scents? Is there an odor that needs covering up? I cant see why just keeping the area ventilated wouldnt work. Or you can try oil rings. They make adobe rings that slip over light bulbs. You put some scented oil on them and when you turn on the light, it releases the aroma. Might check into that.
Believe it or not, a lot of people simply enjoy different scents, without any need to be "covering up" anything. It's been this way for most of recorded history, so it's not like it's something strange.
My mom loves to buy a lot of smell good things for the home, the Air Wick thing that shoots out scents (we quickly discovered it made my headaches worse), the plugins, and incense sticks.
A lot of things similar to Glade plugins and such contain phlates. Does anyone know of anything that freshens the smell of your home and doesn't cause headaches or any other negative health effects?
I like incense sticks but a lot of times I wake up with a sore throat if I light one before I go to bed.
I'm not a big candle fan and the smell doesn't seem to last. I know some stores sell soy-based candles.
If the odor of natural things, i.e. fruits, flowers, doesn't bother you; then you might try an essential oil.
There are devices that warm the oil and make the scent diffuse more rapidly, but there are also special tiny terracotta pots that you can pour the oil in and then hang them on a door knob or other handle. The scent takes longer to be noticable and it is not as strong.
I use good quality essential oils for many things, including as an air freshener. I have a special mister spray bottle and I fill it with water and add about 10 drops of essential oil (I use either lemon, grapefruit, lavender, etc..depending on my mood), and then I shake it up and spray it all over the house. It is 100% all natural and causes no headaches.
Spritzing fresheners are used in public restrooms. That said, finding a safe "air freshener" of any type is exactly the same as finding a safe cigarette. All of them infuse chemicals, smoke, or pollutants into the air. When my sensitivities to them are high, I can't even walk down a grocery aisle where they are on display. When Whole Foods (of all places) started using scented sprays and incense at one of their stores, I had to stop shopping there.
The only way to have clean air is to CLEAN the air, not add perfumes and other cr-p into it. A properly functioning air filter with an activated carbon component is about as good as it gets without resorting to water washes and such.
so correct in all you say Harry, these things are very hazardous to our health..
Believe it or not, a lot of people simply enjoy different scents, without any need to be "covering up" anything. It's been this way for most of recorded history, so it's not like it's something strange.
Back through history though thats exactly why perfumes were used, to cover bad odours...This might help to explain how all these products might affect others . worth a read.
A really nice way to impart a gentle aroma is to make a potpourri.
This consists of a selection of dried herbs and flowers---if you are a gardener you can collect your aromatic rose petals or anything else you want. You dry them and in the fall you can add other natural materials. You do need to buy something called orris root to fix the scent.
Arrange them in an open container. Sometimes you can find real potpourri pots with tops that have pierced openings. You can add whatever essential oils you want and you will end up with something that not only smells nice but looks pretty and reminds you of summer flowers. No toxic chemicals at all, just an all natural mix. Try it! It's fun!
Look into clean air houseplants: draecena marginata, mother-in-law's tongue/snake plant, boston fern, english ivy, chrysanthemums, bamboo palms, and many other plants not only produce oxygen, they absorb odors and dangerous chemicals like benzene, formaldehyde, and toluene from the air. Plants are the main reason the outdoors smells so fresh, why not bring that power inside?
I moved into an apartment that had been party to a lot of curry dishes the previous year, and smelled strongly the first couple of weeks. A scrub down of the walls and cabinets and several houseplants later, the curry smell is only occasionally in the kitchen.
It may not smell like snickerdoodles, but it will smell good nonetheless.
For scent I have an essential oil diffuser to use while I'm home, it's nice for when I'm having company (or just want a pick me up!)
I just wish they'd think of getting rid of air friesheners, candles etc in public places.. Ive tried unsuccessfully for a long time , when I cant go shopping in some shops with smells, or go to the gym as they pipe through a lemon fragrance from the ceiling...I even had to change my doctor as the surgery waiting room was making me so ill with piped in fragrance... It makes me dizzy. I cant concetrate, headaches and feel shaky and unwell even with short exposure... I just hope this time like the fabric conditoner thread I put on recently, which was mocked by some, that Im allowed to voice my opinion on the dangers. Having all these dangerous chemicals around babies and children is especially dangerous.. This Stinks: Nev. Bill Would Ban Air Fresheners, Candles | TheBlaze.com
dizzybint, you might want to read the comments on that article you linked to.
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