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Earth friendly air freshener tips

I was an air freshener abuser - big time. My cleaning cupboard had more air freshener varieties than you can poke a stick at. But in fooling my nose, I was also poisoning myself and the wider environment. There are certainly greener ways to keep nasty smells at bay.

The majority of air fresheners you buy in the supermarket do not destroy odors, but simply mask them. They create a coating on your nasal membranes that fool your brain into thinking that the smell has gone. As for those air fresheners that claim to kill bacteria, our bacteria paranoia is leading us to kill good bacteria while creating strains of drug resistant bad bacteria. While anti-bacterial air fresheners have their place, they should really be limited to hospital environments in most cases.

Air fresheners - chemical cocktails

Many commercially air fresheners contain a cocktail of toxic chemicals that aren't healthy for us or the environment. Some of the chemicals you may find:
 
1.Formaldehyde - known carcinogen
2.Phenol - skin and nervous system irritant
3.Petroleum distillates such as butane and propane
4.Methylformamide - Organ system toxicity, cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity
5.Butanoic acid - Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity
6.Nitro- and polycyclic musks  - linked to cancer, hormone disruption

I've read that up to 3000 synthetic chemical ingredients are used by the air freshener industry.

One of the other problems of these air fresheners is that these toxic chemicals accumulate in carpet over time, which is particularly of concern to parents with young children. Being rather sticky, the chemicals also wind up on our shoes and feet to be taken into the outside environment where they wind up in soil.

Added to all that, there's the non-recyclable or reusable packaging of these products - millions of spray cans and plastic bottles hitting our landfills each year; not to mention the production of chemical ingredients and the packaging.

A recent trend in air fresheners are the 24/7 products that spray automatically every X minutes - whether it's needed or not. Based on the chemical cocktail described above, I feel these are terrible products that should be pulled from the market.

Something else you should know about air fresheners is that we tend to build up a tolerance to them. We get used to the smell and start using more to get that same olfactory "kick". If you really feel the need to use these products, try rotating the fragrances you use regularly.

The whole air freshener product life-cycle is an environmental nightmare.

Green commercial air fresheners

Thankfully, some manufacturers are responding to consumer concerns regarding the health and environmental issues associated with these products and commercial "green" air fresheners can be purchased. Still, be wary of these products - a common trick companies play is to say something along the lines of "contains natural pine scent", which it may well do - but what about the other ingredients? Check the labels and if the label is unclear, contact the company for a complete ingredient list.

Alternatively, you can try search for the product's MSDS online. An MSDS is a Materials Safety Data Sheet. These *usually* contain more information than what you'll find listed on a product's packaging and may also include toxicological and environmental data.

Run a search on Google like so:

1.product MSDS
2.Where "product" is the name of the air freshener.
3.Armed with that information, you can then also use online databases such as Skin Deep to find out the potential effects of the chemicals.

Green home-brewed alternatives

Here are a few tips for greener ways to help keep your home smelling fresh. Of course, be cautious of how you use some of these ideas if you have young children or pets scurrying around the house.

- A simple one, but improving air circulation outside to inside will do wonders. Open windows when you can.

- A tablespoon of salt in a half an orange with the flesh scooped out. I'm told this is a good one for the toilet.

- 1 to 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract placed in small containers around your home

- Pot pourri made from lavender, roses or whatever scented plants and flowers you may have in your garden.

- Use baking soda to soak up acidic odors; also great for ash trays

- Baking soda can also be used as a spray - one teaspoon dissolved in cup of water and then sprayed as a fine mist.

- Use vinegar to neutralize alkaline odors. Yes, vinegar is a little smelly itself to start off with, but the initial pong quickly fades.

- A couple of drops of essential oil in an atomizer/mister full of water sprayed around (bear in mind this only masks the smell rather than neutralizing it)

- A couple of drops of essential oil on a cotton ball place in inconspicuous places around a room

- Placing citrus fruit or cinnamon in a pot with water and simmer gently (rather energy resource intensive though)

- If you have extraction fans in the kitchen or toilet, ensure the screens are kept clean. If you haven't cleaned yours for a while, try it out and I guarantee the difference will amaze you.

- Treating the cause rather than the symptom is always a preferred strategy. For example, pet bedding can create an awful stink and while it may not be viable to wash it every week, simply putting it out in the sun regularly and giving it a good shake will help.

Have any tips or recipes for a more natural air freshener? Please share your ideas below!

About the Author

Ningbo BST products company is a privately-owned manufacturer specialized in hand sanitizers,air freshner,electic perfumes,pet spray,pet shampoo and some other daily use chemicals.

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The Blueair Eco10 Green Air Purifier Helps Keep You and the Planet Healthy

Air purifiers have been proven to be a valuable appliance to any home. A long time has passed since they were once considered "novelty" appliances that were often found in Shaper Image catalogues. The Environmental Protection Agency and its Science Advisory Board have labeled the quality of the air we breathe inside a top five environmental risk to public health. These toxins can include carbon monoxide from poorly vented furnaces and dangerous mold and bacteria from unchecked and undiscovered mold growth. Air purifiers can protect from all these potential dangers and more, but it is important to know what kind of air purifier works for you. There are home, room, commercial, allergy and asthma, pet, smoke, HEPA, ionic, ozone and even green air purifiers. There is plenty of cross over between catagories making searching and purchasing the correct one very confusing. Green air purifiers however offer plenty of features to help you and the environment.

Green Air Purifiers

The phrase green refers products that have been developed specifically to aid you and the environment. They are often made of non-toxic materials, have greatly reduced energy usage and do little to no damage to the environment surrounding them. Green Air Purifiers are designed to encompass all of these features yet they give an added benefit of being green. They purifier the air, something that as the EPA pointed out should be constantly kept clean, for you, your family's and the planet's health.

HEPA Filters are a great way to determine if you are getting the most out of you're your green air purifier. While not necessarily a requirement, HEPA filters are well known for the positive effects. They have the ability to eliminate 99.97% of dust,dander, debris, airborne bacteria, mold spores allergens and other harmful entities all the way down to 0.3 micron level. After a thorough cleaning like that you know you will be breathing cleaner air.

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The Blueair ECO10 Room Air Purifier with HEPASilent Technology

The Blueair ECO10 room air purifier is a great green appliance. It uses up to 95% less energy then other air purifiers in its class. Even when running on high speed it uses just 10 watts of power, giving you maximum output with minimal energy. As a testament to its efficiency it has been given the Energy Star seal. It can cover 298 square feet easily and runs near silently at only 49 decibels at its maximum output. It features durable construction with galvanized steel housing and a long lasting ultra efficient EC fan motor. Its Swedish design has accumulated numerous awards.

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About the Author

Ben Netherton is a product editor with extensive knowledge of Air Purifiers.

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