Air Fresheners
Is the house smelling a bit musty?
The market for home fragrance products in the United States has shifted over the last several years..with mass-market air freshener diffusers growing at the expense of other product forms according to The US Market for Home Fragrance Products. Growth in the air freshener market is directly related to home air fresheners, which accounted for 45% of sales in 2007, up from 36% in 2003.
In the past we would wash the dog, vacuum the carpet, dust the house (without synthetic chemical surface sprays & liquids), shake out any rugs (outside) and hang them in the sunshine (which does a great job of sanitising things) and open a few windows to air the house, now it seems that a spray can is meant to replace real cleaning?
Spring Cleaning
It used to be called a thorough weekly clean, we used to do an even more thorough one at the change of seasons. Hence the term 'Spring Cleaning'. A drop or two of essential oils into a wash bowl with fresh water for rinsing the cleaning cloth creates a pleasant smell in the room. Many essential oils have antibacterial properties and some essential oils are uplifting- a double bonus when wrestling with the household cleaning jobs!
The modern approach is to buy an air freshener and spray a room that may only need a good thorough clean. Sadly air fresheners have many synthetic chemicals and these are now in our home air and furnishings and these smells are doing nothing to enhance air quality and many believe have a serious contribution to some causes of ill health, such as depression and asthma.
Phthalates
In 2008 the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) took a sampling of the multitude of air fresheners available and tested them for two types of phthalates, DEP and DBP. Nearly a third contained one or both kinds of chemical. DEP and DBP have been linked to fertility and developmental problems in rats, and are enough of a concern that 12 European countries have banned them from children's toys.
Please be aware that we are allowing ourselves to be 'educated' by the wrong source, the media. So in general, if it is advertised on the television, please ask yourself twice before introducing it to your house and the health of your loved ones. The time you could be saving in household chores could affect your health.
These synthetic chemicals are not needed when there are so many wonderfully therapeutic essential oils.
Essential Oils room spray recipe:
This is a
uplifting combination of essential oils.
One small spray bottle, 100mls or so
3/4 fill the bottle with cooled, boiled water
then use 6 drops of essential oil.
3 drops of lavender essential oil
1 drop of sweet orange essential oil
1 drop geranium essential oil
Put the lid on and shake well before use.
References: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/09/09/air-freshener.html
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