Natural Air Fresheners for the Home

Being informed as to which chemicals to avoid in your personal care products, and understanding the permeability of the skin is very important. It is just as important to not breathe in these chemicals. Have you ever noticed the powerful aroma when walking down the cleaning isle in the grocery store? This odor called “gassing” is the chemicals escaping through the sealed plastics. It is probably not a bad idea to hold your breath when walking down this isle in the grocery store.

Healthier decisions are being made as many are choosing to live healthier lifestyles. Diet and exercise, being the most popular, and more subtle decisions could be choosing natural skincare products, or natural home cleaners with no synthetic chemicals. These are great signs and show that more of us are becoming informed and taking action to live healthier. We understand that the everyday uses of these products containing nasty ingredients like Triclosan, are absorbed through the skin causing havoc on our immune system. Well just has the exposure of these chemicals through the skin are harmful; breathing them in is just as harmful.

The air inside our homes is considered more polluted than the air we breathe outside. Homes today are built much more insulated, not allowing the air inside to vent out like in homes built a hundred years ago. We also build homes today with building materials that are loaded with different adhesives and chemicals such as Formaldehyde. Those who are chemically sensitive could be experiencing major health problems simply from the air quality inside the home.

It also appears that Americans are obsessed with having the air in which they occupy smell nice. Statistics show that Americans are expected to spend nearly 2 billion dollars this year alone in air fresheners. Many of the air freshener and candles that are purchased are loaded with synthetic ingredients that can lead to all sorts of health issues for you and your family, such as headaches, fatigue, diarrhea in babies, and depression to name only a few.

There are healthier ways to freshen up the air in your home, and that is to avoid using air fresheners whether they are candles, plug-ins, sprays, etc. that contain harmful chemicals. A wonderful alternative would be burning paraffin free candles such as soy candles. Soy candles are made from soybeans which are a very renewable source as opposed to paraffin based candles that are made from a byproduct of gasoline that most likely is manufactured from foreign or domestic oil. Using products that contain soybeans supports the American Farmer. Soy candles burn much cleaner and cooler than paraffin based candles, allowing them to last longer and remain soot free. Not only is soy candles non-toxic for you but the environment as well. Be sure to check the labeling when purchasing your next candle, if it does not say soy wax, it most likely is made from paraffin which will have a darker color than soy wax, as soy wax has a whiter color to it.