Fresh Air!

It's spring and I'm itching to open all the windows! I want to get some fresh air into the house! This past winter my nose became quite sensitive to most commercial air fresheners (Glade, Air Wick and other commercial products) To the point I started not to feel so well. It was a real problem when the smell of bathroom was covered by a spritz in the air of 'fragrance'. The diaper pail didn't really snuff out the stinkies, so more freshener was used.

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time you know I'm a big fan of natural and going green while saving green. I realized my headaches were not going to go away if we kept using the store bought air fresheners, so I decided to research if there be a way I could make my own, and perhaps figure out why the sensitive nose all of a sudden.

Toxic air fresheners? Unfortunately, yes. Scientists have discovered that chemicals commonly found in most household air fresheners. Many synthetic fragrances also cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and sinuses, difficulty breathing, asthmatic reactions and changes in nervous system function. Beware of any ingredient called "fragrance" because you could be getting much more than a nice scent. So that's what THEY say. It spiked an interest to dig a little deeper into those ingredients on the back of labels I can promise you I have no idea how to pronounce.

Read below what I found from Home-Air Guide dot com

So, if you have eye irritation or headache or any other strange symptoms, check if you can trace those to any chemical air fresheners, either solid or liquid sprays, you use in your home or car. Just stop using air fresheners for some time and observe how you feel.

A common harmful ingredient of air fresheners is limonene. Limonene irritates eyes, mouth, skin. It can also cause incoordination and dizziness. You may also be breathing petroleum distillates, which can irritate or damage your lungs. You may feel fatigue and confusion when your air freshener contains tolune. Some air freshener chemicals show themselves more in long term, like cancerogenic benzene compounds, or phthalates interfering with hormone production. You can also find such toxic chemicals as methylformamide, terpinolene, methoxybenzaldehyde, and butanoic acid.

Eek! not good at all. Not only am I concerned for myself but my kids and family as a whole. Wait a minute aren't these common air fresheners marketed to folks like me. Mom's with smelly homes and kids? Needless to say my research keep digging up more bad news about the air fresheners I'd been using.

Than I stumbled upon a recipe to make my own air freshers using only three ingredients, vodka, water and essential oil. Yep that's it. I've been so thrilled with the result I wanted to share on my blog. A note of advise is make sure you buy essential oils not fragrance oil they are not the same. Also you should check and test sniff the essential oil prior to purchasing if at all possible. There could be a slight chance you could be allergic to say Chamomile or any other essential oil. If you are pregnant or nursing you should also read up on the effects on some essential oils.

I stuck with lavender which is naturally calming. The Mr. doesn't mind it either ~ which is a good thing.

So here is what you'll need to make your own, HOMEMADE AIR FRESHENER:

• 4 oz glass bottle with spritz cap, mine was blue from Whole Foods {Must be glass b/c essential oils don't react well to plastics long-term}
• (1) nipper of cheep vodka like Smirnoff {unflavored, color free}
• Plain ole' water / H2o

Instructions:
Open and remove cap from glass bottle, pour entire contents of nipper vodka into glass bottle, drop aprox 18-20 drops of essential oil of your choice {more you add the stronger the scent}, fill the remaining glass bottle with water. Replace the spritz cap and give it a quick shake. You are done!

I learned that essential oils don't mix well with water so that's why vodka is important. You never want to substatute rubbing alcohol in place of the vodka. The vodka also helps the freshener to quickly dissolve in the air once sprayed. We have a small bathroom and use only two squirts when needed. In case you are wondering, the 4 oz bottle has lasted well into 60 days {we're still using it bottle is more than half full}. Which I love, especially since most air fresheners indicate only a 30 day product life.

In the kitchen I've been boiling a pot of fresh micro-planed cinnamon stick, clove or lemon juice.

In addition to the air freshener switch, I've rid our house from paraffin wax candles such as Yankee Candles. I love the look and smell of a vanilla candle in the winter so I went out and got a soy candle. To make sure there were no "stuff" added I went and did a lot of research here too. It is possible to get a good soy waxed candle with a 100 % cotton wick. The one I chose is sensed with essential oils not fragrance. You can learn more about paraffin wax candles and their bad reputation HERE.

I don't share to scare. These are my opinions and I'm entitled to them. Oh and one more thing, since we've made the switch I feel much better. No more headaches. Feel free to use and share the homemade air freshener recipe with everyone and anyone. The glass bottle sits back of our toilet with a homemade label. I wanted guests to know it was available for use if need be. On the back I also noted the three ingredients and {shake well, spray away from face and clothing, face & fabrics}.
I love how much essential oil I have left. I know I'll be able to make my own air freshener for a long time and it's just one more way we are going green and $aving green! When the snow has finished melting and I'm able to open the windows, fresh air will be blowing through the house.
Cheers to happy, healthy fresh air!