According to the Environmental Protection Agency,“air inside the average home is two to five times more polluted than the air outside, largely due to toxic household cleaners and pesticides.” In an effort to reduce the environmental toxins in our home, especially with the baby on the way, I have been experimenting with homemade cleaning products. This past weekend, I made an air freshener that was inspired by one of the books I have been using in this transition, Better Basics for the Home by Annie Berthold-Bond. This is a fantastic book with tons & tons of recipes.
Below is a recap of an article I read on Natural News, that convinced me that making my own air freshener was the only way to go. After reading this, my thought was why even risk it? Especially when making air-freshener is so quick and simple. I think it took me under a minute to mix all this stuff.
Many store-bought scented air fresheners contain a cocktail of harmful toxic ingredients, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, petroleum distillates, benzene, and limonene. In addition, they may contain benzyl alcohol, camphor, dichlorobenzene, ethanol, naphthalene, phenol and pinene. Some of these chemicals are known to trigger respiratory symptoms, such as asthma. They can also trigger other health issues such as eye irritation, bone damage and even leukemia. Even products labeled, “natural” are not a safe bet. Some of these products may contain ingredients, such as phthalates, which are linked to low sperm count and reproductive damage. Kind of ironic, right? Chemicals that are supposed to make our air “fresher”, are actually make them much more toxic.
With, Annie’s permission I am sharing her “Deodorizing Spray” recipe here. The recipe I have posted is my take on her original recipe, I make a more concentrated version because I love all the scents of the essential oils. Annie’s original recipe uses 1/2 cup of vodka and 1/2 cup of distilled water.
UPDATE 4.26.14: As I have been learning more about essential oils, I have learned that quality matters. You can find more information on choosing high quality essential oils here.
8 drops lavender oil
4 drops bergamont oil
4 drops clove oil
2 drops peppermint oil
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 cup distilled water
Combine all ingredients in a measuring cup, then pour into a 4 ounce glass spray bottle.
Love this idea! There’s nothing worse than air fresheners!
Oh my, it smells delicious. I can already tell.
I am not sure if you have discovered the miracles of white vinegar yet but if not, it is an amazing product! I use it in my laundry, to clean our coffee pot, on any hard water build up and most stains. The more I use it, the more uses I have found for it.
Hi Holly! Yes! I love using vinegar. I was forced to discover it when we first bought stainless steel pots & pans a few years ago and I kept buring them :). Now, I mix it with water and use it as all purpose cleaner. I haven’t used in laundry yet. I am going to try that today. Thanks for the tip.