Chances are… if you work in a building, attend school in a building or even open your cabinets (or, walk down the air freshener aisle at Fry’s or Safeway…) you have seen the myriad of air fresheners.
I have.
It’s insane! How can they have SO many?
There is almost every scent known to man… scents for the car, bathroom, closet, shoes, etc. the list goes on. Every house I have ever been in always has them in the bathroom (my guess is stinky smells…) – though some people like having them plugged into their walls in the living room …
My in laws have them all over the house, and it bothers me that there is a risk when they leave as I have heard stories of them catching fire.
I’m thankful I haven’t ever loved strong scents – perfume is a no no for me, and my husband doesn’t wear scented heavy cologne – in the military, the bathrooms used to have the generic “spray” for hiding your nasty business and it was government catalog purchased by every unit’s/organization’s supply company so almost every installation had the exact same type.
And, since I worked in recruiting too, that was NO different. Yuck and NASTY. Even Renuzit – overpriced? Even with a coupon paying any amount for those is just ridiculous – it’s something you could easily make yourself with some baking soda.
I have always been super paranoid about spraying those things into the air – obviously not everyone feels my paranoia, and in fact, some of you might think I’m overboard in my thinking but I would rather be overboard than NOT be concerned..
Here’s what they say about these air fresheners – from the Environmental Working Group (EWG):
Ingredients commonly used in fragrances in air fresheners include phthalates, which make fragrances last longer and are linked to male reproductive system birth defects and hormone disruption, and synthetic musks, which are linked to allergies and hormone disruption.
Air fresheners – in aerosol, spray, solid, candle or plug-in form – don’t remove odors. They just mask them. It’s literally impossible to track down a full list of ingredients for most air fresheners sold in the U.S., because there is no requirement for companies to disclose ingredients.
… So far I have had several people mention to me “well, all these articles and mentions of things being toxic are just a PLOY to get people to buy natural health products”….
If you think that’s a ploy, then you need to travel down the air care aisle – do you think THAT is not a ploy? New products are not a ploy? Overpriced air fresheners aren’t out of control? Sure they are. I see commercials or them constantly on Television.
Listen – when it comes to air care, there really isn’t a need to buy things with synthetic ingredients. You can essentially make your own – it’s SO much less, and incredibly better for your health.
We have our own Room Sprays/Linen Sprays here at our house, and while they aren’t fancy bottles with fancy terms, they are little brown glass spray bottles & they work sufficient. Our Essential Oils are put to work and last FOREVER because a little bit goes a long way.
DIY Lavender Cedarwood Linen Spray
- Glass Spray Bottle (do not use Plastic with Essential Oils!)
- 10 drops Cedarwood Essential Oil
- 10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
- Optional: 1 Tbsp of Witch Hazel or Vodka (helps suspend the fragrance)
Why Cedarwood & Lavender?
While this combination is one that we love to put in our diffuser for ourselves & the kids at night (4 drops of each), it’s incredible on the linens too… so little heads lay down and they sleep so quickly because their pillow smells snuggly and the scent makes them drift off easier.
Cedarwood: Soothing and Relaxing scent – is great for rest. The scent of Cedarwood releases Serotonin, which is converted into Melatonin in the brain. Melatonin helps to leave you feeling calm.
Lavender: is also a relaxing scent, that helps you unwind from your day – it’s both balancing and great for skin support, too.
We use Young Living Oils in our home and I will not use ANY other brand. I’m glued to our choices and want to know why? They have been around for 20 years. They own their own fields. They have a Seed to Seal pledge that means a LOT to me and you can go to their farms at any time to help with planting and harvesting. You can’t do that with anyone else!
Read our last post to learn WHY we love them so much, and why we chose Young Living.
We LOVE everything about our oils and use for everything from personal health to wellness.
Thankfully Young Living makes it incredibly easy to score a wholesale discount on your oils – when you pick up their starter kit (as low as $144 this month of February!) you get ALL of those oils above, and a diffuser – not to mention the opportunity to buy your oils at wholesale cost.