Somewhere along the line, we started putting a high value on nice-smelling homes.
I get it. I like my house to smell nice as much as the next person does, and I'll freely admit that I'm a recovering scentaholic.
But when I learned the high price my health was paying for those aromas, I walked away and never looked back.
Since eliminating artificial fragrance from my home, I have experienced so many health improvements that I can't even begin to count. Granted, I was making other changes at the time, too, but I do credit the elimination of headaches and brain fog with ending my use of scented products. (You can see my story at the bottom of this page.)
Some facts about air scents, including candles, wax melts, air fresheners, and plug-ins:
- They almost always contain fragrance, a soup of undisclosed toxic chemicals
- They release formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, volatile organic compounds, and other toxins into your air
- They cause or trigger asthma, eye and nose irritation, headaches, brain fog, and more
- The toxins they put in the air share much in common with secondhand cigarette smoke
In fact, burning a candle for one hour is equivalent in toxin intake to smoking one cigarette!
Scented products are, in large part, responsible for the fact that the air inside our homes is around five times more toxic than outdoor air.
No candle, melt, plug-in, or air freshener is necessary. You can eliminate them from your life far more easily than some other toxic products. You just quit using them.
How to Have a Nice-Smelling Home Without the Toxins
1 – Open your windows
Nothing smells better than fresh, clean air. Whenever possible (and reasonable), have windows open on opposite sides of your home, so fresh outdoor air can flow through.
You may have to adjust with the seasons, opening windows at night in the summer and during the day when it's cooler. If you live somewhere with harsh winters, it may be almost impossible to open windows for part of the year, but do your best. Even 10 minutes a couple times a week is better than nothing.
The added benefit of open windows is they serve as ventilation to carry away toxins that accumulate in our indoor air.
2 – Simmer Pots
Simmer pots are simply a pot of water simmering on your stove top, and you throw in aromatics like herbs, spices, citrus peels, or even pine needles and cones. I've never heard of anyone using flowers, and I'm not sure if they're too delicate, but you could try it!
Just make sure to keep an eye on the water level and refill as needed, so your pot doesn't run dry.
3 – Diffuse Essential Oils
This is the best option for replacing the variety of aromas you've enjoyed with your scented products. You have options of anything from citrus to floral to evergreen to herbs and spices to musky resiny scents.
As an added benefit, the best quality essential oils offer you other benefits as well – like eucalyptus can help you breathe more easily, peppermint can increase your focus, and lavender can help you relax and wind down at night.
(A word of warning: Many essential oils, especially cheap ones, are synthetic fragrance oils and no better than candles or plug-ins. Many more aren't distilled to have their full therapeutic value. As a natural health coach, after much research, there is only one brand I recommend.)
Can you make a commitment right now? I challenge you to never light another scented candle, spray another air freshener, plug in another plug-in, or melt another wax melt in your home.
It really is so simple to just not use these items. You don't even have to swap them out. You can really just quit using them and enjoy better health.
If you're serious about committing, please comment and tell me so! I'd love to cheer you on! And if you need more encouragement, jump into my free Facebook group where we talk about fragrance and a ton of other ways to eliminate toxins from your home.
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