Natural Freshener Ideas for Indoor Air Pollution and Air Quality
Here’s a surprising fact: indoor air may contain more chemicals and toxins than outdoor air. Your family’s constantly exposed to those contaminants, so you need to step up efforts to keep the air inside your home clean and fresh.
From gas-fired equipment and chemical-based cleaning supplies to the paint on your walls, there are plenty of potential sources of pollutants in every room of your house. And while you can work on reducing exposure, eliminating them all is nearly impossible.
The next best thing you can do then is to improve the quality of the air surrounding you. How? With the following air cleansing techniques and tips.
Run an ultrasonic diffuser
An ultrasonic diffuser is great for aromatherapy, yes. But it can also double as an air freshener if you use it with essential oils (order here) that have cleansing properties. When diffused, the droplets of these oils can help with with common household issues. And because they’re natural, pure and fragrant without introducing chemical additives to your home. You can actually improve indoor air while supporting healthy respiratory function.
The bonus is that these oil droplets stay suspended in the air for up to 6 hours, so their effects are pretty long-lasting.
The top essential oils for indoor air cleaning include eucalyptus, lavender and tea tree oil (order here). You can also mix three or so oils to create an extra powerful and aromatic blend or get a great blend called Purification (order here). Eucalyptus, for instance, is best combined with frankincense and lemon. Just add 5 drops of each to your diffuser.
Order pure essential oils here
Make a room spray
A spray is the perfect choice if you need to freshen up the smell of the air in a specific area or room. It’s easy and quick as well as handy and practical. And with the right essential oils, it can successfully spray away stale air.
All you need is a glass spray bottle (like this one), some distilled water and a some of your favorite essential oils. For an air-purifying solution, use 5 drops each of lemon, frankincense and eucalyptus. Or try 8 drops each of balsam fir, orange and myrrh. For an air-freshening combination, go with clove, orange and sandalwood, or eucalyptus, lemon and tea tree.
My favorite oils to freshen my home are purification blend, lemon, Frankincense and lavender which all come in the premium starter kit (order here).
Once the oils and water are added the bottle, shake the bottle well each time then spray the mist around your home to make it smell wonderful.
Order pure essential oils here
Use indoor plants
Plants are widely known for naturally absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. But did you know that they can also clean and purify indoor air? That’s right. Many plants are actually able to filter out volatile organic compounds (VOCs), improving the quality of air inside your home.
Among those plants are dracena (corn plant) for filtering out formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and xylene; snake plant (mother in law’s tongue) for formaldehyde; and bamboo palm (reed palm) for trichloroethylene and benzene. Also on the list: Boston fern, English ivy, bromeliads, yucca, areca, spider plant and dwarf date.
Before you bring in any plant, however, do your homework. Check if the plant is non-toxic to pets and safe for children. Then find out just how resilient it is and whether it’s easy or hard to care for.
Light up your room
Another way to clean the air in your home is to use a salt lamp. Himalayan salt crystals release negative ions, which bind with—and then help remove—toxins in the air. They also rid the air of common allergens such as dander, dust and pollens, a big plus if someone in your family has allergies or asthma. (order here)
Bottom line:
Between diffusing purifying essential oil blends, adding plants that filter out harmful compounds and lamps that reduce toxins, there are many ways to lower smells and ordors inside your home. Make this a priority and you’ll be able breathe easier in no time.
Order essential oils I use for my family here.
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Thank you for the post. We have a lot of family coming over for the holidays and even if it’s mental I feel like the indoor air quality goes down when a ton of people are over for a few days. I like the idea of using a salt lamp, I hadn’t considered that before. Is there a way to test the air quality of your home so you can see if any progress is made after using these methods?
I am not sure, I would just open the windows, get indoor plants and use essential oils. Also clean out your cabinets and throw out toxic rugs and furniture. Thanks for reading.