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With the holiday season practically knocking on the front door, I am preparing my home for family visits. When I have company coming over, I like to vacuum my home and spritz it with one of my favorite aromatherapy concoctions to freshen up the air and make my space more inviting to guests. I used to be on the Febreze bandwagon, that is until I found out just how toxic their sprays really are. I was enraged to find out that an air freshener company that's slogan is "breathe happ," fills their products with bronchial irritants. No one is going to breathe happier with toxic chemicals that irritate the lungs.
Febreze contains over 85 toxic ingredients
It may seem like a harmless act, spraying an air freshener like Febreze, around your home, but instead of cleaning the air, these air fresheners are actually further polluting the air with toxins. Environmental Working Group did a study on over 20 cleaning supplies used in schools and found that many of these products contained a large amount of toxic ingredients that are not disclosed on the product's ingredients list. Febreze (Air Effects – Hawaiian Aloha) contained the third highest amount of air contaminants, coming in at 89, only three of which were disclosed on the label. Some of the most toxic ingredients are bronchial irritants (for a product that you are supposed to breathe in) that cause serious allergic reactions, asthma, migraines, cancer, and more! According to the EWG, these are the worst offenders on the list and some of their many causes, but there are more!
- BHT - Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Occupational hazards, Biochemical or cellular level changes
- ACETALDEHYDE - Cancer, Developmental/reproductive toxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Occupational hazards
- FRAGRANCE - Neurotoxicity, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Miscellaneous
- PROPYLENE GLYCOL - Cancer, Allergies/immunotoxicity, Persistence and bioaccumulation, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Enhanced skin absorption
- 1,3-DICHLORO-2-PROPANOL - Cancer, Violations, restrictions & warnings, Occupational hazards
There's a better way to freshen the air
Never fear! You know I wouldn't leave you hanging after a diatribe like that, without giving you the option to make it yourself! Room sprays are the absolute easiest thing to make for your home. In it's simplest form, just water and essential oils can do a great job as an air freshener, but I like to add aloe vera gel and vegetable glycerin to mine for a more luxurious and longer lasting spray that doubles as a body spray. Essential oils are also a really great option because they provide therapeutic properties as well as great smells! Some essential oils actually have deodorizing properties to them, perfect for a room spray!
DIY Non-Toxic Room Sprays
Most of these essential oil sprays are made at roughly a 4% ratio for the best room scent. I like to use some fruity scents that aren't able to be made as essential oils, and after some extensive research, I found Medicine Flower Flavors. They have a proprietary cold process to extract from the actual fruit, their flavors, not using any synthetically created flavors. They are also certified organic, and can be used in your water to flavor it (one drop coconut and one drop pineapple really give me a great tasting no sugar added Pina Colada water!), your ice cream, your coffee, and more! I use these flavors to make delicious lip balms, and even awesome smelling bodyand room sprays!
BASE SPRAY INGREDIENTS
- 4 oz. spray bottle
- 2 Tbsp. witch hazel
- 1/2 Tbsp. aloe vera gel (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. vegetable glycerin (optional )
- essential oil blend
- filtered water, to fill
DIRECTIONS
- Combine witch hazel, aloe vera gel, and vegetable glycerin in your spray bottle.
- Add essential oils and add water to fill.
- Spray all over your house, pillows, your body, bedrooms, bathrooms, in the toilet, your car/car seats, dog beds etc. I like to spray wrinkly clothing that just needs a refresher, then toss it in the dryer with my wool dryer balls, for a fresh smelling "ironed" look!
Fall/Winter Room Spray Blends
If you would like to freshen your home with Spring/Summer scents, go here.
Take a Chill Pill
A very calming and soothing blend that smells delicious!
- 40 drops lavender essential oil
- 30 drops tangerine essential oil
- 16 drops Roman chamomile essential oil
- 12 drops vanilla oleoresin
Pumpkin Spice
Get into the fall/winter season with this spicy blend that is enough to make your mouth water! The upside is this blend is also a great anti-germ blend to boot!
- 10 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil
- 10 drops ginger co2
- 12 drops nutmeg essential oil
- 10 drops clove bud essential oil
- 3 drops cardamom essential oil
- 30 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 10 drops vanilla oleoresin
Euca-Citru-Licious
A refreshing pick-me-up during the dark days of winter, this blend it great to boost spirits and freshen stale air! (Not for use around children under the age of 10 yrs.)
- 25 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 35 drops grapefruit essential oil
- 30 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 10 drops lime essential oil
Twilight Gypsy
A sweet and spicy alluring feminine scent, this blend is great for a romantic evening at home!
- 40 drops lavender essential oil
- 12 drops nutmeg essential oil
- 20 drops clove bud essential oil
- 4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
- 10 drops vanilla oleoresin
Celtic Faerie
This is my version of a certain bath and body store that carries a yearly scent called Winter Candy Apple. I used to love that scent, so i set out to make something like it!
- 40 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 30 drops red apple flavor extract
- 20 drops pineapple flavor extract
- 10 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil
Dreamcatcher
This is one of my favorite calming night time blends! I just love the way that coconut blends with sweet marjoram and lavender! It's such a delightful heady scent!
- 40 drops coconut flavor extract
- 30 drops marjoram essential oil
- 30 drops lavender essential oil
Harvest Moon
This is a sweet and spicy fall/winter blend that smells like just like my grandma's home during the holiday season!
- 40 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 20 drops cinnamon leaf essential oil
- 30 drops red apple flavor extract
- 20 drops clove bud essential oil
Oranges & Clove
I just love the smell of pomanders during the winter time! It's one of my FAVORITE holiday blends!
- 40 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 40 drops tangerine essential oil
- 20 drops clove bud essential oil
Winter Woods
A fresh woodsy scent with a bite of cold. This would be a great gift for a bachelor or teenage boy (because you know that his bedroom probably smells gross!) It's not as girly as some of the other scents can be.
- 20 drops peppermint essential oil
- 25 drops pine essential oil
- 20 drops Virginia cedarwood essential oil
- 25 drops fir needle essential oil
Woods & Spice & Everything Nice
This is a great spicy and woodsy scent! This would be a great gift for a bachelor or teenage boy (because you know that his bedroom probably smells gross!) It's not as girly as some of the other scents can be.
- 25 drops pine essential oil
- 25 drops cypress essential oil
- 30 drops Virginia cedarwood essential oil
- 15 drops nutmeg essential oil
- 15 drops clove bud essential oil
