6 Healthy Ways to Freshen the Air in Your Home

A couple of weeks ago we talked about places to investigate when your house stinks and the health risks of conventional air fresheners. Today’s post is a lot more pleasant!

Whether you want to mask an odor or you want to add a nice scent to your home, there are numerous ways to do this without endangering your family’s health. Here are 6 safe and simple ways to make your house smell fresh.

Healthy ways to make your house smell fresh

• Baking soda. Baking soda has long been touted as a cure-all for odors by grandmothers and natural living enthusiasts alike. Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of evidence that setting baking soda out in the open or in the fridge will help much with odors. This is because, though baking soda does neutralize acids, it’s unlikely that molecules from acidic odor sources (such as sour milk in the fridge) will come in contact and interact with baking soda that you’ve set out to absorb odors. However, this doesn’t mean that baking soda is completely ineffective. When it comes into direct contact with smells, it can make a difference. Thus, it is most effective to apply baking soda directly to stinky objects. Examples of this include sprinkling it onto carpet before vacuuming, sprinkling it in shoes, and making a baking soda-water paste to rub onto stinky surfaces (such as cutting boards) before washing them (source).
• Simmering potpourris. Fill a small pan with water and add sliced lemons, oranges, herbs, and/or spices. Simmer on low heat. Vary the ingredients based on your mood or the season. The variety of aromas you can create is practically limitless!
• Steam and fragrant sprigs. Hang a few fragrant sprigs of eucalyptus or fresh herbs (rosemary, lemon balm, thyme, etc.) in a corner of the shower where they won’t get wet. Steam from the shower will activate the essential oils in the herbs so they release a lovely scent.
• Essential oils. There are many ways to use good quality essential oils to make a space smell great. Be careful to use actual essential oils, not home fragrance oils. The latter pose the health risks discussed here.
  • Diffuse an oil using an electronic or battery-powered diffuser.
  • Diffuse an oil using a simple reed diffuser. You can make one of these easily by arranging a handful of reeds through the narrow opening of a small glass vase that you have filled with ¼ cup safflower or almond oil and a few drops of essential oil.
  • Spray oils into the air or onto linens after mixing 20-25 drops essential oil, 2 tablespoons witch hazel or alcohol, and ¾ cup water in a spray bottle.
  • Add a few drops of oil to the cardboard tube inside the toilet paper roll.
• Citrus cleaners. Not only are citrus fruits (lemons, limes, oranges, etc.) incredibly helpful when cleaning, but they make great air fresheners. Here are several ways to release their scents into the air while cleaning.
  • Make citrus-infused vinegar and use it for cleaning counters, floors, toilets, stovetops, etc.
  • Cut a lemon in half and rub it on faucets, glass enclosures, and porcelain surfaces to remove lime scale, hard water stains, and soap scum.
  • Sprinkle greasy stovetops and counters with salt. Squeeze lime or lemon juice onto the salt. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing clean with a sponge or rag.
  • Grind citrus peels and a few ice cubes down the garbage disposal in order to deodorize it and help clean it of grease and grime.
  • Polish wood furniture using 1 cup lemon juice, 2 cups olive oil, and a half cup finely chopped citrus peel.
  • Use lemon wedges dipped in salt to polish brass, copper, chrome, aluminum, and stainless steel surfaces.
• Fresh air. Sometimes something as simple as opening a window will freshen the air in a home. Of course, this won’t work if you live next to a factory that emits air pollutants or if there is something outside your window that gives off a stench. However, if you live in an area with good air quality and few odors, then allowing in some outdoor air and circulating this with fans (if possible) will prevent indoor odors from becoming concentrated.

I love that these approaches are so simple and inexpensive! In my house, I find fresh air and diffusing essential oils to be the most effective.

How do you freshen the air in your home? What other healthy approaches can you add to this list?

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Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, Over the Moon, and Thursday Favorite Things.