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Psicología del Amor

The best natural air fresheners to make your house smell good: effective and free of chemicals

be for eliminate bad odors or to enjoy pleasant aromasair fresheners in all their varieties (perfumes or home mistcandles, incense, mikados, sprays…) sell in the millions. However, most are a cocktail of toxins and petroleum derivatives associated with numerous health disorders.

The air fresheners They pollute the air in the home. Even if they are used in low doses, if they are dispersed every day and several times a day, the exposure is continuous. But we can make our house smell wonderful without having to resort to this type of air freshener.

Although they are not as widespread as synthetic ones, you can also find paraffin-free candles, aromatic waters or Florida water, essential oil diffusers and others. toxic-free products to create homely and healthy environments. You can find them in herbal stores, organic stores, natural cosmetics stores, therapy centers and the like.

Loading video: How to freshen up the house with natural, non-toxic air fresheners

How to freshen up the house with natural, non-toxic air fresheners

why not use chemical air fresheners

Chemical air fresheners can contain phthalates and other substances that act as disruptors that alter hormonal balance and can promote a variety of diseases.

Benzene, formaldehyde, phthalates, musks and synthetic oils, toluenes, linalool, and other volatile organic compounds… are some of the substances they contain. Its inhalation is associated with many alterations and these are exacerbated in sensitive people, babies and pregnant women.

  • Irritation eyes, nose and throat
  • Pain headlong
  • Nervousness
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness and fatigue,
  • Effects on the reproductive system and other disorders.

According to the OCU, which in 2013 analyzed 22 domestic air fresheners, many they worsen air quality. Even some incense and oils, which emit more benzene than tobacco.

8 ways to make your house smell wonderful

Luckily, there are healthier solutions to enjoy clean air and evocative but natural aromas.

1. Consider these tricks to eliminate bad odor

We can take very simple measures to avoid bad odors:

  • Baking soda strip. Baking soda is a great ally to absorb bad odors. Humidity, smoke, ammonia or drains in poor condition they can be the cause of uncomfortable odors that we sometimes try to mask with air fresheners, but what we have to do is act on the cause and correct it as soon as possible. Can put baking soda in a bowl wherever it is needed, such as in the refrigerator or in the bathroom.
  • The lemon saucepan trick. If the problem is strong food smell Like cauliflower, just after cooking it, boil some lemon slices with cloves in a saucepan.
  • Ventilate daily. Open windows It is the most effective way to renew the air, disperse bad odors and reduce the concentration of pollutants, since it has been shown that the air in homes and closed spaces can be worse than that in the street. Opening the windows 20-30 minutes a day is enough, without forgetting to ventilate on rainy days.
  • Clean with natural products. If we clean with homemade or certified natural cleaning products we already enjoy a «clean aroma» without the need to impose it. Can create your own all-purpose by mixing white vinegar and water in equal parts in a sprayer. Add a few drops of tea tree essential oil and another of your choice, such as lemon or pine. You can also prepare a multi-surface product to eliminate dirt (source of bad odor) and perfume. Mix 4 tablespoons of cleaning vinegar, 750 ml of water and 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil.
  • Place bags of dry plants at home. Lavender, rosemary or mint, among many others, they are excellent air purifiers and some provide intoxicating fragrances. Here we also include dry plant bags for closets.
  • Cottons impregnated with aroma. While you vacuum, you can leave a fresh, clean aroma in the air as you pass it through each room in the house. Just put a few in the bag. impregnated cottons with your favorite essential oil.

2. place essential oil diffusers

The first natural alternative for consists of perfume the house with essential oils, which also have beneficial effects on mood and health. In a way to bring aromatherapy to your home.

Oils are rich in terpenes and other volatile compounds that They relax, help you sleep deeply or promote concentration. They can even boost immunity. To achieve the best results, choose pure essential oils, if possible obtained from organically grown plants, with the properties that interest you.

Choose a good diffuser

Having a good essential oil diffuser is the best way to Enjoy its aroma anytime, anywhere. Those that operate cold, with ultrasonic technology, without resistors that apply heat and alter the properties of the essential oil, are preferable. There are several types, but the most valued currently are the ultrasonic electric, which use water vapor to disperse the aroma into the environment without heating.

In fact, you can find diffusers with water and without water, battery-operated and mini models that can be put directly into sockets. They can vaporize continuously or intermittently and incorporate LED lights and music. Glass and wood models are very aesthetic and transform the atmosphere of any room.

To choose the most suitable diffuser model For each house you have to assess its capacity, autonomy, light options and colors that it incorporates, if it is programmable, type of steam it emits, the type of light, security system to turn off if there is no water in the tank, silent operation, if it is made of BPA-free plastic, if it has a remote control and even if it allows you to play music…

Use only quality oils

Beyond the diffuser, it is advisable to choose only quality essential oils, 100% pure and natural, preferably chemotyped and eco-branded. There are ready-made mixtures with specific effects: relaxing, energizing, breathing better… You can also mix them yourself. Lemon, pine, sweet orange, bergamot, lavender, eucalyptus, cinnamon, vanilla or cypress, tea tree are suitable aromas for the home.

An oil for each effect

We know that the aromas of oils are related to certain effects:

  • Citrus aromas They promote openness, communication, joy and good relationships.
  • Those from oleoresins They encourage introspection, contemplative states and meditation.
  • Some floral aromas They inspire and stimulate creativity.
  • The fresh smells They improve concentration, performance and memory.

3. Use natural incenses

Although incense, the gum resins of the Boswellia tree, are associated with something sacred and harmless, depending on their quality they can emit a more or less toxic smoke.

The industrial incenseales have nothing to do with artisanal and natural incenses. They are usually neutral bars that contain chemicals to achieve uniform combustion, as well as artificial dyes and aromas. They may contain, for example, formaldehyde, an irritating and potentially carcinogenic preservative, and aromas that are endocrine disruptors.

However, smoke is never harmless and even the most natural incense sticks emit fine particles that irritate the lungs: not only do you have to choose good incenses, but you also have to use them briefly and ventilate afterwards. There are wands with eco certification (such as ICEA or ECOCERT), and even Demeter, from biodynamic agriculture.

4. Use Palo Santo

By palo santo, similar in aromatic use to incense, we refer to the wood of a South American tree (Bursera graveolens) that produces a penetrating aroma when burning.

You can use rosewood to purify and clean the environment. It is considered good practice, for example, to absorb the strong odor of conventional paint.

5. use a Sahumerio or censer

This small «botafumeiro» It is used to burn plants such as sage, rosemary, thyme, juniper berries… as was done ancestrally, with a small piece of charcoal. It passes through the house with undulating movements to clean and purify the environment.

Each plant provides its properties. Using sage to purify the environment, for example, promotes mental clarity, joy and calm.

6. use aromatic water sprays

These sprays allow you to perfume the house in an instant. Highlights the popular «Florida water», A refreshing and citrus air freshener that will give a wonderful smell to the bedroom or other rooms in the house. Florida water can be made at home with alcohol, rose hydrosol and various essential oils or with orange and lemon peels, rosemary, cloves, cinnamon and other natural ingredients.

There are many aromatic water sprays that you can prepare at home. You can make a very easy natural air freshener, for example, boiling a sliced ​​lemon, vanilla and a sprig of rosemary in 1 liter of water. Once cool, strain and fill the sprayer.

Using essential oils you can make another very practical air freshener. Simply mix 100 ml of distilled water, 40 ml of alcohol and 30 drops of one or more essential oils. Choose the ones that interest you because of their properties:

  • Sleep and rest. You can mix them or use them separately: lavender, bergamot, magnolia flower, lemon balm and Swiss pine.
  • Protect you from viruses. Use the essential oils of cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, lemon, tea tree, oregano, sandalwood and thyme.
  • Improve concentration. Lemongrass, grapefruit, mint, rosemary and sage will help you improve concentration.
  • Boost immunity. Take advantage of the effects of the forest by bringing its aroma home with essential oil of larch, bay, cedar or Siberian fir.

7. decorate and flavor at the same time with the Mikados

They are aromatic and decorative at the same time, but you have to choose them toxic free or make them at home: immerse bamboo wands or rattan sticks in a glass jar with a mixture of alcohol and essential oil to taste.

You can also prepare your own mikados. For example, you can fill a small bottle with 60 ml of water, three tablespoons of alcohol and 15 drops of the essential oil you like the most. Put the bamboo sticks and you will have a diffuser that does not consume electricity.

Another idea to aromatize a space is to boil water in a pot with apple and orange peels, 2 cloves and cinnamon for 3 minutes. Leave the pot in the place you want to set it.

8. Make Scented Candles

Candles create a warm and pleasant atmosphere in rooms, but Not just any candle will do. Those made of paraffin derived from petroleum with synthetic perfumes will pollute the air, rather than perfume it.

Using paraffin candles, a petroleum byproduct, is not the same as using natural candles. The former, with synthetic perfumes that emit pollutants, are consumed very quickly, the finish is wasted, they emit smoke that stains and may have lead wicks.

So much sustainably produced soy candles or vegetable oils such as beeswax candles They have many advantages: not only do they last longer,…

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