Non-toxic Air Freshener Guide

1. Aura Cacia / 2. Eco-Me / 3. Moso / 4. Christina Maser

When I started dating Daylon, I loved that his bachelor pad always smelled so nice, thanks to a prominent Glade plug-in in his entryway. Once I learned about what was in that air freshener, I promptly unplugged it. This meant that our apartment began smelling like whatever we’d last cooked—wonderful on the rare occasion when I baked an apple crisp, and less awesome after the more common meal of pan-fried salmon and steamed broccoli.

A Brief History of Air Fresheners

The use of household air fresheners, in one form or another, has been around for thousands of years.

Incense, one of the most ancient forms of air fresheners, is burned so that the smoke can mask other, less pleasant odors. Most modern air fresheners employ the same method (masking), but unlike the burning of incense, they disperse masking agents in other ways, and with a far more sophisticated use of chemistry. (By the way, just because we’ve been burning incense for many centuries does not mean it’s a great idea. Burnt airborne particulates, from incense to cigarettes to auto exhaust, are always bad to inhale, no matter the form.)

Since the 1940s, air freshener manufacturers have blended various chemical agents and tinkered with a variety of dispersal techniques in order to market products that don’t involve burning. This might seem like a step in the right direction, but the chemical agents used are often far less benign than you’d hope.

My Top Pick for Best Natural Air Freshener

Moso Natural Air Purifiers are surprisingly effective at reducing indoor odors (in addition to scrubbing VOCs!)

$10.00 – $23.00Buy Now

My Top Pick for Best Natural Air Freshener Room Spray

If you want a natural air freshener that you spray, try Eco-Me’s organic room sprays, which are great for masking odors with pleasant, phthalate-free scents.

$7.75Buy Now

Why Modern Air Fresheners Stink

Modern chemistry has shown us that certain chemical agents, when atomized and inhaled, are capable of blocking our smell receptors, thus blunting our ability to detect odor.

Other air fresheners coat our nasal passages with an oily film, and many still just cover up the original odor with better-smelling scents.

A minority of air fresheners actually break down the offensive odor, and even those ones generally contain a heavy dose of chemicals.

What’s Wrong with Conventional Air Fresheners?

A regular run-of-the-mill air freshener will probably contain at least one of the following scary chemicals:

• Phthalates. Synthetic fragrances usually contain phthalates, and most of us know that these are bad—linked with early puberty, autism, obesity, and birth defects. You won’t see “phthalate” on a label; it’ll just say “fragrance” or perhaps “parfum.”
• PEG-40. The Environmental Working Group considers this polymer to be moderately hazardous to human health.
• 1,4-dichlorobenzene (1,4-DCB).1,4-DCB is reasonably anticipated to a human carcinogen, and has been shown to cause kidney and testicular cancer in rats. It also has been shown to cause reduced lung function and increased asthma rates in humans.

Air fresheners may also contain some really gross chemicals that won’t show up on the label. A 2007 study tested 74 air freshening products and measured the concentration of VOCs in the air after use. They reported that a total of more than 350 different chemicals and allergens were detected, including (but not limited to!) benzene, formaldehyde, styrene, and phthalates.

Spray bottles (aerosol) cause additional health risks due to ingredients used as propellants, such as butane and propane.

How to Find a Natural Air Freshener

If you want to truly purify your indoor air, we love Austin air filters.

Rather than masking odors with other, more potent odors, or disabling your sense of smell all together, there are ways to absorb unwanted odors. Sodium carbonate (otherwise known as baking soda) has been safely used as an odor sponge for generations with no known ill effects. There are also ways to employ specific types of charcoal products to scrub unwanted odors from indoor air (learn about these below, under The Good Stuff).

Of course, our modern world is a considerably more toxic place than the one in which our ancestors evolved. This is especially true indoors, where the combination of air-tight homes and toxic agents (such as cleaning products and off-gassing furniture and carpets) is a real health risk, especially when we consider how much of our lives we spend indoors.

But back to commercial air fresheners…The good news is that there are regulations regarding what can and cannot go into them. The bad news is that there are gaping loopholes in these regulations, the most obvious of which is “trade secrets.” This allows companies to refuse to name all the ingredients in an air freshener, and without this disclosure, it becomes very challenging to figure out if your air freshener is toxic just by looking at the label.

We’ve done the research for you here, so read on for which natural air fresheners are truly safe and effective.

The Good Stuff: Natural Air Freshener Brands

Aura Cacia Essential Oil Diffuser

Aura Cacia Essential Oil Diffuser is an easy plug-in unit that uses low levels of heat to volatilize essential oils. This kit contains a diffuser unit and five refill pads. This essential oil diffuser is a perfect natural alternative to toxic plug-in air fresheners.

Aura Cacia also makes this awesome car plug-in car plug-in

$14.99Buy Now

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Aura Cacia Natural Air Freshener

Aura Cacia is another company that is truly committed to product safety as well as sustainability. Their spritzer air freshener is made from essential oils and water and also uses no propellants. You can buy the spray on Amazon for around $7 or get the plug-in room diffuser for $13.

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Eco-Me Vitamin-Infused Natural Air Freshener

Eco-Me makes an entirely safe line of cleaning products, and their vitamin-infused air fresheners are no exception. All four formulas are scented only with 100% essential oils and smell fresh and delicious.

 

$7.75Buy Now

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Essence of Vali Botanical Mists

Although the term “natural” is somewhat meaningless (after all, arsenic is natural), in this case it refers to the fact that Essence of Vali mists are made entirely from essential botanical oils and distilled water. The dispenser is a pump/spritzer type thingy and uses no propellants. These mists come in 10 different aromas and affordable at $8 a bottle. You can also opt for a diffuser blend, which costs around $12 and can be used in any standard aromatherapy diffuser. You can buy Essence of Vali products from Amazon.

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I Am Goddess Natural Air Freshener

I Am Goddess’s aromatherapy blend contains nothing concerning, and imparts the room with a pleasantly herbal kind of fragrance.

Buy now from Poofy Organics

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Moso Natural Air Freshener/Purifier

Moso bags contain activated bamboo charcoal, which serves as a filtering agent (as opposed to a masking agent). The great thing about most filtering agents is that they not only remove unwanted odors, but they also scrub the air of some of the nasties that may be floating around your home—things like formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, chloroform gases, and bacteria/allergens. After a couple of years of use, simply throw the charcoal on your garden–it’s 100% biodegradable. The bags range in size, and will cost between $10 and $20. And because I use these personally, I can attest that they really do work!

$10.00 – $23.00Buy Now

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Sort of Coal Kuro Cube Natural Air Freshener

is another kind of charcoal air filter made from very specific types of wood and wood vinegar. Made in Korea and marketed by a hip Danish company, the Kuro Cube removes odors and toxins from your indoor environment and is biodegradable. Sort of Coal sells a range of purifying coal products, all of which are quite pricey.

The Bad Stuff

The Sneaky Stuff

Make Your Own Natural Air Fresheners

• Gimme the Good Stuff readers tend to be more inclined to tackle DIY projects than we are. For those folks, here’s a list of cool (and amusing!) alternative natural air freshener ideas.
• Sometimes I will make the effort to simmer spices on the stovetop—clove and orange peels, for instance, lend a really nice aroma to my apartment. Just be sure to keep enough water in the pot so that your homemade potpourri doesn’t burn.
• You can also burn a fragrant, natural candle. Sunbeam beeswax candles earn Good Stuff approval.

Want to know more? Here are great resources on…

• Indoor air pollution
• Phthalates
• The dangers of common household dust