Are Your Air Fresheners Emitting Toxic Chemicals?

Pets, overflowing trash cans, and teenagers can all be the culprit of sneaky stenches that may plague your home. Your house should be a place of relaxation and comfort, so people often rush to things like air fresheners to try and balance out any odor issues. All varieties of air fresheners from plug-ins to sprays are highly popular, but you may want to reconsider using them. Though these products can help with household smells, according to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, studies have found that air fresheners are responsible for unhealthy levels of certain volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. Some of the VOCs that air fresheners have been found to release into the environment include formaldehyde, ethyl benzene, and xylenes. Once released, these VOCs (which are already potentially harmful on their own) can react to ozone in the air and form secondary pollutants that are also detrimental to your health.

The presence of these compounds often goes unnoticed, but they can cause acute issues like headaches and nausea, and are known as nasal, throat, and airway irritants. Beyond immediate reactions to the chemicals, air fresheners can also be responsible for long-term illnesses. Further experts from Columbia University say that air fresheners also release the chemicals phthalates, aldehydes, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene, all of which are known to be causes of cancer.

Opting for air fresheners marketed as green or organic isn't a good solution to the toxicity problem, as even these products have been found to emit harmful pollutants, according to the Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health International Journal. There is also no real evidence that they actually eliminate odors in your home. Air fresheners are usually only masking other smells. Since there's now solid proof out there for both the dangers and inefficacies of air fresheners, why not opt for some safer options?

There are many healthy tips for absorbing odors in your home that are better choices than chemical-infused air fresheners. Some suggest leaving out bowls of things like coffee grounds or baking soda to mitigate the effects of bad smells and possibly absorb them. If you prefer something more similar to an air freshener, you can make your own DIY lemon air freshener to keep your home feeling clean and smelling fresh without the harmful chemicals. Odor issues in your car? No problem: there are plenty of DIY car air freshener ideas you can utilize for that as well.

Though these DIY options may be a good solution for you, there's one important caveat – they can possibly be harmful to animals. The essential oils used in these projects are oftentimes dangerous for a variety of household pets, so make sure to do a little research to determine the safest way to deodorize your home.