How clean is the air in your home? Probably not as clean and pure as you think. In fact, studies have shown that indoor air is typically up to seventy times more polluted than outdoor air. But what is the cause of this toxicity?
One major contributing factor is the chemicals used in conventional cleaning products. We have previously outlined the dangers of artificial cleaning ingredients to families with pets and kids in particular, and one of the most common culprits is fragrance.
Why should you avoid synthetic fragrances in cleaning products?
Manufacturers often include a range of fragrances, usually derived from petroleum, into cleaning products to make your home smell strongly as you apply their colourfully-packaged products.
Also known as perfume, fragrances provide no cleaning power whatsoever and simply result in your home smelling strongly of chemicals. Worse still, they can trigger various health issues, including asthma, allergic reactions, and hormone disruption. And that’s without even mentioning that fragrances are non-biodegradable and acutely toxic to aquatic life.
Perfume in cleaning products will also linger long after it’s applied, meaning that if you sprayed your kitchen counter with some artificially-scented cleaner last week, the chances are you are still inhaling the toxic fumes. This is especially important to consider when cleaning less well-ventilated areas of the house, like the bathroom.
Key points to remember
- Avoid buying anything unlabeled or featuring ‘perfume’ or ‘fragrance’ on the label
- Choose plant-based cleaners made with all-natural ingredients
If you want to know more, we give you ten more reasons to avoid synthetic fragrances in our other blog.
‘Clean’ doesn’t have a smell
Commercials and slick marketing techniques have led us to believe that ‘clean’ equates to a scent you would not find in nature. But what does a clean home really smell like?
Nothing at all!
That’s right, a clean home doesn’t mean your living room needs to smell overbearing of some artificial scents commonly found in chemically-infused cleaners. Instead, it should be a place free of toxins that don’t give you headaches, allergies, or any other unwanted illness. You see, a clean home is also a healthy home.
The solution: natural cleaners with organic essential oils
So now that you’re aware of the dangers of fragrance, how can you clean your house or office space without causing harm to the health of yourself, your family, or your pets? And is it possible to still make your home smell nice and fresh without using fragrance?
It certainly is.
All AspenClean products are completely artificial fragrance-free, yet are just as effective as the chemical-based cleaners available on the market. Instead of perfume, we use organic, plant-derived essential oils to fill your house with lovely aromas while also benefitting your health. For instance, essential oils such as tea tree oil are naturally antimicrobial and antifungal. So, you get the same, if not better, level of cleanliness without the health risks that fragrances pose. We also have a line of unscented cleaning products, and detergents. Choose from unscented laundry detergent, unscented laundry pods or unscented dish soap and unscented dishwasher pods.
If you want to take things a step further, you can use oil diffusers or candles to introduce the natural scents of mother nature into your living room. Here are some ideas for essential oils that you can use to clean the air in your house naturally:
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Eucalyptus
- Sweet orange oil
To conclude, if you want to know more about how cleaning product chemicals are affecting your health or if you want to discover solutions to be more sustainable, don’t hesitate to check out our blog regularly.
