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.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH FRAGRANCE?
Manufacturers will often include a range of fragrances, often derived from petroleum, into cleaning products to make your home smell strongly as you apply their colourfully-packaged product.
Also known as parfum, fragrances provide no cleaning power whatsoever, and simply result in your home smelling strongly of chemicals. Worse still, they can trigger a host of health issues including asthma, allergic reactions, and hormone disruption. And that’s without even mentioning the fact 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 you’re cleaning less well-ventilated areas of the house like the bathroom.
Key points to remember
• Avoid buying anything unlabeled, or featuring ‘parfum’ or ‘fragrance’ on the label
• Choose plant-based cleaners made with all-natural ingredients
‘CLEAN’ DOESN’T HAVE A SMELL
Commercials and slick marketing techniques have led us to believe that ‘clean’ equates to a scent that you would certainly 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 overbearingly of some artificial scents commonly found in chemically-infused cleaners. Rather, it should be a place that is free of toxins, and doesn’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 pets? And is it possible to still make your home smell nice and fresh without the use of 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. Essential oils such as tea tree oil, for instance, 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 on 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 then you can use oil diffusers or candles to introduce the natural scents of mother nature right into your living room. Here are some ideas for essential oils that you can use to naturally clean the air in your house:
• Lavender
• Peppermint
• Eucalyptus
• Sweet orange oil
