As the warm weather starts to set it, I am noticing the odor in the house resulting from a long winter in a carpeted house with cats. We have a good, bagless vacuum, but no matter how much I vacuum, there is always the odor that just seems to sit in the carpet fibers. And since I’ve been using baking soda a lot lately with my cleaning, I figured there must be some way it can also clean carpets, right? I have lavender flowers but not oil, so I substituted heather and hyacinth oil, which is a mild, yet pleasing, floral scent, for some natural air freshener.
Why Ditch the Spray Air Freshener and Plugins?
Well, besides the fake, perfume-y smell they emit, they also have lots of chemicals that cause hormonal and reproductive problems. When I was pregnant with my first child, I learned about this and threw away all the room deodorizers. Instead of masking odors, we can try to prevent them or treat them organically.
In the UK, Bristol University’s Children of the 90s study(also known as the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, or ALSPAC which has followed the health and development of 14,000 children since before birth, was the first study to investigate the effects of VOCs on infants.
In 2004, the researchers found that frequent use of air fresheners and aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood was associated with higher levels of diarrhoea, earache and other symptoms in infants, as well as headaches and depression in mothers. The symptoms in mothers are due to the neurotoxic substances which are also present in commercial air fresheners.**
All Natural Air Freshener/Carpet Refresher
Ingredients
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
10 drops lavender oil
Directions
Mix ingredients with a fork until there are no lumps. Sprinkle all over your carpets.
Let sit 30 minutes, then vacuum.
Other Natural Ways to Remove Odors
- Remove bad odors instead of masking them
- Open windows
- Empty the garbage frequently
- Burn 100 percent pure beeswax candles with 100 percent cotton wicks—they purify and clean the air
- Use an open box of baking soda for smelly rooms
- Use indoor plants to clear carbon dioxide and other toxins
- Simmer cinnamon sticks and orange peels in water on the stovetop
- Use organic sachets and potpourris
Leave a Reply